A happy Swedish home with black floors and bright colours

As I finally complete my off white floor  - this Swedish home comes along and throws everything up in the air! GRRR! Will you take a look at those glossy black floors?! What a striking backdrop the black and white makes for all those bright splashes of colour and lush plants?  Owners Hannah and Don Billberg are an impressive duo. Using a shoe string budget they set about building the home and then furnishing it with flea market finds and items bought second hand online -  and a bucket load of imagination. The result is a truly inspiring, vibrant family home. What a perfect tour for the weekend, let's take a tour....

Homeowner: Hannah Billberg Stylist: Anna Mård. Photographer: Karin Foberg - shared with kind permission.
/ Hus o Hem. Post inspired by inspired by Desire to Inspire with thanks. 

Wow, I love this home. It's so refreshing! I love the creativity with which it's been put together. How about you?

I first visited Sweden when I was around seven years old to visit Ullis and her family (who are still great friends today). Her mother Yvonne, has a loom and she'd make these wonderful rag rugs. I've been a huge fan of them ever since - they're just so simple and such a great way of brightening up a space. I love how the colourful rag rugs in Hannah's home pop against the black floor too. Try Etsy for similar.

Other simple ideas to steal from this lovely home:
- Create moodboards using colourful pictures to brighten up a hallway, or delicious looking recipes cut out from magazines in the kitchen.
- Add a touch of comfort to bent wood chairs with fluffy, bright colour seat cushions.
- Adding a splash of paint to a simple box makes a fab wall-mounted bed side table.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

You can see more of Hannah's charming home on Instagram. 

For more inspiration this weekend I'm loving this cheerful Swedish home with bright splashes of colour and another home with black floors but in a whole different style. Or perhaps you're inspired by green floors or even red floors?!

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday! 

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A beautifully simple, graphical home in Finland

I came across this striking Finnish home on IG the other day and was completely blown away. The space belongs to Maja, an art director and blogger behind Musta Ovi ('black door') - where she shares beautiful interior inspiration (much of which is from her own home) and DIY ideas.  The oh so fabulous, light-filled monochrome space which shares with her partner and baby combines Scandinavian simplicity with loft-style. Soft rugs and touches of light wood add warmth and softness to the otherwise graphical concrete and white canvas.  Be still my beating heart!

Photography: Maja / Musta Ovi shared with kind permission.

This home has certainly blown away any mid-week cobwebs, it's just so fresh don't you think?

In terms of items I know and love...I'm not sure where to start, there are so many! Here goes: sitting room - Tom Dixon Beat lights, Hay lounge chairs, coffee table. Rug. My deer bat dog print. Dining: Artek stools. Kitchen: B print, Flos 265 light, Tivoli radio. Bedroom: white linen bedding, Dreamer print. Office: Alex drawers, Uten.Silo storage unit, wood bead wardrobe snake. Outdoors: black rattan chairs.

Sauna's make up a huge part of Finnish culture, so much so that in a country of five million inhabitants there are over three million saunas!  Maja is no exception, you can check our her lovely sauna here.

I'm such a huge fan of Finnish homes and have showed so many here over the years. They're all squirreled away in an archive here (scroll passed the first one as it will likely be this one), one of my all time favourites being this lovely one.

Have a lovely day!

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A cool monochrome space in Brooklyn, New York

I had a wonderful day in Williamsburg, New York yesterday and found myself wondering how people live behind the brownstone walls. I'd love to think everyone has an apartment as cool as this one. Located in Brooklyn, the space was designed by Dan Mazzarini for owner Joe Mazias and combines accents of black, white, grey with cognac (one of my favourite combinations). Spot the half painted wall and black ceiling, pretty cool, don't you think?!

 

Photography Brian W Ferry. Original article appeared in Lonny / Mackenzie Schmidt. Shared with kind permission.

Is this your kind of look?

The Egg lounge chair in cognac is possibly my favourite design piece in the whole world. It's like art in itself! Is there anything that stands out to you in this apartment?

Other fab Brooklyn apartments include the home and studio of a creative duo, a space decorated with reclaimed wood, the four storey home of a photographer and an industrial style home and café. They've definitely got the style thing going on in that New York borough! If you're ever in New York make sure you take some time to visit and wonder around.

I'm busy packing now and fly back to Sweden this afternoon - so looking forward to seeing my family! (I'll miss this view though - look at that sunset!).

Have a lovely day!

PS If you're after some very cute children's clothes / decor -  Smallable have just started their summer sale with up to 50% off - bargain!

PPS Thank you to Traveling Mama for the inspiration for today's post.

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Small space - big monochrome heart

Today I'm taking my inspiration from this small space in Gothenburg, Sweden. Black, white and plenty of plants. Such a simple combination and yet so striking. I particularly love the dining area which is awash with natural sunlight and fresh flowers. I could wile away a day here, how about you?

Stadshem. Styling - Emma Fisher via Inspired by a post on Coco Lapine with thanks.

Lovely! I do love my black and white homes, how about you? 

A few items I know and love - the Vitra wire chair is similar, HAY Bella table, THE POSTER CLUB sells many of these prints. The golden bell light is similar to the brass one in the dining space. 

Have a wonderful day!

PS  If you're up for a little shopping today Lo + Behold are offering all My Scandinavian Home readers a whacking great 20% off all items until the end of May with code MSH20. If you've had your eye on something from the likes of House of Rym, OYOY or Ferm Living (to name but a few) now's your chance!

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A cool, calm and collected Danish home

I hope you had a great weekend? It was a bank holiday here in Southern Sweden so we escaped to the cottage on the west coast. My Mum and I even took a seaweed bath at Torekovs Warmbadhus - where you're actually scrubbed with local seaweed (have to say I was always a bit scared of seaweed as a child so it was quite a feat to get me in the bath in the first place, but my skin felt like silk afterwards!). Anyway. Today's home tour - this morning I'm loving this simple yet striking  pared-back monochrome home in Denmark. Calm, cool and collected, it's the beautiful home of danish architect Jonas Bjerre Poulsen.

Monochrome Home by Hilary Robertson, photography by Pia Ulin, published by Ryland Peters & Small.

What do you think - your kind of palette? Too pared-back or just right?

Personally I love the polished concrete floor and the dark earthy colours. And what about the rounded storage in the bedroom?!

These pictures are from the magnificent book Monochrome Home by Hilary Robertson, photography by Pia Ulin, published by Ryland Peters & Small.

Other homes designed by Norm Architects can be found here. If you'd like to see more monochrome spaces today there's an entire archive here. Time to make a pot of coffee?!

I'm off to shoot a home in the Danish countryside today with a colour palette not far off this one - so excited!

Have a wonderful start to the week.  

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A striking dark and white Swedish space

I enjoyed touring the world's smallest luxury home (imagine?!) and the Manhatten loft this week, but today I thought we'd return to Sweden with this gem of an apartment. I haven't seen dark floors for a while and I've kinda missed them. The dark wood looks so beautiful against the white and light greys, don't you think? My eyes are on the hallway - with it's start contrast of black and white - so simple yet so striking. And I'd never miss the mid-century touch (side-table, mirror...) and plants and flowers in every corner. Lovely!

Stadshem. Photo: Janne of @Flashbackphoto. Styling: Emma Hos

What a great space - is there anything you love in particular?

More lovely dark floor spaces here and here (proof they look fab in a small space too!). Or why not go all out dark like this Australian summer house?!

A few tips on where things are from (as always jump in in the comment section below if I've missed anything!): Knitted pouf, DLM side table,  Tom Dixon beat light, Bertoia chair (by the desk), RENARP desk light, Frama E27 light is similar (in kitchen).

My V.V.V.I.P guest (Mum) has arrived from London - yay! And in true Swedish style we're heading out of the city to enjoy a few days at the cottage. I love the whole Scandinavian summer cottage concept- there's something about going back to basics and living the quiet life for a few days. You can see some of my favourites here.

Since I'm hoping to spend a lot of time outdoors while I'm up on the West coast, I'm turning to the great outdoors in tomorrow's post too with some terrace and backyard inspiration....see you tomorrow!

And have a lovely day...I hope the sun's shining where you are too?!

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An incredibly cosy Finnish family home

My obsession with Finnish interiors is nothing new. There is something very calm and natural about the spaces. We may not all be living in a lake-side cabin with a sauna or rubbing shoulders with Father Christmas (sorry, couldn't resist!), but at least, with a little inspiration, we can all get the look. And the Helsinki home of Kaisa, partner, baby girl and cat Mr Paw is just the ticket.  Kaisa's one extremely talented home-maker - she's handy with knitting needles and a sewing machine (cue: baby clothes, changing station, double-sided cushions...) DIY projects with whatever comes to hand (think incredible wall hangings, floral headbands, camera straps)....she's also an ace shutterbug (these pictures were taken by her). And did I mention she creates and sells prints too? We'd better take a peek inside....

All photos: No home without you, shared with kind permission

You may recognise this space as I once showed it decked out for Christmas, but really, what an incredibly warm, cosy and charming home? And just how adorable is her little baby? As for Mr Paw, what a cool cat, there's no messing with him when it comes to who gets the best spot on the sofa, is there?! Incidentally, does anyone follow Danish writer Annika Von Holdt on IG? Her cat pictures/captions are hilarious - see her oh so fabulous home here too).

A few tips on where items are from. Sofa cushions: H&M home. The chest of drawers with wooden cross handles is BoConcept. Foot stool re-upholstered in tree fabric / throw in powder. Dustpan and brush. A DIY way to update your wall with round stickers here. Many of the prints are available in Kaisa's store. If there's anything else you love let me know in the comment section and I'll give Kaisa a shout to find out where it's from. 

An entire archive of fabulous Finnish cottages, cabins and apartments here. Do you have a favourite?

Oh and a little weekend Finnish trivia for you: did you know the reason people in Finland lightly hit themselves with birch tree branches in the sauna is to relieve muscle tension and sooth mosquito bites?  AND that Scandinavians believe Father Christmas comes from Greenland rather than Lapland?

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!

PS Last day (8th May) to make the most of the 10% discount at Scandinavian modern stores Blackthumb and Snedesign with code MSH10. And get 20% off all weekend from Lo+Behold with code MSH20.

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