Houzz Tour: Eclectic Global Style in a Swedish Village
With furniture, fabrics and design touches from around the world, a home in Sweden finds its eclectic groove
Patterned walls, exotic furniture and vintage touches gave this midcentury Swedish home a new life for a family of six. The homeowners moved from London to Sweden more than 10 years ago and immediately started searching for a house outside of Uppsala, Sweden. The couple, who had previously lived in France and Indonesia, wanted a blank slate to fill with their eclectic furniture and infuse with their playful style.
One of the homeowners chose the majority of the fabrics and wall coverings for their home. They already had most of their furniture from previous homes, and she incorporated a mix of French, Indonesian, Swedish and British pieces.
Couch: Mio; rug: Ikea; coffee table, bench: teak from Bali
Couch: Mio; rug: Ikea; coffee table, bench: teak from Bali
The unique fireplace is an old-fashioned tile stove — kakelugn in Swedish — that the couple nabbed from a neighbor’s house and had refinished. Brick stones inside the stove are heated by the fire and retain heat long enough to keep the house warm for the day. The house originally had one (they found the ruins in their garden), but it had been removed years before and replaced with more modern heaters.
Wallpaper: Designers Guild
Wallpaper: Designers Guild
The couple’s first real home together was in Jakarta, Indonesia, so much of their furniture is Indonesian. This beautiful sideboard was made by one of their friends in Bali.
Sideboard: Papipoto
Sideboard: Papipoto
The bright and open dining room has a mix of textures and treatments for a warm effect. The cabinet in the corner is made out of old oak pieces from an 18th-century Swedish battleship. The ship sank just outside the hometown of one of the homeowners, and many of these oak pieces — blackened by salt water — were bought by a local carpenter.
The dining chairs are all old Dutch antiques that the couple found in Jakarta and had painted and distressed.
Rug: The Conran Store; chairs, table: Indonesia
Rug: The Conran Store; chairs, table: Indonesia
The kitchen is a favorite space in the house — the room’s access to the dining room, living room and garden means the parent cooking can keep an eye on the children while they play or do homework.
Bench: Indonesia; wallpaper: Designers Guild
Bench: Indonesia; wallpaper: Designers Guild
The homeowners outfitted the kitchen with pieces from Ikea and customized the oak countertops and simple white cabinetry in the style and layout they wanted.
With four young boys, durability and storage were the most important priorities, but the homeowners also wanted a clean and simple design that would work with the home’s architecture.
Countertops, cabinetry, shelving, bar stools: Ikea; range and hood: Miele
Countertops, cabinetry, shelving, bar stools: Ikea; range and hood: Miele
When the family moved in, the home was still outfitted with its original, terribly outdated kitchen. After a year of living with broken-down appliances, the homeowners completely renovated the bottom floor of the house. Five years and two more children later, the family ran out of room and did another renovation to extend the living space.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with four sons
Location: Marielund, Sweden
Size: 2,260 square feet
That’s interesting: A dining room cabinet is made of wood from a sunken battleship.
The home is set in the small, idyllic village of Marielund. This lakeside locale has only about 70 other houses and was originally a summer vacation spot for shop owners in Uppsala. Most of the homes were built in the beginning of the 20th century, and the homeowners wanted to make sure that their home’s architecture reflected that style. The goal was to make it fit in with the existing houses in the beginning of the 20th century, but in an original way.
Wallpaper, curtains: Designers Guild