Happy Monday lovely blog friends! Are you crazy busy like myself this time of the year? (I find myself running around in circles). A dose of Swedish might just be what we all need. Here are some lovely Swedish white rooms to keep you calm and collected this busy season!

This apartment is for sale (wish I could buy it today as our retreat when we go to Sweden on a yearly basis) and it is located in the vibrant neighborhood “Vasastaden” in Gothenburg (the second largest city in Sweden). My very first own apartment was located in Vasastaden in Stockholm (same vibrant neighborhood, same look and feel). Maybe this wasn’t such a good post after all. Now I get all emotional and home sick…!

Post inspiration via Designfragment

The styles may vary but you can be sure to find the following design elements in a Stockholm apartment:

• White. Swedes embrace gallons and gallons of white paint.
• Hardwood floors with individual rugs (we stopped using wall to wall carpeting decades ago).
• State of the art kitchens (yep, nearly all of family & friends back home have fab kitchens!).
• State of the art bathrooms.
• Books! (See my earlier post).
• A great mix of old and new. Just look at that old Swedish wood burning stove and the old beams. A true Swede will rather have no furniture at all than to get rid of historical elements.
  

Images: Lagerlings

I have never really been much into a romantic and more feminine design style myself. Having said that, I really respect and appreciate the style and I think it makes for really wonderful homes.

Here is a lovely romantic home in Stockholm with many design elements that I appreciate. (How refreshing to see a non contemporary home in this otherwise ueber modern city!)

An old tapestry with peacocks. I like it! Lovely against this gray Swedish demilune table. I personally would mix it up with a modern armchair, but that is just me…

I love old antique busts and I am not quite sure why none have moved into my home yet!

Everyone should own a lovely pair of good quality antique silver candle holders. Simple and beautiful. Always right, whether you are into modern or traditional.

A round dining table is always perfect. No one gets a bad seat. Everybody feels special! This whole room is very friendly and inviting. I can see the walls and the mirror reflect the candle light just beautifully.

I have always loved the feel of dining in a library. I have the same combination at my house and it works very well. It is warm, cozy and let me tell you – it inspires really interesting conversations!

It is always lovely with candle sticks of different heights. Less formal that way.

I have been so much into purple lately that I have forgotten how lovely different kinds of reds are together!

All photos from the Swedish real estate agency Skeppsholmen Makleri.

I am continuing my research and “window shopping” for a second home in my old city, Stockholm. Here is yet another apartment listed with the real estate agency Skeppsholmen Makleri that I like. It is located in the popular neighborhood “Larkstaden, which is part of the prestigious Ostermalm area.

It gets so dark and gloomy in Stockholm for a long period of the year, so having a bright home is very important. And that is why the majority of all of these fabulous Swedish homes I show you have white walls. Bring in the light people!

The apartment for sale is a newly renovated attic in this beautiful, old building from 1916.

The apartment was built by the Swedish company,  Arcona Concept, specializing in turning attics into attractive living quarters. Here is a classic attic of high international class.

Airy, bright, fresh and, as always in Sweden, equipped with lovely hardwood floors. Wall-to-wall carpets belong to an era that never had its comeback in Sweden (thank goodness). From the long hallway there is access to a small outdoor area.

A big open open living space with the latest materials and light fixtures. Note the old wooden beams.

The architecture is just stunning.

Light, light and more light!

I have yet to find a nice apartment in Stockholm without a state-of-the-art kitchen. It is as basic as a vaccum cleaner!

Nothing missing in this sophisticated and easy to clean kitchen.

Lovely kitchen nook where the old bricks have been exposed for a splendid atmosphere.

Dining area.

Master bedroom. (One out of 2 bedrooms).

Top notch bathroom and shower….

…. and a whirl pool placed right below a charming attic window.

This beautiful walkway takes you to the second shower.

The shower is connected to the private sauna.

On top of the world, overlooking beautiful Stockholm roof tops. Not bad living in Stockholm!

Here is an opportunity for all the Swedes (or people interested in moving to Sweden!) who have a real passion for art, have some money under their mattresses and are looking for something meaningful to do. Maybe getting ready for a complete life change.

Take over this thriving art gallery situated in the most beautiful surroundings with its own cafe and wine cellar and get your own lovely living space on top of the gallery! The “Kabusa” art gallery is located in Glemmingebro along the popular and beautiful cost line Osterlen, in the southeastern parts of Sweden.

Life is short. I am a bit tempted myself! I really hope this lovely piece of property & history ends up in great hands and that it continues to do well.

The main building, built in 1899, used to be an old starch manufacturer but was in the 1900-hundreds turned into an art hall/museum. The building is situated on a huge lot, part of the most idyllic scenery. (Skeppsholmen Makleri is the real estate agency behind the listing. See here for more information).

This would be your new art gallery! Almost a royal feel with the old, beautiful stone floors and high ceilings with old rustic wooden beams.

The gallery is famous for its wonderful atmosphere and light.

A lovely and friendly cafe is part of the gallery, serving only good home made comfort foods and treats.

Summer time the cafe doors are open to this lovely and unpretentious stone terrace. How peaceful.

Welcome to your new living quarters! The area is designed to showcase your own private art collection.

State of the art kitchen. You are in Sweden after all.

Huge living room connected with the open kitchen. White walls and white washed hard wood floors capture all the light.

Spacious, private office.

Master bed room with lovely views over the property and breathtaking surroundings.

Master bathroom. Clearly not the same old, same old. Wonderful materials. It even has its own sauna.

Guest bath room.

The water and the long beach within a short distance. The Kabusa art hall is situated right where the water begins to meet the lightly sandy hills. I can breathe that fresh air. I can feel new, wonderful beginnings for someone really, really lucky!

As many of my readers know, I am always “window shopping” for that perfect second home (preferably an apartment) in Stockholm. I hope it will turn from dream to reality within not so long! The Swedish real estate agency “Skeppsholmen Makleri” is featuring this bright & stylish apartment in my old neighborhood in good old Stockholm. How I miss those lovely fish bone hardwood floors!

I love that big, old dining table! It is made for long and lovely dinner conversations!

There are so many interior designers that I admire and follow but for years I have had a soft spot for the very talented design group Heiberg & Cummings Design (hcd3) in NY. Their design work revolves around Scandinavian contemporary design with a focus on blending the old with the new. Mr. Heiberg is a native Scandinavian, just like myself, and it is easy to see that he is very loyal to his roots.  A wonderful example is this gorgeous beach retreat in the Hamptons.

If this is not relaxing for the soul – then I do not know what possibly could be!

One day (I have promised myself in my lovely dreams) I will team up with them so they can drive the design of our future kitchen… and dining room… and library and… I can’t wait to see them in action! For more of their portfolio go to: hcd3.

And look at some of their own furniture designs. Simply marvellous.

How lovely would it be to have a little nest of our own whenever we pay a visit to my old home town – Stockholm. And since we wouldn’t be there too often, I am thinking that an apartment would be quite nice…

Skeppsholmen real estate agency in Stockholm has some really nice listings. Look at this amazingly bright apartment with the typical Swedish design fixings (old meets new). Wouldn’t you want to sit down here with a cup of tea, the morning paper and the balcony doors wide open? I know I would! (I am not sure I would ever leave!)

I love Gotland – in my opinion the most incredible island on the planet! Gotland  is part of Sweden in the Baltic Sea.  My family family spent 19 summers on this rural island and I love everything about this slice of paradise – the light, the scenery, the people and the rich culture. One day I will be back and have my own little nest. One day…

You can only imagine how I drool when I see this fantastic summer house on Gotland designed by the talented architects Sandberg and Sandell. I am speechless. What a way to let the magical Gotland light into your home. How absolutely breathtaking.

xxxxxx

This is how I remember Gotland. Simply stunning.

Photo: Mats Jansson “Stora Karlsö”

Stockholm, Sweden, is a very old city. It goes back to the 13th century. I think the Swedes are Masters when it comes to mixing very old with very new. Whether it is culture, cuisine, or design. They just do it with such ease. And the contrasts make for very beautiful homes. Look at those old moldings and the fishbone hardwood floors. (Wall-to-wall carpets are always a no-no!) Whenever I go to Lagerlings to look at wonderful apartments for sale in Stockholm, I just sigh and drool. See more photos from Lagerlings here.

Below, a modernized attic, smack-dab in the middle of the city. Note the old chandelier.

All photos via Lagerlings.