THE FIRST COLOURS OF A SWEDISH CHRISTMAS

Pine is not the first thing associated with a Swedish Jul.  Around the beginning of December Swedes fill their homes with newly sprouted bulbs of hyacinth in white, pink or "blue".  In about a week after you water them at home they begin to flower and the house is filled with the colours and scent of a spring garden.

Photo: Angeline Eriksson

At first, I thought the whole thing was strange but now I can't imagine Christmas without them.  Here's our kitchen with our hyacinth in full bloom.

Posh DIY Christmas Tree

Stockholm is dark this time of year.  We get about seven hours of daylight now and by Christmas that number will fall just below six hours.  If that weren't enough, we also had one of the darkest Novembers in history.  As of three days ago Stockholm had had 3.5 hours of sunlight ALL MONTH!  We were blessed with a few more hours this weekend which I think may have even doubled that number bringing us to approximately 7 hours of sun for November.  Things were getting gloomy.  I decided to get the tree up early so we could add a little cheer and light to our dark Nordic lives.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, everything in Sweden is expensive and Christmas trees (Julgranar) are no exception.  Last year the cheapest one I saw was 450 kr, which is about $70 Canadian.  So, my middle guy and the dog went to the park and collected some sticks.  We tied them in the shape of a tree and hung it in the living room.  The decorations are Brian Gluckstein Home, that we brought with us from Toronto so the only thing we paid for this year was twine.  This DIY tree is bright, makes no mess, takes up no space, cost nothing and no tree has been chopped down.  I think we may have a new family tradition.

DIY - IKEA Task Lamp Update

Copper and bronze have slowly been coming into the limelight over the past few years.  Earlier this year at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair, during Stockholm Design Week, it was everywhere.  I decided to update a pair of old black IKEA Antifoni task lamps by spray painting them copper. 

IKEA Antifoni Task Lamp gets a Copper Update

The process is easy but a little smelly so better to do it outside if you can.

1.  Protect the areas you don't want painted (cord, bulb socket and switch) with masking tape.

2.  If you are super thorough and love prep work, then you can give the metal a light sanding with fine sand paper.

3.  Spray paint the lamp.

You can find acrylic spray paint at most hardware stores but the selection may be sparse.  I went to a little shop here in Stockholm (HL Store) that specializes in street gear, skateboards and graffiti and other more "urban" arts.  The spray paint colour selection was very impressive and the prices were better too.

4.  If you go with a copper or bronze look you'll need to seal it with a spray lacquer otherwise it will show fingerprints.  Wait for the original colour to dry for about an hour or 2.  Wait 2 hours between lacquer coats.

And, that's it.  

Apartment Hunting - Sodermalm Classic Gustavian Dining Room

Let's move over to the dining room of our Södermalm apartment.  I am posting from my ipad today so please forgive any wonky formatting.

I  found a fantastic dining table at NK last month and I thought it would look great in our Sodermalm dining room.  The colours easily fit into the Gustavian look and as I mentioned last time (click here for that) it breaks up the sameness by being rustic and contemporary.  I love the high sheen lacquer of this table and I want to play that up as much as possible.  We are going to make the dining room very glamourous and exciting in just a couple of steps.

Piet Hein Eek Dining Table at NK Stockholm

For paint, I think we should go with Farrow and Ball's Calluna.  It won't compete with the blue in the table, instead it will compliment that very difficult shade of blue.  Remember that paint colour never translates well on-screen so go check out the paint in person at a local dealer.

Farrow and Ball - Calunna

Now, lets put a classic Gustavian crystal chandelier above the table.  We can go with one big chandelier or 2 smaller ones;  that's a completely personal decision.  This one is an original Swedish chandelier from Lundgrensantik.se but you can find a reproduction, perhaps not as stunning as this one but something close.

                                         

                                                                     Lundgrensantik.se


I like either of these dining chairs.  The classic rounded chair will give the least competition to the show-stopper table but the Swedish Demi is a really, really great chair.  As I said, both work, so again this one is up to you.

Vintage Round and Swedish Demi - Restoration Hardware

The next thing that we can do is to fill that room with mirrors.  The mirrors will act as reflectors for the light that sparkles from the chandelier.  I like this Hemnes in gray brown from IKEA.  The natural wood colour will bring out the rustic elements in the table and will look great against the blue-gray Calluna paint.  

                                           

                                                              Hemnes mirror - IKEA

The final step would be a rug.  That table gives you so much freedom as far as what colours will work well.  Swedes would likely go with a light coloured rug, which will give the room an airy feeling.  I think I would go with medium gray.  The darker colour will ground the room and add a nice contrast to the light colours in the table.

Apartment Hunting - Södermalm Classic Gustavian Living Room

My phone died and with it my internet connection so I am playing a bit of catch-up this week.  I thought it would be a good idea to go back to our Södermalm apartment to get that finished (click here to get caught up).  So lets move on to the living room.

I was going to do the walls a light green but I changed my mind.  Better to save the green for the dining room and go with a nice antique white in the living room.  Farrow and Ball has a great shade for this called Dimity.  I think the best choice for a finish is matte.  Practically, not the best because of washability but the look will be soft and classic.

I found some great antiques at a local antique dealer.  A console with straight Neoclassical lines and some matching stools to flank the console and serve as extra seating.  Above the console we are going to use these fun round mirrors / candle holders.  They break up all the straight lines and keep the room moving, so to speak.  I love the fussy fruit ornamentation too.  

Before we move over to the main seating area, let's talk about the show stopper.  That gem that is going to make this room sing.  I introduce to you the Mora clock.  Swedes know all about these beautiful clocks but in other parts of the world they seem only to have a bit of a cult following.  There is something so intrinsically Swedish about the Mora clock;  Quiet and stately, modest yet commands a room.  The green will make the transition from the kitchen stools and the ochre will tie together the golds and yellows in the living room elements. The round flowing lines of the Mora pick up where the mirrors left off and take us to the main seating area.

Antiques are lovely, but if you fill your room with a bunch of antiques, all from the same era, it comes off as not only impersonal and unimaginative, but boring.  You need to pepper it with other types and eras of furnishings.  With that in mind, I chose the Kensington sofa from Artwood (we'll paint the feet white).  It certainly doesn't hurt that this sofa will be comfortable to sit on and it serves the needs of everyday living.  The tufting picks up the round movement of the mirrors and the clock.  The design is classic enough to not take over but gives just enough resistance to the dainty antiques.  Now we are going to put some straight lines back in with these bold stripped Gustavian armchairs.  Again, we are making the room interesting and engaging.

So now the floor - rugs.  I love big, thick wool or silk rugs.  Like art, rugs should be seen as an investment - buy the best you can afford.  I have two options for you.  If you want to really give this room zip we can go with the bright, bold IKEA rug.  The pattern compliments both the curves and the lines in the room.  The colour says attitude.  The only catch with the IKEA rug is that we may need to fit two together to hold that seating area.  There are slightly differing opinions on this but aim for your rug to be big enough to comfortably fit all the seating area furniture without spilling over to the wood areas.  Option two is this stunning Persian, less of a yellow and more a gold, this is a perfect option if you want to play it safe and is big enough for the space.  It is, however, significantly more expensive than the IKEA version but will certainly last a lifetime

Remember that many of these antiques can be found in reproduction, yes even the Mora clock.  Now you know what you need to look for.

Apartment Hunting - Södermalm Classic - Gustavian Kitchen

And back to our little castle in the sky.  In the space planning post (click here to get caught up) we decided that the client would be looking for a traditional Gustavian interior. Today we'll start with the best room in the house, the kitchen.  For a bit of context, let's first break down the Gustavian look.  Gustav III took the French Neoclassical look back to Sweden then simplified the look and muted the colours. A typical Gustavian colour scheme features muted grays, blues and greens.  For this project, we will source the paints entirely from Farrow and Ball.

I would like to make the cabinets a nice soft gray like Dimpse by Farrow and Ball

Dimpse - Farrow and Ball

Although Gustavian is characterized by a scaled-down Neoclassical look, we still need some detailing otherwise we risk having a kitchen that nods toward Modern.  The Ramsjö profile from Ikea is simple yet has the detailing that mirrors the columnal look of the Neoclassical period.

Ramsjö Profile via Ikea

 

I'd love to really highlight the island by painting it a darker gray like Pavilion Gray.
 

Pavilion Gray - Farrow and Ball

A nice light marble countertop on both kitchen and the island will compliment the grays and give that element of luxury.  When shopping for marble, shop around and buy the best you can afford.  This is a major purchase so have fun with it and don't rush.  Make sure your grays jive with each other.  Bring a sample of your paints and fabrics.

Marble Countertop

 

 

And here's an idea of what the furnishings will look like.  We'll put these around the island to give the kitchen that ever important feeling of community.  You will need reproduction chairs for this purpose as they did not make stools to the heights we need these days, like this reproduction from Restoration Hardware.

 

 

French Round Chair via Restoration Hardware

And for the upholstery.  I love this heavy linen in "Spruce".  This will also carry us to the living room ... which we'll cover next time.

Spruce Swatch via Restoration Hardware

 

Advent

Advent is a countdown to Christmas Eve or Julafton as they call it here.  On the four Sundays preceding Christmas Eve the Swedes light a candle and apparently eat rice pudding (risgrynsgröt).  The Swedes are famously non-religious so the fact that they celebrate Advent is a little perplexing to me.  My Bible toting, Jesus lovin', year-long hymn singin' Grandmother doesn't even celebrate Advent.  Swedes do love their candles though, and their gröt*, so I guess that's it then.  There are a couple ways you can do this.  You can use an advent candle holder or simply use four candles upon which you stick the numbers, 1, 2, 3 and 4.  I think the latter is super ugly, I don't care how glittery or fancy those numbers are.

Speaking of the Ekdahls, this advent candle holder reminds me of the opening scene of Fanny and Alexander.  The angels spin making a slight "ting" sound.

 

 

Advent Candles at P.U.B.



 For the lover of clean, Scandinavian and Modern.

 

 

Allas by Andeas Engesvik for Iittala at P.U.B.

If you absolutely must go the number route, then here's an option from Indiska.
 

 

Advent Candle Numbers at Indiska

 

 

 

 

 I like these the best.  Simple yet versatile. They come in different colours too.  These candle holders work together as a unit without actually being the exact same.  This creates visual interest and asymmetrical symmetry (you'll earn points with the design snobs for that one!)

 

 

Candleholders from MIO

We'll continue to look at the ways that the Swedes worship their sources of light at Jul as we approach December 13th which is the celebration of St. Lucia, the patron saint of light. 


*Gröt:  Basically this is porridge.  It comes in oat, rice and some other grain "manna" that I have yet to identify.

New Feature Introduction - Apartment Hunting

Our new feature here at Design Stockholm will be called Apartment Hunting.  A little background - something I love to do is go through the real estate websites and check out what's for sale.  I can't speak for all designers but finding a really neglected space with loads of potential is super exciting.  The more work needed, the better.  Apartment hunting is a bit of a cultural phenomenon here in Stockholm.  Whether you're buying or renting, finding the right place has quite a significance here.  Property values are high and the queues to rent are years long.  It affects most of Stockholm's population in some way.  But we'll take a look at the lighter side.

 

We will feature a property which is located in the local real estate listings and play around with it a bit.  We'll have a "client" in mind so as to better decide how to space plan and decorate the space.  Property value will be assessed.  Or maybe sometimes we'll be wreckless and spend, spend, spend!  I think we'll start off with the latter.

 

So as promised, I've brought you back to Södermalm.  This property is a classic Stockholm floor plan with the original plan in place from when the building was built.  Times have changed and so have ideas on what a great home should look and feel like.  Take a look - tomorrow we change the space to reflect contemporary ideas on the ideal home. Hejdå!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trends - Dark Paint for Walls

I was saying to a friend the other day that trends will naturally start to move to darker colours after so many years of everything being clean and white. People need to see something different.  I have always loved dark rich red - as I've mentioned several times (here and here), red is one of my go-to colours.  Apparently everyone is talking about the trends toward darker colours for walls, even here in Scandinavia.  What's my take on this Scandinavian move to such unfamiliar territory?  I don't see it lasting very long.  The winters are simply too long and too dark for Scandinavians to be able to live surrounded by dark walls without going crazy.  No one, however, can argue with the dynamic look that can be achieved with a deep rich colour in the walls.  So let's take a look at some great dark coloured spaces.

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This kitchen has dark floors, cabinets and ceiling yet because of the heavy lacquer, it reflects light beautifully.

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The white furniture and accents in this space help offset the darker colours on the wall.

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The Asian influences here are many and I absolutely love this space.  Everything works seamlessly together, from the grid accents of the wall panel to the curved legs of the table

 and the playful plants.

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The blue walls here work very nicely with the natural wood elements and the brown chair. 

 

 

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Now let's look at dark bathrooms.  Even in the smallest bathroom, with or without windows, dark walls seem to work.  Here are a few of my favorites.

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If you are going to go with purple, go all the way!



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Simple.  Although I think I would have gone with a white toilet seat.  I generally don't like decorating with words or sayings but the quality and size of these letters save it from looking cheesy.

 

 

 

 

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The best for last!  The walls are rich, with art from floor to ceiling.  A nice quality rug over deep wood floors (not enough people realize that wood floors in a bathroom is often better than tile, especially if you live in a cold climate - like Sweden.  But that's a blog for another day.)  This look is super easy, relatively inexpensive and anyone can do it.

 

 

 

 

Front Entrance Storage Ideas

Despite their generally clean, minimal  aesthetic, the Swedes tend to have cluttered and unorganized front entrances.  Coats are hung on exposed hooks and the shoes are placed just below on the floor or on a shoe rack.  Its the place where you greet your guests and the first thing you see when you return home.  The front entrance should be clean and, of course, welcoming.  Here are a few ideas to keep your entrance uncluttered and stylish.

"Havdhem" Storage Bench - G.A.D. Stockholm

"Elmwood" Cabinet - Artwood

"Smögen" Hatthylla - Mio

"Hemnes" Skoskåp - IKEA

"Tvättkorg Hoogla" - Granit

Swedes, Pumpkins & Godis

Pumpkins

So it's Halloween in Sweden.  The Swedes have only recently adopted Halloween.  But really, is it surprising that these godis* lovers would jump at the opportunity to have candy on a day other than Saturday?

There's just one thing.  To earn the candy, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty.

You have to make a jack'o'lantern for your front steps or window, which indicates to all the little ghosts and goblins that you have candy to offer.

1. About 5 cm from the stem, cut a circle to make an opening in the top of the pumpkin (Pumpa på Svenska).

2. Dig out the slimy mess inside (separate the seeds if you like, which can be roasted with salt).  You can use a soup spoon but I think you'll find that using you hands will be necessary also.  Make sure the inside is scraped clean so as not to catch your jack'o'lantern on fire when you put the tea light in.

3.  Cut out the face. Basic shapes work perfectly.  You don't need to get fancy and for what it costs to buy a pumpkin here in Sweden, better to do something not too challenging.

4.  Put in a tea light. Leave the top off while the candle is lit.

Now you can enjoy your Halloween godis guilt-free.  Even if det är inte Lördag.

Jack'o'Lanterns

 

*Godis - (Pronounced Goodies) A Swedish tradition where kids can have candy but only on Saturday, which actually makes the Swedes the top candy eaters, globally.