A Dated Property is Restored to a Dream Swedish Country House

From a summer cottage on an island in southern Jutland, Denmark yesterday - to the fields of Skåne, South Sweden today: welcome to Marie and Eric's beautiful country home. The pair have been painstakingly restoring their dream home for over four years - transforming both the interior and exterior.  To say they had vision would be an understatement. In fact, the facade alone will inspire any house hunter out there to see beyond less attractive exteriors! Step inside, and you're transported into a cosy world of exposed wood beams, arched windows, DIY cabinets and antique furniture. Ready to feel inspired? Let's take the tour. 

Exterior before

A red brick house has been given a complete make-over with the help of a new facade, windows and doors.

Exterior after

Entrance before

Entrance after

Main kitchen after the renovation

The beautiful black glass cabinet was made using a built-in structure fitted with antique pains. It reminds me of the DIY cabinet in the Montana home of Jana Roach. 

Main living area before 

Previously a warren of small, modern rooms, Eric and Marie completely gutted the space, knocking down walls, ripping out the floor and stripping back the ceiling to reveal the original wood beams and original architecture. 

Main living area after

The cosy open-plan living room and dining area is bathed in light from arched windows, while wood beam ceilings add warmth and an intimate feel to the spacious room. 

Mezzanine floor after

Bathroom before

The bathroom is pretty much unrecognisable, with the ceiling completely knocked through and smaller windows exchanged for arched glass doors in keeping with traditional Skåne architecture. 

Bathroom after

Quite the transformation!

I love it when a house is restored to its former glory like this, it requires so much dedication, but the results are so worth it! 

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

You can see more of Marie and Eric's wonderful home and their ongoing renovation over at @oliverogård. 

There are a ton more 'before and after' tours in this archive if you feel like hanging around for a while (if this pops up first, just scroll past!). 

I'm very excited about sharing my new dream wardrobe with you tomorrow including the before pictures, the design and results. I hope you're going to like it as much as I do - hopefully it might inspire anyone out there looking to create some more storage! 

Vi ses imorgon!

Niki 

Photography courtesy of @oliverogård, shared with kind permission. 

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A Dreamy Danish Summer Cottage With an Outdoor Bathroom

Brace yourselves friends, summer has just arrived on My Scandinavian Home! Today, I'm transporting you to Ann-Britt's charming summer oasis in Southern Jutland, Denmark.  Known simply as '#haveno105 - or allotment cottage number 105, the classic black and white cabin is the perfect antidote to life in the city. Owner of lifestyle boutique Gemakker, Ann-Britt has kept the interior deliberately simple and pared back with a focus on easy living and a seamlessness between indoors and outdoors. Think bamboo furniture, nautical stripes, and touches of wicker, rattan and jute - all of which ensure a relaxed, coastal vibe. Keep a look out for the outdoor bathroom and 'lean-to' which ensure nature is never far away. The talented guys at Another Studio were there to capture these lovely images. Sun hats at the ready!

Aaaaah, lovely! Relaxed Danish summer style in all its glory! 

Could you imagine hanging out here all summer long? I certainly could! 

Sadly, I don't think this cottage is available for rent, however there are similar Danish cottages on airbnb. 

See more corners of Ann-Britt's summer cottage and read the story behind Scandinavian allotment cottages. 

Let's keep the Scandinavian summer alive today. Pour yourself a coffee, put your feet up and check out these cottages: 

A Danish cottage oasis on North Zealand

A beautifully simple white Danish summer cottage

A charming cottage on the Danish island of Fejø

Roll on summer, we're ready for you! 

Niki

Photography: Another Studio - shared with kind permission. 

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A Cosy Swedish Home Which Maximises Space and Light

When you think of Scandi homes, you usually imagine large spacious open-plan living spaces. This is often true. Drawing natural light into the darkest corner of your home is an essential Scandinavian winter survival factor  - and walls block the light. However, when you live in a small space, this is not always possible - especially if you need to carve out many different living zones such as a home office, sitting room, bedroom etc. 

This lovely Swedish apartment is a fine example of how small rooms can still be filled with light with some clever interior tricks. Think glass internal walls and clever mirror placements for a cosy, light-filled home with everything you need. 

Mysigt (cosy!) - and such clever use of space, don't you think? 

I've got lots of exciting posts planned here on the blog this week including before and after pictures of a swedish country home (wait till you see the transformation of the facade, you'll never look at a red brick house with small windows in the same way!), plus the final reveal of my new wardrobe which I've been working away on behind-the-scenes! 

Wishing you all a great start to the week! 

Niki

Styling Pernilla Sciarrati for Alvhem

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Before and After: A Rundown Croft Becomes an Idyllic Swedish Summer Cottage

When I first visited Sweden at the tender age of nine, I completely fell in love with my Swedish friends' summer cottage. It was everything you'd associate with the Swedish summer: a picturesque red and white cottage surrounded by woodland, lakes and the sweet scent of roses. Oh, and maybe the odd mosquito! When I stumbled across Alex and Erika's country home online yesterday, it took me straight back to that summer! Affectionately known as Gubbetorp, Alex and Erika's croft is located in the beautiful Östergötland countryside and has been lovingly restored one room at a time.  The pair share a passion for  antiques, vintage finds and up cycling all of which add to the charm of the space. Here are a few snapshots from before and after the renovation - including ikea hacks, outdoor loo and all! 

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Sitting room before 

Sitting room after

The pair peeled back the laminate floor to discover a beautiful wood floor - what a great discovery! Wallpaper from Böråstapeter adds a cosy touch to the room and helps draw nature indoors. 

The hall before 

Hall after 

Alex and Erika picked up an IKEA chest of drawers for a song (100 SEK - or 8 quid!) and painted it in a soft grey-green. Rabarber 1792 wallpaper adds a vibrant feel to the space. 

Outdoor loo before

It's not that uncommon for Swedish cottages to have an outdoor loo with no running water. I recently stayed at Helen's lovely place which was the same! It took me back to the days I spent Grandmother's house. Granny Ruth had an outdoor and indoor loo. We never used the outdoor one as it was always full of spiders! 

But the ones I've experienced in Sweden are so much fresher - especially after a make-over! 

Outdoor loo 

Erika and Alex have completely spruced up their outdoor loo - adding wood panelling which has been painted in the same hue as the cottage interior. 

They've also added home comforts such as a hand towel, magazines, fresh wildflowers and perhaps most importantly - a vintage water tank for washing hands. 

The standout piece though, has to be the magnificent antique dresser - it adds such a homely touch! 

What a difference! 

Their garden is simply magical - especially in summertime. It has me dreaming of midsummer (which is only 8 weeks away!) and long summer days alfresco! 

I hope you enjoyed this before and after feature as much as I have! 

If you'd like to see more snapshots from Alex and Erika's home head on over to @gubbetorp.

You might also like to feel inspired by other idyllic Swedish summer cottages here: 

A fairytale Swedish summer cottage

A photographer's charming summer cottage in the woods

A charming open-plan Swedish summer cottage

And of course, before and afters! 

Here's to a sunny, carefree weekend ahead! 

See you Monday friends! 

Niki

Photography: @gubbetorp shared with kind permission

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