The Scandinavian-Inspired Home of a Florist in Kyiv, Ukraine

This beautiful, harmonious family home in Kyiv, Ukraine popped into my mailbox recently. It was designed by Elena Petresku, who tells me she is safe and well and working as a volunteer while she awaits the opportunity to return home. The apartment belongs to florist Oksana Oliynyk and her family who turned to Elena for help to transform their early 20th century building a few steps from the magnificent Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery into a calm, Scandinavian-inspired oasis. The aim was to create a space where 'the people and their relationships come to the fore... (and) the interior does not distract from what is important'. After a year long project and tremendous amount of work, the lovely apartment was completed in 2021 - and in my eyes, has achieved everything they set out do - and more! 

For the client, a professional florist, it was important to have a large dining table where she can create bouquets. Over head, two Flowerpot pendants provide light after dark. 

Vintage table from France, Bentwood chair by Thonet, Flowerpot lamps by Verner Panton

The project included a restructure to make the space more functional. This included uniting the kitchen and living room which then flows through to the master bedroom. A small balcony off the kitchen provides a spot to enjoy a morning coffee.

The interior taps is inspired by the minimalist Nordic expression with natural materials, white and grey colour palette, combined with shades of timber and pared back furnishings. 

Coffee table by Ivan Chudov, Cobra floor lamp by Greta M. Grossman (Gubi). 

A built-in wall-to-wall closet creates a ton of storage in the master bedroom (this type of storage is a game-changer, I have firsthand experience after installing my own wardrobe recently!).

The storage unit in the children's bedroom was custom-made to maximise space.

Sofa by Hay, Poster by Olga Fradina

Sink and loo by NicDesign, sink faucet by Giulini G. Rubinetteria, Wall lamp by Flos. 

Thank you so much for submitting this beautiful apartment Elena!

You can see more of Elena's work and follow future projects, as well enquire about her interior design service over at @l.petresku. 

You might also like: 

A serene interior with a wonderful air of mystique

One-off pieces in the LA Home of Ukrainian artist Kirill Bergart

Vi ses imorgon! 

Niki

Photography: Katia Zolotukhina Styling: Tatyana Korzun

*Note: Elena tells me she is safe and well and currently working as a volunteer in Italy as she awaits the opportunity to return home. I am also told Oksana and her family are safe, although Oksana and her daughter miss their apartment very much and were sad they didn't have more time to enjoy it. They too, hope to return home soon and be reunited as a family. 

For those of you wishing to show your support, the Ukraine Red Cross have opened an emergency donation appeal to help those in need of vital aid. 

READ MORE...

13

Smart Compact Family Living On a Budget, Swedish Country Style!

Sometimes the best things come in small packages. And this home is a perfect example of this! Located in Uppsala, Sweden, the 43 square metre (463 square feet) apartment is home to digital creator Emma Boman Högmark, her husband and their three children: ten-year-old twins and a four-year-old. 

"The hallway, living room, bedroom and kitchen are all one room," Emma tells me. "Our bed is behind the curtain, behind the sofa. And the kids' bedroom is in a separate room. The closet has been changed into a bedroom for our youngest daughter - so compact living, yeah!"

Looking at the style, which Emma describes as "country design and second hand - full of harmony, ikea hacks and warm colours", you'd be forgiven for thinking this budget friendly pad is in the countryside - but it's actually in a 90's block, right in the heart of the city! 

Ready to feel inspired? Pull up a chair, and take the tour! 

At mealtimes, the table is pulled out from the window to create seating for the entire family. 

One of the beautiful things about this apartment, is that there is storage almost everywhere (look closely and you'll see open shelves and rows of hooks on almost every wall throughout the flat). And yet it still looks uncluttered, cosy and charming. 

Behind the dining table you can glimpse Emma and her husband's bed by the window. 

Sheer curtains are ideal for flexible small space living. During the day, they can be pulled back to flood the sitting room area with light. By night, the curtains can be drawn across to create privacy while still slipping in soft, filtered light to the other half of the room. 

The corner of the sitting room doubles up as a dressing room. 

Wall-to-wall storage made from a group of Ikea IVAR cabinets painted in an earthy green provide storage for clothes, toys and other items. 

Above it, family photos and a selection of art add a personal touch to the room. 

Despite the small space, the apartment is dotted with  beautiful pieces that create a unique and homely vibe.

The twins sleep in an Ikea MYDAL bunkbed which Emma stained brown for an aged look: "I mixed a whole load of wood stains - using everything I had at home, some of which were different colours!"

On the opposite side of the room, more slim ikea ivar cabinets are used for storage, while a wardrobe at the end of the bed provides hanging space and a vintage suitcase* offers a home for smaller items.  

While the youngest family member sleeps in a converted closet. This is how it looked before the make-over: 

To make it more 'liveable' Emma removed the door and painted the interior in cosy two-toned walls and added small details such as a mini shelf, hooks, and a canopy. 

Compact family living at its finest! 

And also, a perfect example of how you don't need to go contemporary just because you live in a modern apartment in the centre of town! 

Truly inspiring, don't you think? 

See more snapshots of Emma's home and follow her latest ikea hacks and other wonderful home DIY projects at @emmahogmark. 

Intrigued to take a look at some other small spaces today? Head on over to this archive - it's FILLED with amazing Scandi style compact living ideas. 

Har det så fint! 

Niki

Photography: @emmahogmark, shared with kind permission. 

*signifies an affiliated link 

READ MORE...

9

A Striking Monochrome Home in Bergen, Norway

I hope you had a lovely weekend? Here in Sweden, we celebrated 'Valborg' (Walpurgis), a traditional spring celebration. Across the country, bonfires were lit at dusk and choirs sang out while children toasted marshmallows. For the young, it's also a big party night, so many were nursing sore heads yesterday! Do you celebrate Walpurgis night in your country too? 

Sadly, I have no pictures of Valborg to share with you today, but I do have a striking home tour from Bergen, Norway! Looking through the pictures took me straight back to the day when everyone was going for the monochrome look, and I was happy to find the interior of this house has survived the test of time. The property belongs to Nina Kristin Kristiansen, founder of Kamelone Design Studio and a restorative yoga instructor. Decorated almost entirely in black and white with a deep green accent, Nina's punchy graphical home is full of contrast. Look closely and you'll also spot iconic design pieces such as vintage Jielde lamps*, Eames chairs and a classic Stendig calendar. Welcome to the ground floor!   

How cool! And so different from other home tours I've shown of late. 

I especially like the timeless chequered floor in the hallway and all the plants (little envious of how healthy her lemon tree is looking; I might have to write to Nina for some tips!). 

Is there anything that stood out to you? Are you a fan of the monochrome aesthetic? 

See more black and white and monochrome homes. 

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Nina Kristin Kristiansen, shared with kind permission. 

READ MORE...

4

Makeover: Creating My Dream Wardrobe From Start to Finish!

Paid partnership with Elfa, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love. 

Remember I said this was going to the year I finally organise my home? I've moved one step closer - my new wardrobe is finished! 

Allow me to paint the scene. My previous wardrobe was sandwiched between the girls' bedrooms on the floor below, it was really small and cramped and I had to tip-toe through their rooms at night. I could never find anything; it simply wasn't practical in any shape or form and honestly, a total mess!

The far side of our bedroom on the top floor seemed like the obvious choice for a new one. In the past, this corner a reading corner, yoga studio and even once graced the cover of a book as my home office! But I've never really felt it's been put to great use - until now! 

The problem was, it's a slightly awkward spot: sandwiched between the stairs and a large radiator - plus it has a sloped ceiling. 

Here's how I transformed it with the help of international Swedish brand Elfa. 

The brief

I had an entire jumble of items that needed a home - from maxi dresses, jumpsuits, sweaters, jeans and gym kit, to hats, tights, jewellery and lingerie! Since we share a bathroom between five of us (two of which are teenagers) I was also keen to incorporate a little spot to do my hair and make-up. A girl can dream!

The obstacles

Radiator

This mighty radiator was in the way. To be honest, we hadn't used it all winter since I like to keep the area cool for my beloved lemon tree (AKA my fourth child!) while it winters indoors. Removing it was a no-brainer, so we called the plumber in. It left a gaping hole which we plugged and painted over.  

Bannisters

The bannisters to the left of the space were also an obstacle. In the end we decided to build a short floor-to-ceiling wall to frame the side of the wardrobe. 

Angled ceiling

Probably one of the most common problems when building a wardrobe is an awkward sloped ceiling. We hired a builder to insert a made-to-measure triangular shaped wood piece above the open-topped wardrobe. It was painted the same colour for a seamless look. The best thing about this is that we can use the full height of the room for storage. 

The design
The beauty of Elfa is that the system is fully flexible and can be adapted to fit your space and your needs. Plus, they offer a great online planning tool which enables you to easily design and plan your wardrobe to the exact measurements of your room - love that!  

The system is centred around a series of vertical rods from which you 'click-in' your choice of shelves, sliding shoe racks, trouser rails, tie racks, rods, drawers, mirrors, hooks etc. 

Since it's in our bedroom, I wanted to go for a slightly smarter option, choosing a few items from the Décor assortment which combines function and flexibility with the style and luxury of wood. I combined open and closed solutions together with extra features such as a gliding shoe and trouser rack and somewhere to hang shorter and longer clothes. 

Door selection

I chose Forma doors in melamine satin white - a three door sliding solution. There are countless others to choose from (for those of you who live in Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland) - or you could go wild and opt for an open solution (I'm WAY too messy for that!).

The results

Once the vertical rods had been installed, everything else could just be clicked into place. Most of my wardrobe is made up of wire shelves with Décor fascia for a sleek, smart finish. 

I don't know how good you are at folding, but I think Marie Kondo would describe mine as distinctly sub-par! If you're the same, let me tell you, these click-in wire shelf dividers are a game changer. Not only do they condense the width of your folded sweaters making them appear more neat - they also allow you to double up on each shelf so you have room for more clothes. 

A long closet rod means I have place for longer and shorter clothes. And I placed some of my smarter sweaters in boxes from the Elfa studio - love that they can be dust free but still visible. 

I particularly love the Décor gliding pant rack and gliding shoe mesh shelf. How smart and practical are they? Only the best for my gold sparkly boots! 

Over to the opposite side of my wardrobe and guess what? 

Tadaaa! I have a special place to do my hair and make-up!

This is thanks to a click-in Décor mirror and accessory shelf for all my brushes, make-up, perfume etc. I also picked up a jewellery box from the Elfa studio in Malmö. 

So much more relaxing to get ready without someone else on the loo behind me (not kidding!). 

Underneath, two different sized mesh drawers with Décor drawer fronts provide storage for everything from scarves, sunglasses and purses to lingerie and nightwear. I chose the knob with leather pull.

I added a soft drawer accessories tray to the upper drawers and then simple mesh metal dividers to the lower drawers - all of which help to keep the drawers neat and organised! 

Don't mind me while I hang out around my new dream wardrobe picking out jungle-style clothes and generally admiring ow neat it is! I've got no excuses now not to use a wardrobe instead of a chair at night (gaaah!) and up my style game. Oh, the pressure! 

I hope you found this wardrobe build interesting / inspiring - especially if you are looking to organise a room in your home. If so, check out Elfa and find your nearest store here - they ship pretty much worldwide. 

Next step: Allie's bedroom. Back to the planning tool! 

I look forward to sharing the results with you in early June!

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark

Styling: Helen Sturesson

READ MORE...

14