Sanne's Cosy Country Home with Vintage & Antique Finds

I'm really on a roll with Swedish country homes right now, aren't I? I hope you don't mind, it's just that I keep discovering rural properties that are just too charming not to share! This beautiful late 19th century / early 20th century farmhouse in Dalarna belongs to Sanne and her family. 

It's a part of Sweden I've been to a few times and I love the forests, lakes and quintessentially Swedish red and white cottages. Sadly, I've never been to visit Sanne (and her wonderful store) though. 

Apart from having an eye for beautiful interior design, Sanne also has a gift for finding beautiful vintage and antique pieces which she sells through her store Kollgården, in a converted barn. Needless to say, I'll be stopping by next time in the area. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the tour of Sanne's beautiful home as much as I have! 

So beautiful and homely! I particularly loved the tiled masonry oven, kitchen (that table!), wreath and layers of cosy sheepskins, blankets and cushions in the sitting room - so cosy! 

Is there anything that stood out to you about Sanne's lovely home? 

Are you also tempted to swing by her store? it looks like a trip to Dalarna might be in order! 

See more from Santa's home over at @sannaprepuk and keep an eye on the latest items in her store over at @kollgardens. 

Thanks for dropping by. 

I'll be back on Friday with probably the most embarrassing picture I've shown on the blog: the before picture of our little laundry room. Thankfully it's been through a major DIY makeover, and I can't wait to show you the after pictures too! Vi ses! 

Niki

Photography: @sannaprepuk shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

5

A Dated House Transformed Into an Idyllic Swedish Country Home

Are you ready to kick off the week in the Swedish countryside? This lovely farm just outside Karlskrona and her family dates back to 1880 - and Maria and her family have been renovating it with all the care and attention it deserves. From the hand-built kitchen, to wood panel walls, and pretty wallpaper, it's been transformed into a beautiful home full of beautiful old pieces and soft, earthy tones. Here are the before and after pictures: 

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Sitting room before

Sitting room after

Bedroom before 

Bedroom after

Children's bedroom before 

Children's bedroom after

Beautiful transformation - it's truly become a lovely, cosy home. 

I love all of these rooms - but my favourite is probably the kitchen, isn't it lovely?

Did anything stand out to you? 

See more pictures from Maria's home and life in the Swedish countryside over at @mariasinredning.

Here are a few other houses you might like today: 

And idyllic country home restored to its former glory

A pretty Swedish country home on a hill

Snapshots from Ida's country home

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @mariasinredning - shared with kind permission. 

READ MORE...

8

Helen's Malmö Studio in a Warehouse, And a Smart Space-saving Table!

Paid partnership with Skovby, all words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

A few days ago, I spent the day at my friend Helen Sturesson's beautiful studio across town. Her studio occupies a section of the ground floor of an old warehouse - and all the lovely old touches including a tiled stone floor, round radiators and pipes are still intact. 

Her room is quite narrow, so space saving furniture is the order of the day. Danish brand Skovby launched a new multipurpose table earlier this year, and I knew it would be perfect for the space - both as a side table / desk, but also as a larger table for collaborative work. So, I rolled up with it in my car (as much as I love to cycle, it was a push by bike, even by Swedish standards!) and after a 'fika' (a lengthy chat and copious amounts of coffee), we snapped these pictures - I hope you like them! 

Helen hard at work! 

True to Danish design, and as with all things Skovby, it's beautifully made and really high quality. It comes in a few different versions - this is white oak oil with a white laminate surface.  

I love the brass hinge detail. 

Best of all though  - once you've finished creating, eating, or eh hem, drinking copious cups of coffee, you can fold it up and move it to the side of the room and use it as a side table or desk. Smidigt (smooth)! 

Oh, and just one more thing, for all those of you who love a nifty piece, it also has built-in storage. 

Remember these stools? I basically have them in every room of my house - not kidding. Also from Skovby, they're made from leftover production wood. 

I hope you liked this glimpse inside Helen's studio - the site of many interior meetings and coffee drinking, and feel as excited as I am about new danish design pieces such as this one! 

Could you imagine having a table like this in your home or office? It would actually be ideal for our cabin too - maybe you'll see me heading up the E6 with a full boot soon! 

More info about the #104 multipurpose table here in case you're interested (Skovby have dealers almost worldwide). 

Right friends, it's time for the weekend - and I've got some halloween costumes to make. Are you doing anything in your home?

Have a cosy, not too spooky, couple of days. See you Monday! 

Niki

Photography Niki Brantmark

Styling Helen Sturesson 

READ MORE...

2

Jane's Cosy yet Calm Home in Muted Tones

In my teens, I went out with a guy called Luke (these days, he's an award-winning illustrator - he always was always very talented and never without a sketchbook!), and we used to hang out in his family kitchen in London eating doughnuts. It was a small, two up, two down cottage and always felt so cosy. Scrolling through Instagram a few days ago, I came across @teawithruby and Jane Day's cottage in Northeast England and it took me straight back to my teens! 

Jane, Robert and Ruby's house was built in the 1980s and is located in the town of Billingham (which Jane describes as 'not the most glamorous of places, but once we close the door to our space, it's home!'). As with many of us, Jane's style has changed a lot over the years, but she always come back to 'calm and stillness'. Think muted tones, tactile textures such as wood, wool and linen and most importantly, Jane tells me, 'One thing our home has is lots of love!'

Ready to feel inspired? 

What a lovely, homely house! 

I can just imagine the three of them sitting at the table, sipping tea (Jane is making the most of her time left with Ruby at home before she heads off to university). 

For those of you wondering if vintage finds can be a good marriage with a relatively modern build - this is your answer. Absolutely! The muted yet contrasting paint colours do wonders to set the tone. 

For more pictures of Jane's lovely home, check out @teawithruby. 

Now that I'm on a roll going down memory lane, shall we take a peek inside a few other English homes today? 

Before and after: a Victorian house becomes a cosy home

A dreamy cottage to rent in southeast England

And... 

All living spaces in the home of Jessica Hearne! 

Happy Lillördag (little Saturday) friends! 

Niki

Photography: Jane Day / @teawithruby, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

3

Pamela's Serene Hamburg Home In Earthy Tones

Tjena! Hur är läget? (AKA Wazzup?!). Thank you for all your lovely comments about our new woodburning stove up at the cabin, we've had a really cosy weekend sitting right there in the corner! Is it just me, or has Monday rolled around a little too quickly? Even so, I have a home tour up my sleeve which I think has some really inspiring touches. 

Pamela is based in Hamburg and has decorated her turn-of-the-century house in soft and serene off-white tones. The furniture is spartan, yet full of texture thanks to the natural materials which include wood, jute and linen - and a wonderful open-shelf cabinet takes centre stage in the kitchen. Ready to take a tour? 

As a sustainable mindset becomes increasingly important, we're seeing vintage and antique furniture creep into homes in new and inventive ways - often creating an interesting hybrid of old and new. Vintage cabinets such as the one seen here add a relaxed, nostalgic touch to a contemporary space. I've been on the look out for one for my home - and have discovered that many you see here on My Scandinavian Home have been repurposed out of something else such as old doors or given a big revamp.  

The dark wall helps to add contrast and make the shelves more of a feature. 

The dining room is potentially my favourite room in this house. I love all the texture. Notice how Pamela makes use of simple foraged branches from the garden - which include eucalyptus, autumn leaves and spring blossom. 

Doors painted the same tone as the kitchen help to carry the tone through to other rooms and create the famous 'red thread' for a cohesive look. 

Wait a minute, we've seen this guy before! Now, either he has an identical twin brother or it's the same guy. The real explanation? I took these pics from Pamela's instagram feed (with kind permission) and they were all taken at different times. Needless to say, Pamela likes to move furniture and pictures around as much as I do! 

The portrait actually brought back a childhood memory. When we were little my older sister and I would often sleep over at my grandmother's house. She used to have some dark portraits in her house - including one in the guest bedroom - and my sister and I were terrified of it. It was if his eyes were following us around the room! My granny would have to cover up it up with a towel before we'd go to sleep! It didn't help that she also had two swords hanging in the landing too! Do you have any similar experiences?

These days I love portraits in oil paintings such as these, especially when they hold a family value! 

I'm a big fan of a bench used as a coffee table (as seen in my autumn sitting room!). 

Etsy is a great source for rustic* and Nordic benches*. 

Benches make an ideal replacement for a bedside table in small bedrooms. We have one at the end of our bed too. 

Thank you so much for inviting us into your home this bright Monday morning Pamela! 

I hope you enjoyed the tour and picked up some ideas for your own home.

Did anything stand out in particular? 

A few other tours you might like from Hamburg: 

San's relaxed Hamburg home

Snapshots from Sina's Scandi-inspired apartment

An inspiring family home which combines old and new

A quick look on my google maps, and I see I could reach Hamburg in 4 hours 30 minutes by car from here - I could be there in time for afternoon tea with Pamela. Incredibly tempting!

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography: Pamela / @greyingreyingreen 

READ MORE...

8