Merry Christmas!

This beautiful picture was taken by Pernille Enoch / Femina DK

Have you got any fun plans?  I'm taking a little time off to visit, family and friends which will be so nice and maybe even go on a road trip to snowy Norway (we'll see).

If you feel like a little Scandinavian interior inspiration in the meantime, I love these archives (some of them have over 100 homes - how crazy is that?!):

Swedish homes
Norwegian homes
Danish homes
Finnish homes
Vintage inspired homes
Bohemian style homes

And just in case you missed it - the best of My Scandinavian Home 2017 is now up (thank you for a wonderful year).

Wishing you a very merry Christmas! I hope your holidays are full of love and laughter.

See you January 8th!

Kram!

Niki x

PS This beautiful picture was taken by Pernille Enoch. See the DIY for this and other candle decorations here. So pretty!

My Scandinavian Home: Best of 2017

I can't believe the year has almost come to an end! Is it just me or did 2017 whizz by? It's been a strange twelve months, with many disturbing happenings throughout the world. I like to think of My Scandinavian Home as a little bubble in which to escape each day: somewhere you can pour yourself a cup of super strength coffee (got to get into the spirits of the Scandinavians after all!), put your feet up and transport yourself into a world of interiors - and hopefully walk away with a few new ideas too! I hope you experience this! Here's a round-up of the top 5 My Scandinavian Home blog, Instagram, and Pinterest posts of 2017 - as well as a few other highlights.....



1. A magnificent family home in Amsterdam

2. My sitting room make-over

Photo - Niki Brantmark Styling Genevieve Jorn

3.  My dream holiday home (and garden room) - and yours too it seems!

Photo - Marnie Hawson

Holly's inspiring sitting room make-over

Holly Marder

5. Lovely blues and greens in a Swedish home

Photo: Anders Bergstedt. Home-owner/ stying: Caroline Ulkner /  Entrance.

I used to dabble in it a little, but if there's one thing that's truly taken me by surprise this year - it's just how much I've fallen in love with Instagram (do you have an ever so slight obsession too?!). I was thrilled to reach over 115,000 friends this year - thank you for making it such a fun place to be, and for all your interesting and passionate comments (and to Vogue UK for including my feed in the top 12 interior instagram feeds to follow (*strikes a very happy pose*). Here are the top 5 My Scandinavian Home instagram posts of 2017:

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1. Living room in a magical mountain cabin
I'm so happy to see a corner of the living room from Marianne Vigtel Holland's magical mountain cabin which James Gardiner and I had the pleasure of capturing for The Scandinavian Home book.  Marianne made so many items for her cabin it was crazy! In this picture alone she knitted the chair cover, sewed together the cushion covers, created the art on the wall and crafted the side table out of tree trunks - I'm not kidding! Check out the full tour of her beautiful cabin here.



2. Josi's hallway in Berlin
Aaaah, how I love this hallway (the bench is available here - just saying!). In fact, I love everything about Josi's entire Berlin home, it's so charming and relaxed - don't miss the full tour here.

3. Sitting room with a boho vibe
The modern bohemian vibe captured our hearts and minds in 2017 (once again)- and this Polish home designed by Magdalena Milejska was up there with the most inspiring! Take the full tour here. PS is this is totally you're kind of style don't miss the bohemian home archive (goooorgeous spaces).



4. Credenza and books
A wall bursting with books, a beautiful mid-century credenza, layered rugs. What's not to love about the relaxed, boho home of Madewell's lead designer - Joyce Lee! See the drool-worthy tour here.



5. Put a ring on it (see what I did there?)
A beautifully wrapped gift by Finnish blogger Local Artisan in all its crinkled paper and pine wreath glory has already racked up over 7000 likes in the last 24 hours! In fact, it's so pretty that I'd be happy to receive this without a gift inside, how about you? (Note to man - don't take this last sentence too literally). If you haven't wrapped your pressies yet - see our complete round-up of beautiful nature inspired gift wrapping ideas!

Aaaah, Pinterest you'll always be my go-to for moodboards and styling inspiration (if only I could actually tear myself away to do any work - do you find this too?!). Here are the top 5 My Scandinavian Home pins of 2017:

1. This cosy bedroom from a charming Swedish apartment decorated in white and wood
has totally captured pinners hearts having appeared on Pinterest over 590,290 times. How crazy is that? Then again there is so much to love about this little space, right?

Photo: Maria Sahlander Styling: Emma Fischer for Bjurfors.

Rember that green sofa we all fell in love with in a sitting room in Yeabridge House? Combine it with a fabulous mix of old and new and you get the top My Scandinavian Home *power pin* of 2017 (yes, this really is a thing - it's measured in terms of clicks and saves in case you're curious!). Whatever you do, don't miss the full tour here - it was one of my favourites!

Photo - Benjamin Edwards Home-owner - Mark Homewood

While green sofas are always fab, greige is a bit of a safer bet  - which is why this elegant Swedish sitting room created by H&M Home was hugely popular! Get the complete look and feel here. 

Stylist: Lotta Agaton

The relaxed dining space in the Norwegian home of Maja Hattvang appealed to many - which makes me so happy as I love her edgy and relaxed style! See the full tour here (if you don't already follow Maja on instagram, you must!).

Maja Hattvang

And finally, I was so happy to see the delightfully simple bedroom in the Copenhagen home of Karen Maj Kornum of Another Ballroom - captured by James Gardiner and myself for The Scandinavian Home book! You can see a full tour of her home in the book and here and here (that's how much i love Karen Maj's home!).   

Photo: James Gardiner.  Stylist: Niki Brantmark. Featured in The Scandinavian Home book published by CICO.

I am so grateful for the support of businessed big and small without whom My Scandinavian Home wouldn't be possible (you can see a list of many of my partners and the different types of collaborations we offer here).  It's been a year of fun and inspiring partnerships - but I have to say I do have a little penchant for make-overs! Here are the top 3 from 2017:

Greenhouse makeover with Samsung and The Frame

Oh how I loved working on this make-over in a little greenhouse in Upstate New York with Emily Henderson and the Barbarian creative team. A special thanks also to Brady Tolbert for your amazing organization skills and interior design eye and Agata Helena for hair and make-up. See more pictures (and films) of the make-over here and here.

My sitting room make-over with Bemz

Photo by me, styling by Genevieve Jorn. See more here!

My new window nook with Nordal  

Photo by me, styling by Genevieve Jorn. See the full tour here!

I've been writing a way in my little corner of the world and was so happy to launch not one but two new books this year (still not sure how I did it, but it was a wonderful feeling to get them in my hands!) - Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life launched in September and is available in English US, English UK, French and Portuguese with 4 more languages to follow in 2018 - weeeeee! And The Scandinavian Home launched back in the spring!

Photo: Niki Brantmark.

Photo by Karin Björklund

Aaaah. it's been so much fun looking back over this year. Do you have any favourites from everything I've shared? Or perhaps you have some personal highlights you'd like to share - if so, I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below!! And please do also take it as an opportunity to let us know if there's anything you'd like to see more of in 2018.

Before we head off to enjoy the holidays I just wanted to say a few words of thanks.

I am constantly amazed by the incredible pool of creative talent in the online communities - not only among the professional interior designers and photographers, but also writers, artists, designers etc, all of whom contribute in some way and are kind enough to allow me to share their work. These 'creators' dare to put themselves out there for the world to critique (a scary prospect, I can tell you!) - and I thank each and every one of you who inspires us every day!

I'd also like to say a HUGE thanks to the wonderful team behind My Scandinavian Home - including my right hand gal Ana Degeneer ( a whizz at graphic design, picture research, writing and everything in between - she can even code - isn't that b*d *ss?!!). If you're thinking of starting a blog in 2018 (go for it!), Ana sells the most stunning blog design templates through her shop alongside her book '30 days to minimal blogging'.

I've also been lucky enough to work with the talented interior designer Genevieve Jorn - (we always have such a laugh and no photo shoot is complete without a chicken pasta from my local deli!) as well as the fabulous Sarah Brooks-Wilson who moved to Malmö earlier this year and is the speediest interior stylist I know (and always arrives with a smile and wearing the most fabulous outfit)! So happy to have you guys on board!

And finally - to all of you, who come here each day and make My Scandinavian Home a happy place - none of this would happen without you. Thank you for all your amazing support this year and making this little space on the web such a pleasure each day. Here's to a fabulous 2018!

Niki

PS those of you who like to reminisce might enjoy looking back at the 2016 and 2015 round-ups (so interesting to see how interior style has evolved!!).

5 Beautiful Gift Wrapping Ideas with a Natural Touch

Christmas is only a few days away (in our family we celebrate with our Swedish-side on 23rd December and then fly to London on 24th to celebrate Christmas day with our English-side - how about you?). This can only mean one thing: the big gift wrapping session is about to commence! If you haven't wrapped yours yet, we hope our round up of five beautiful gift wrapping ideas will help to make your presents look extra pretty under the tree (if you don't celebrate Christmas - we think these ideas are just as lovely for winter birthdays, weddings etc). Think paper in deep plum, dusty pink, white and natural browns, pretty velvet ribbons, muslin and even fabrics dyed in colours with the scent of the winter season! 

Local Artisan

Therese Knutsen

Ollie and Seb's Haus

Can anyone help with the credits?

Eyeswoon

Although a little more time consuming, I love the last idea of dying old rags with scents associated with this time of the year. If you feel like getting creative, you can find the complete step-by-step guide here.

I also love the idea of adding mini wreaths as decoration (see the know-how here).

Or, for simple, fuss-free ideas you might also like to check out 8 rustic gift wrapping ideas and last year's gift wrapping challenge!

How will you be wrapping your presents this year?

Have a lovely day!

PS If like me, you're not quite there yet with the present buying (guh!) - I hope our gift guide for Scandinavian design lovers (and their children) comes in handy. You could always spread a little nordic love by giving someone a copy of my Lagom book -  available in English US, English UK, French and Portuguese versions. I'm completely biased, I know but I do think it makes a lovely pressie!

A Mysig Swedish Family Home at Christmas

How pretty is this beautiful house in the suburbs of Stockholm, all decked out for Christmas? The beautiful home belongs to interior designer, photographer, storyteller and founder of Wiho Design, Jasmina Bylund who lives with her 'sambo' (live in partner) and their children - Winston (3.5) and Belle (6 months). Jasmina has decorated the house in shades of grey, white and midnight blue and a beautiful blend of old and new. "I don't follow a particular style, I simply follow my heart," Bylund explains.  Jasmina is a big fan of Christmas and loves to "gather family and friends, eat good food, bake, decorate and wrap presents." Evidence of this can be seen throughout their home - which is peppered with subtle festive touches  - including a Kungsgran tree, pretty wreaths, sprigs of pine  and paper star lanterns. No doubt there's snow outside the window too. Åh va mysigt!

Photography: Jasmina Bylund, shared with kind permission.

Oh so pretty, don't you think?

Get the look from Jasmina's home: living room - wall hanging from FROSTA design, Menu Turning Table, Hay table, seagrass belly basket. kitchen - wine glass rack. bedroom - on the wall 'Jotun Lady Happy Homes'. This natural bed linen is beautiful. sitting room - Bemz sell lovely linen slipcovers for sofas (see mine here!). The wrapping paper was sourced on Etsy.

For similar paint colours check-out the Jotun Lady range - they have so many beautiful colours (I used Blushing Peach for my bedroom). To achieve a similar textured surface seen on Jasmina's bedroom wall try adding Roll-A-Tex Sand Texture Additive to the paint (I used this in my dining room make-over and it worked wonders!)

If you'd like to see more of Jasmina's home and latest projects you must check out her lovely instagram feed and blog.

And if you're looking for more Scandinavian home tours with a festive touch - these will definitely get you in the Yuletide mood:

A Swedish country home at Christmas
A Danish home at Christmas 
A Norwegian home on Christmas eve
 Dreaming of a white Christmas in a Swedish home
A cosy Scandinavian home ready for Christmas 

If these have inspired you to rush home and decorate your own home I can recommend these beautifully simply DIY ideas:

Lovely, easy Danish Chrismtas DIY ideas
5 beautifully simple Scandinavian Christmas DIY ideas

Have a lovely day!

PS Are you still Christmas shopping (I am!)? If so this list of last minute Christmas presents for Scandinavian design lovers (and their children!) might come in handy. 

A Charming Swedish Home with Beautiful Details

This time of the year can get a little crazy - don't you think? If you're looking for a little respite, you're in the right place this morning! This charming Swedish apartment in the heart of Gothenburg features beautiful details - including original wood flooring, a fab tiled floor in the hallway and scalloped internal windows - and the best news? There's not a Christmas decoration in site. Well, actually, there's one star light - but you know.... it's so pretty it could totally be up all year round. So if you're looking for your moment of calm today, step this way...!

Photography: Anders Bergstedt, for sale through Entrance.

Such a lovely space, don't you think?

There are so many fab pieces dotted around too. Here's a quick round-up of some of my favourites:

Get The Look

1. Klong Patina oil lamp 2.  Skultuna brushed flower pot 3. Standing monkey lamp 4. Era chair with cane seat 5. Dustpan and brush,

And just how pretty are the three houseplants in the window? We're seeing more and more of the Coleus - I love how the purple colour catches the light! Here's a quick guide if you're looking to create the same look and feel:

House plants

1. Coleus 2. Fiddle Leaf Fig 3. Chinese Money Plant (this last one is such a great plant, I've got one at home and it continuously grows new shoots which can be repotted - it seems to be really easy to keep alive too - perfect!).

Is there anything you love about this home?

Have a great start to the week!