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.

All images via Skona Hem

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

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!

• 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

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

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.

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?

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.

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!)