I know very little about antiques in general but I do know a little bit about Swedish antiques. I was surrounded by them growing up and I have had my own antique import business. Now I am just an avid collector (hoping for a good lottery win so I can go to my secrets spots in Sweden and buy more!)

My personal design style is to mix very old with very new. I love real contrasts. I can’t think of any other antique style that mixes so well with a contemporary style as the old Swedish – particularly the “simple gray period” 1750 – 1850. Furniture was painted gray before and long after the internationally recognized “Swedish Gustavian” period (1771-1792).

When people ask me what Swedish antique to invest in, I always say start with something simple. I would suggest a good quality sideboard/buffet, a quality bench with upholstery or a quality 3 drawer chest (each preferably with its original paint although they are rare since most of these pieces have been repainted (often many times over) in the 19th century and early 20th centuries). These items are attractive & functional. They are easy to place, easy to sell and  will only go up in value (even if the price tag most often is steep from the beginning).

If you don’t buy them directly from Sweden then there are several professional and really great stores in the US focusing on Swedish antiques. You will want to work with people who live and breathe Swedish antiques and who travel to Sweden to hand pick their pieces (and are, if needed, willing to learn from Swedish experts). Do your research well and you may end up with a really lovely Swedish companion that will be treasured for generations.

Pictures of inventory – (from top):  Lief Almont, Avolli, Evergreen Antiques and Tone-on-Tone.

This past long and lazy Memorial weekend I lounged on our patio and went through a lot of design magazines and books. That is how I ran into talented prop stylist Christina Wressel. (Don’t ask me why I have missed her work). There are many lovely images in her portfolio but my absolute favorite is this one. What really caught my eye is what’s in the background  – on the credenza. It just made me stare and stare some more.

What a genius idea to put peacock feathers in clear, tall vases and get this great and smart look! (The peacock pattern/blue is such a classic design look, it never goes out of style.) Me like. Me really like! (How fab against a white backdrop). I know what I am doing this afternoon. I am going feather hunting!

I always appreciate a little quirkiness, that little something unexpected in home design. Super perfect rooms that look like staged show rooms, make me yawn. It is your home, a reflection of who you are. Make it personal, make it unique!

When I decorate I typically start of traditional (with my own Swedish twist), then I mix it up with modern and when the room is almost done, I usually want to rough it up a tad. I will usually bring in 1-2 pieces of something totally unexpected, something that adds some fun and spunk to the room. It may be art, it may be lighting, it may be a wall color, It could be anything, really. I never know in advance. But I don’t force it. I don’t like it contrived.  Better for me to wait for that perfect “thing”.

In Seattle we have a fun store called “Great Stuff“, that really lives up to the name. The owner Kirk H. Albert has an incredible eye for vintage modern furnishings and I always end up leaving his store feeling uplifted and full of great ideas. If you find something you like, you have to be quick. His things are all unique and tend to sell rather quickly.

Here are more fun examples from his store:

The upholstered pink chair is fun. But I am totally in love with that old anchor chain to the very left, that has been welded into a fabulous floor lamp. I wish I had a better image!

Great Stuff is also represented on 1st dibs.

I have a new fave vase that I can’t get enough of. All my fancy brand vases have been pushed aside for this simple, non expensive, versatile, handsome and modern model from Ikea! I use this Blomster vase all the time.

The roomy size (Diameter: 9 ½ “Height: 6 “), the shape and the color are all perfect and the height does not block out people on the other side of the table. Guess what – it is only $9.99! (Give your friend a vase + flowers in it – and you will be extra liked!). Each vase is hand blown and has been shaped by a skilled craftsman.

I particularly like it with a monochromatic flower color scheme. Even your average, less expensive flowers all of a sudden look costly in this handsome vase.

My alert friend Kiki A. (yes, I know 5 gals with that name!) who owns Swedish Heirlooms in Seattle, called me about some fun royal news.

Oscar Magnuson, the son of Princess Christina of Sweden, who is a successful industry designer, has launched his first furniture collection together with EM, a leading furniture chain in the Nordic countries. The collection will hit all EM stores in August (only in Sweden and Åland). Each piece is numbered.

In a news article for the Swedish interior design magazine Hus & Hem Oscar Magnuson says that he “feels cooped up” in most regular arm chairs and was looking for a design that was more open and inviting. That is how the Sydney chair came about. The chair comes in several different colors.

Mr. Magnuson says that his goal was a collection that was classic with a contemporary feel. He states that Josef Frank has been a great source of inspiration. The fabrics were chosen in direct contrast to the classic lines. Since Oscar Magnuson is very interested in fashion,  the colors were picked straight from the catwalk.

I find the Sydney sofa very attractive. I hope to sit in it when I go back to Sweden in June. (And I will then be able to give you a better report on quality and comfort). The wooden legs are really beautiful.

Mr. Magnuson says that he found the actual development process incredibly fascinating and educational. Working together with leading Swedish furniture makers he was very hands on, down to the smallest screw.

The next launch will include a cabinet and a table.

I like what I have seen so far. Don’t be shy! What do you think?

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!

Peter Frie (born in Sweden 1947) is arguably one of the leading landscape painters in Sweden today. He has won many prestigious awards worldwide. In Sweden he is being represented by the internationally renowned art gallery, Galleri Lars Bohman.

“Peter Frie’s paintings are rooted in the long tradition of landscape painting, and especially in the way of depicting the landscape as a powerfully charged mood. The paintings manifest a powerful sense of place, but they also have a metaphorical dimension, so that any overly explicit link with a certain place tends to become blurred. Frie does not reproduce views, but paints memories. Peter Frie frequently arranges his painted theme so that it is part of a white painted ground, leaving this ‘empty’ space to act as a balancing factor that emphasizes the landscape theme. The large white areas flanking the depicted image permit a sense of expansion, like a screen behind which a continuation of the landscape will be revealed. They also have the capacity to concentrate the image, to intensify the spectator s scrutiny and his emotional response”. Jeremy Lewison, Director of Collections, Tate Gallery, London 1998.

In the manner of the nineteenth century British artists J.M.W Turner and John Constable, Frie creates contemporary landscapes that are unashamedly beautiful and intensely arresting. In the tradition of German artist Caspar David Friedrich, Frie’s landscapes are simultaneously intimate and expressive. His work also shares an affinity with other Northern Romantic artists such as the Norwegian painter Johan Christian Claussen Dahl (1788-1857) who sought to convey human emotion through his landscapes. (Oil on canvas on wood blocks from The New Art Centre in the UK).

Since 1988 Frie’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe. His work is included in the collection of the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, and the Friesichen Museum, Leeuwarden, Holland as well as private collections in Europe and the United States.

If you ever get an opportunity, do not hesitate to visit one of his exhibitions. I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Peter Frie is a master painter and his abstract landscapes really capture the brilliance of the Scandinavian terrain.

I just wanted to tell you that Desire to Inspire, my every-morning-must-read-design-blog-when-I-drink-my-cup-of-tea, mentioned Splendid Willow in one of their recent posts. See here.

I feel very honored to be recognized by this talented and professional blog duo. I have so much respect for their work and their good design eyes.  You have heard me mention them before but in case you have forgotten, bookmark them here.

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!

Coming up! Mother’s Day in the US on Sunday May 10th.

People who know me well know that I am more into giving things than receiving. But for Mother’s day even I would accept a little thing as long as it is simple, preferably handmade and/or Swedish! Here are a few splendid things to give (or get!) for Mother’s day: