A Calm Swedish Home With Smart Hall Shoe Storage!

So far this week, I've shared home tours from Lisbon and South of France - so today I thought return to Scandinavia, with a peek inside an apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden! Styled by Emma Fischer, it's a light filled space filled with designer touches in natural tones. I've done my best to point out a few of the pieces, just in case you fancy doing a little shopping this weekend! 

A second room doubles up as both a dining room and home office. Mix and match chairs include a Panton chair and Bertoia side chair. A Formikami light by &tradition hangs over the table and a safari daybed serves as a window seat. 

A giant rice paper lamp from Hay makes a statement in the sitting room and the Line No.8 print* by Rebecca Hein can be seen on the back wall. 

Etsy is a great source for vintage maps. 

Making the most of a split level by adding shoe storage under the steps is genius! I wish we had a solution like this in our house (even so, certain members of our household's trainers would still need to be kept outside!). Could you also use a system like this in your home? 

I am checking on the source with Emma for a few other items too - give me a shout in the comments section if there is anything you're wondering about and I'll do my best to help! 

All in all, a lovely, calm home with which to finish off the week, do you agree? 

Take a scroll through the Storage archive to feel inspired by other smart ideas this weekend. 

And that, friends, is all from me this week. Do you have any plans? In our house we'll be watching the woman's football (soccer!) world cup third and fourth place play-offs and final  -  the whole tournament has been amazing. I love how much the sport has grown in the past few years! Have you been following along too? 

Per and I also need to finish off a budget bathroom make-over we've been working on. I can't wait to share the results with you soon! 

Trevlig helg! 

Niki

Photography: Henrik Linden

Styling: Emma Fischer

For Alvhem

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Formland: Where I find Inspiration for Autumn

Paid partnership with Formland, all words are my own. 

Do you have any 'back to work' traditions (except crying at your desk!)? Every year, I kick-off Autumn with a trip to Formland in Denmark, and it really softens the blow! The design fair is a major hub for the Nordic interior industry and my go-to for meeting face to face with brands, discovering the latest design news, listening to interesting talks and getting a ton of colour, pattern and material trend inspiration. 

This year's styling event will focus on colour by Danske Dekoratører - and we all know from danish homes, just how good they are at colour. There'll also be a cleaning training session by sustainable danish brand Humdakin (I might need to take my entire family to this). And you'll also likely find me at the a tasting event involving classic summer drink trends held by Scandic Bar (skål!). 

The trend zone and Greenhouse are also a must! 

If you live nearby, I can highly recommend the trip to Herning between August 20 - 22 (tickets are available here).  Let me know if you'll be there and perhaps we can meet over a coffee! 

If not, I'll be reporting directly from the fair in my Instagram stories next Tuesday so you can pay a virtual visit through my lens!

Niki

PS back tomorrow with a very exciting home tour! 

Photography courtesy of Formland exhibitors: Marley bed linen by Night & Day, Hubsch and Shangies by Stilov.

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A Swede's Lovely Vintage-Inspired Home in the South of France

On Monday we took a peek inside the home of a Norwegian living in Portugal, today I thought I'd continue the 'scandi abroad' theme! 

Kristin Lagerqvist and her family divide their time between Varberg and Languedoc-Roussillon, South of France. You might recognise this already as I recently featured Kristin's French home. However, they have now moved to an even more beautiful home (if that was possible!). 

The story goes that Kristin was tasked with finding an Airbnb for one of her clients and stumbled across this townhouse. She instantly fell in love with it - telling her husband "if it ever comes on the market, we need to buy it". Sure enough, some time later, the property became available - and true to her word, they exchanged one week later. 

Remnants of the houses former life as a vineyard farmhouse are still evident from the barrels in the basement and the decorative floor tiles remain intact. Kristin and her husband have been careful to preserve the integrity of the house while making their own personal mark using vintage finds from nearby markets. Ready to take the tour? 

Bienvenue chez Lagerqvist! 

Kristin used what she could from the existing kitchen while giving it a lift with an IKEA worktop and units. 

The pair built this magnificent wall-mounted plate rack by hand before painting it in Kristin's signature blue. Get the know-how here. 

Perhaps my favourite room in the house - the sitting room is flooded with light from two directions and filled with lovely local finds. 

An accent wall with bare plaster adds a relaxed touch to the space. 

The house came with an orangery just off the kitchen - which will serve both as a sunroom and also a garden for herbs etc. 

Be still my beating heart! What a find! I can see why Kristin snapped it up, can you? 

Many swedes dream of having a winter home somewhere warmer and lighter in the winter - personally, I'd be happy to escape the cold and dark months of January, February and March and often mulling of where I'd rather be! Perhaps Mallorca? Or after seeing this, South of France could also be on the cards. Do you have a time of year in your country you'd be happy to escape from? 

You can see more pictures of Kristin's homes in Varberg (once featured on My Scandinavian Home here) and France over at @kricklin. 

Kristin also runs an online shop as well as workshops and is a real dab hand at gardening (I bought a copy of her book Livskraft Från Trädgård och Hav last Autumn and it's full of lovely ideas). 

Right folks, I'd better get going - I'm meeting my Australian friend to go and watch England V Australia in the women's world cup football (they're showing it on outdoor screens here in Malmö!). I've loved watching this world cup - have you been following too? 

Niki

Photographs: Kristin Lagerqvist, shared with kind permission.

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The Serene Scandi-style Home of a Norwegian Living in Lisbon!

You can take a girl out of Norway, but you can't take Norway out of the girl.... I don't think this is the original saying, but it certainly fits in this instance!). Marriken moved from Norway to Portugal 11 years ago to live with her boyfriend. The pair instantly fell in love with the period details of this apartment in the centre of Lisbon and moved in three years ago. 

"The apartment had been well maintained, but we have still done some work to it after we moved in," Marriken tells me. "We renovated the bathrooms, painted, opened up a wall and replaced the kitchen. We try to make well-considered decisions that will stand the test of time and prefer to take the time to think things through rather than rushing into decisions, hence it's still a work in progress." 

Ready to take a peek? You're in for a treat! 

Coffee tables - De la Espada, Lucande Floor lamp

'Check' print* - The Poster Club, Wishbone Chair - Carl Hansen & Søn

Striped linen duvet cover* and pillow case* - Magic Linen,  Rug - H&M Home. 

Oak wall rack - by We Do Wood

So serene. Simplicity at its finest. 

I especially love the French balcony in the sitting room - the doors are like art, and all thew windows flood the space with light. Is there anything that stands out to you? 

You can see more daily snapshots from Marriken's Lisbon apartment over on her inspiring instagram feed @third_floor_left. 

Would you like to tiptoe around a few other homes of Scandinavians living abroad today? If so, you'll love these: 

The cosy home of a Swede living beside a Scottish loch

Exciting life change: a Swedish family home in the French alps (I was so happy to catch up with Bettina here in a Sweden a few days ago, whenever we meet, I'm always ready to pack my bags and head to the mountains afterwards. One day friends, one day!). 

The relaxed home of a Finn living in Mallorca

Oooooh, what a wonderful selection of places, styles and inspiring people! 

Do you live in the country you grew up in, or have you also moved abroad? 

Happy Monday! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @third_floor_left

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A Swedish Florist Turns a Schoolhouse into a Home

There are some people in this world who are blessed with a rare talent to transform homes into beautiful, distinctly unique spaces - which could also grace the pages of a magazine. Sofie is one of them. We first met at her lovely flower shop Florista in the heart of Malmö (featured in this guide). I'd often stop by to pick up flowers and have a chat while her loyal dog Farfar (meaning 'Grandad') sat and guarded the door. At the time, she was living in this flat. 

Sofie left the city in pursuit of a country garden a few years ago, snapping up an incredible old school which she and her partner set about renovating and adding their signature stamp to the place. And now, I noticed on Bo-laget last night, it's time for the pair to move on once again - with Sofie taking up a job as a stylist in the fabulous eco-friendly store AB Småland in town. Which means, this beautiful house is waiting for a new owner. Could it be you? You're in for a treat if so! 

In the large open-plan kitchen, Sofie has installed freestanding stainless steel units with open racks - giving the space a contemporary industrial touch. 

Farfar in action behind Sofie! 

I love the windows to the right - evidence that this room was likely used as a classroom in the past. 

I've been seeing this check version of a seagrass rug pop up more and more in homes lately. It catches the light in the hallway in such a beautiful way! 

Faithful Farfar again, guarding the stairs! 

In true Sofie style, the sitting room is full of lush layers of texture and an amalgamation of styles. But the showstopper is the installation of pendant lights, don't you think? 

Sofie has a penchant for darker earthy shades, which help to add cosiness in areas like the bedroom. 

I absolutely love the bathroom! The combination of a deep earthy chestnut with white tiles, art and open shelving is spot on in my book! 

Beautiful. All of it. 

Whoever snaps this up is very lucky, I have to say! I even checked it out myself but we're not quite ready to leave Malmö. More info here! 

Also, if you missed it at the beginning, here is the link to Sofie's former apartment in town. I can't wait to see what she does next! 

Would you like to see a few other schoolhouses? Here are a few I've featured in the past: 

A beautiful family home in a Finnish schoolhouse

A rundown schoolhouse becomes a Swedish family home

An old school becomes a light and airy home

My friend Louise's home in a converted school

Here in Sweden we're gearing up for the big match in the women's World Cup - Sweden Vs Japan. The bacon sandwiches are ready and coffee is on the boil! May the best team win! 

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

Niki

Photographs courtesy of Bo-laget. 

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