A White Swedish Apartment with Lovely Outdoor Lounge Area

The leaves are starting to unfurl in Sweden which means gardens and balconies have been a hive of activity: sweeping, pruning, scrubbing down furniture - you name it. While we know in our hearts of hearts that the temperatures could very well plummet later this week, there's an optimism in the air that lunches alfresco are just around the corner! 

That's is probably why this fresh white apartment in Gothenburg caught my eye. It has all the trappings of an ideal My Scandinavian Home contender: a lovely mix of old and new, Scandi design pieces (keep a look out for the vintage Dux chair and Frama stool) and plenty of plants. But also, the small garden has been converted into a charming outdoor sitting room - complete with sofa, coffee table and parasol, offering the perfect place to relax with a book on a sunny afternoon. 

Välkommen! 

Here's the floor plan in case you're curious: 

Glossary: Kök - kitchen, Sovrum - bedroom, Bad - bathroom, Vardagsrum - sitting room, klädkammare / förråd - wardrobe / wardrobe, and uteplats - outdoor space. 

Lovely! So fresh, yet with a touch of charm. 

I think the garden design is really clever, with a semi-circular bush shielding the space from the communal pathway. 

Is there anything that stood out to you about this Swedish home? 

See more white-themed home tours in this archive. 

Wishing you all a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Stadshem (currently for sale!). 

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A Traditional Skånegård in the Southern Swedish Countryside

Hello friends! I hope you had a lovely break over Easter. We nipped away to my father-in-law's house in Kullaberg (I once wrote a guide to that beautiful part of Sweden here - it's well worth a visit!). 

Our summer cottage is on the next peninsula North - which brings me to today's home tour in Öllov, not far from where we are on the Bjärehalvön! 

I once had the pleasure of capturing and writing about a 'Skånegård' - a traditional Scanian farmhouse resting around a cobbled inner courtyard -  just up the road for my first book 'Modern pastoral' (later updated to Relaxed Rustic) and this tour took me straight back to that wonderful spring day! 

With parts of the thatched house dating back to 1870, the pretty Skånegård has been newly renovated to maintain the traditional charm of the property (think solid stone walls, exposed beams and painted wood ceiling) but brought up to date to ensure year-round comfort. And now, it's looking for a new owner to take care of it and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Bjärehalvön. Could that be you? 

If you hop over to the real estate page, you'll also see that there's a barn begging to be done up for a Midsummer party! And who are we to argue? 

I can just imagine a Sunday here - the fire going, a roast in the oven, music playing....  that's the beauty of an open-plan space, you can all be in the same room with a million different activities happening all at once. 

Would you like to see a few other Swedish country homes today? Feel inspired by: 

An idyllic red and white Swedish farmhouse

A cosy country home in rural north Sweden

Jessica's idyllic Swedish croft from 1700

It's so nice to be back on the blog again after a mini break. Thank you for stopping by today! 

Kram! 

Niki

Photography: Liz-Marie Johansson for Skeppsholmen. 

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Beata's Lovely Swedish Country Home is Full of Secondhand Finds

It's Friday and the sun is shining! Love it! Before we all head off, I just wanted to share one final snippet of Scandi inspiration with you in the form of Beata Nison's lovely country home. 

Beata is the founder of second hand boutique ReBloom selling handpicked vintage treasures from around Sweden - evidence of which can also be spotted in her lovely country home (wicker 'frog' bin anyone?). But what also stands out to me from these corners are the pretty shades of blue, pink and ochre she's used and many of which she's mixed herself. Evidence that weaving in some hues can add so much depth and interest to a room. 

Keep an eye out for the old fireplaces too - there's a 'kakelugn' to be found around almost every corner - even in the hall! 

Velkommen!

Really charming! All the flowers are making me want spring to hurry up and arrive too! 

Do you see what I mean about the shades of blue and pink seen on doors, cabinets and even the stairs? 

See more corners of Beata's lovely home over at @beatanison. 

If you'd like to take a look at more Scandinavian country homes today you're in the right place! Pour that cup of coffee and delve into this archive! 

More of a townie? I'm looking forward to sharing some beautiful apartments next week. In the mean time you'll likely feel inspired by this archive and also the small space archive. 

Thank you so much for dropping by. 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Niki

Photography: @beatanison, shared with kind permission. 

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Maria's House By The Sea on Sweden's Breathtaking High Coast

This summer, my eldest daughter Liv is swimming in the Swedish nationals. She has worked so hard to qualify (mornings before school and all) so there's no way we're going to miss it, even so it's taking place in Sundsvall, some 980 kilometres (600 miles) from Malmö! And then I realised something. It's only a short hop to Sweden's Höga kusten (High Coast) in the Gulf of Bothnia - a world heritage site known for its archipelago and breathtaking scenery. Needless to say, it's somewhere I've always wanted to visit but never really had the opportunity until now! 

While researching our trip, I remembered Maria's beautiful house in the area (I have followed Maria on instagram for quite some time now!). The pictures Maria shares of her home often have me dreaming of living a life in an old house on the water's edge - particularly as magical as this one. 

A traditional red and white house, it's filled with earthy tones, wood panelling, vintage furniture, roaring fires, views over the water and plenty of star-gazing! Welcome to Villa Kusten on the Swedish High Coast. 

Down by the water's edge, Maria and her family have an outbuilding where they can enjoy long lunches, evening meals and gatherings overlooking the water. 

What a magical place to live! 

I especially love the dining area in the outbuilding - and the jetty! Imagine enjoying a midsummer's eve supper out there? 

Her house looks equally lovely in the snow too. There's no light pollution so on a clear night you can see the entire galaxy and if you're lucky, the Northern Lights! 

This has made me even more excited about my trip to the Swedish High Coast this summer. I hope I can find somewhere as wonderful as this to stay.  I'd better get planning! 

If you've been to the area, please do share your tips! I promise to take lots of pictures and share a guide afterwards. 

See more pictures of Maria's house and garden over at @villakusten. And for those of you who share the same dream as I do to live in a house by the water, here are a few other Scandinavian homes to love today: 

My day at a Danish cottage by the sea

An idyllic Finnish summer cabin on the water's edge

A magical fjord side retreat in Norway

Also: 

15 coastal living ideas to steal from a breathtaking Danish home. 

And in case you'd like to visit Sweden this summer, here are a few of my guides: 

10 beautiful islands in the Gothenburg archipelagos

Island hopping in the Swedish Baltic

Happy Wednesday!

Niki

Photography courtesy of @villakusten shared with kind permission.

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