When I need to declutter my mind and find some peace in & harmony I often gravitate towards my old home country. Swedish interiors can at times be considered cold but when done right and with some heart, I find those rooms calm, serene and easy to breathe in. They are often filled with less stuff but instead things with a purpose. Let me introduce you to such a home in beautiful Sweden.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Anna-Malin is a friend who I have met in wonderful blog land. We have been sharing e-mails cross the Atlantic about  life issues and thoughts on design. Not only is Anna-Malin a wonderful person but she is also highly creative and talented. Her home is so inspiring and so is her Swedish blog Helt Enkelt. Take a deep breath – this is not staged, this is how she actually lives. Lovely or what?

Anna-Malin loves mixing Scandinavian design classics with heirloom pieces and vintage finds. She is an expert at taking flea market finds and turning them into must-have objects.

Just take a look at this vintage chair (Anna-Malin is well aware that I have a very serious crush on that particular chair!). She found the chair at a Swedish flea market, nobody wanted it (where was I!!), she paid about $40 dollars and voila. Hello?! Can a chair get much lovelier?

And now that chair lives here. In her kitchen. With sheep skins and everything. Oh no, that was 2 weeks ago! Anna-Malin changes furniture around on a daily basis and the kitchen of the week now looks like this!

                                                                                                                                                                                     She constantly moves things around and prefers to try new ideas before she would even consider going out and buying anything new.

As with most Swedes, Anna-Malin finds inspiration from nature. She is drawn to simple lines, organic materials and neutral colors. And she like to be good to mother nature by reusing things. She says: ” Being from the very North of Sweden, I get good energy from white and cripsy snow, complete quiet and branches from simple, wispy trees”.

Who said you need a whole roll of wall paper to make an impact? Just a little piece will take you a  long way!

My friend is a resourceful lady who is not afraid to use a hammer and nail on any given day. This sofa table is one of Anna-Malins own creations, put together on a weekend. (Maybe Hubby was involved in that project too, I can’t remember).

Another dining/work area in the family room.

All over the house you will find cozy and calm areas to relax and just be.

The rooms of her two boys are no exceptions.

I hope this gave you some good food for thought. Just writing this post got me so inspired that I am heading to a nearby consignment store – today! Thank you Anna-Malin for your friendship and all your wonderful ideas & inspiration! Happy Monday blog friends!

All images, curtesy of Anna-Malin @ Helt Enkelt.

I can never get enough of Swedish white rooms (although I don’t have one single white room in my own home. How is that for being a true Swede! But I have several light gray rooms if that counts!). Just looking at these images calms my somewhat stressed december/holiday nerves. And as always I love mixing old with new. It makes for such wonderful contrast. Don’t you agree? Happy weekend wonderful blog friends!

All images via Skona Hem

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

It must be the long, dark months ahead here in Seattle (not to mention in Sweden!) that give me an urgent need to brighten my home as much as possible. And right now I am swooning over these white objects. They can move in with me any time!

You have most likely seen these vessels several times before. They don’t tire me. I absolutely love these modern pieces by Sara Paloma and I am now ready for my own little collection of pottery that she describes as the “LA skyline”.

Image from Authentic Africa

Image via Designalogue

Yes, they have been featured in many design magazines but I don’t care! They are still so lovely to me! These beautiful feather headdresses, so called Juju hats, are handmade in Cameroon and worn by prominent members of society, as well as Juju dancers. I love the organic feel and the round shape. They come in many lovely colors but a white one will be moving in with me soon. I have a perfect spot for it in my living room.

The Facetta bowls from Kähler are so beautiful. A nice lamp and this bowl are all you need on your chest of drawers. The bowl is designed by Søren Thygesen from Denmark. The bowls are available in three sizes. They can be purchased from Illums Bolighus among other stores.

Also from Illums Bolighus are these classy candleholders crafted in brass, plated with 24 carat gold, from Georg Jensen. They are designed by Regitze Overgaard. Aren’t they lovely together with white candles? This image is going into my personal style file!

And here are two bedrooms with plenty of white to recharge any sun deprived body & soul. (Images from Skona Hem).

Happy Monday lovely blog friends!

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

Here is some eye candy for you. This incredible attic apartment in Stockholm is owned by the interior architect and artist Carouschka Streijffert. I am going to keep quiet for a change and let you go through all the details yourself. Take your time.

Okay, just one comment! Let’s talk about books for a second. I do not know of one home in Sweden (unless they are somehow staged) where books are not prominent. Back home we surround ourselves with books and display them with pride. I get totally nervous when I don’t see books in a home. I am so pleased to be reading more and more about how formal living rooms in the US are fading away. People instead are opting for libraries. Yeah! I hope that trend stays!

Images via Skona Hem

Hello blog friends! I am back after a few weeks off filled with pure summer bliss. I am rested and happy and I hope the same goes for you. I have missed you all but was often reminded of your wonderful existence through your lovely and kind e-mails. Thank you!

I live in a big house, with many rooms but no single white wall in sight! How is that even possible? I am a true Swede after all and have cocooned in white rooms most of my life. In my house I have chosen muted colors (and a lot of light gray) that all flow nicely together but I really miss a white atmosphere. Especially after my trip to Sweden.

So my goal for the next few weeks is to do my own guest bedroom makeover with white as the prime shade. Who knows where this exercise will take me. I might just keep on going!

Images above from Sköna Hem

2 last images from Livingetc.

In the latest issue of the Swedish interior design magazine, Skona Hem, I found some images from a lovely home that caught my attention. Especially the first photo. I so like the combination of white walls with a strong color (in this case dark gray) acting like wainscoting. The room is airy but still gets a little bit of drama.

A dining room with personality. Here you want to sit for a while. You feel welcome and at ease. Nothing contrived, nothing too serious.

The owner painted the Italian cabinet herself and replaced the doors with chicken net. A good little summer project perhaps?

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.

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!)