{"id":23586,"date":"2023-07-31T12:33:25","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T10:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7e64d001-89df-4837-ad69-ee7037d0370e"},"modified":"2023-07-31T12:36:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T10:36:41","slug":"a-colourful-renovation-of-a-1930s-house-in-sweden","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-colourful-renovation-of-a-1930s-house-in-sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"A colourful renovation of a 1930s house in Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Katie Pike\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 31 July 2023 at 10:33 AM<\/p>

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We Brits have long loved Scandi style and, despite interiors becoming increasingly maximalist, our passion for all things Swedish shows no sign of waning. The clean lines, exposed woods and muted colour palettes combine to create an unfussy aesthetic that\u2019s effortlessly cool.\u00a0<\/p>

These are calm spaces that feel both inspiring and relaxing to linger in. It\u2019s refreshing then, to hear of the appreciation being reciprocated by our esteemed Swedes \u2013 especially when the Swede in question is Emma von Br\u00f6mssen, a venerated pattern designer whose work adorns wallpaper<\/a>, textiles and ceramics.<\/p>

\u2018When I was growing up, my grandmother\u2019s home was filled with lots of English textiles <\/a>and she always enthused about English gardens,\u2019 says Emma. \u2018She was influenced by the English look and I became influenced by it, too. I love that English homes are so cosy and inviting. And I love the textiles.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Luckily, Emma\u2019s aunt was born in England and would send eight-year-old Emma leftover fabric remnants, which she used to sew patchwork bedspreads<\/a> and cushions.<\/p>

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\u2018My mum taught me how to use the sewing machine when I was four years old,\u2019 she says. It went beyond that though. Every year Emma would rearrange her bedroom with new furniture (old pieces that she would repaint), and introduce new fabrics.<\/p>

A similar theme persists in her current home, which she and her family moved into 11 years ago. The early 1930s house needed a thorough renovation, which they\u2019ve chipped away at gradually.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2018The house wasn\u2019t very nice when we viewed it \u2013 lots of its original features had been stripped out. We love old wooden houses though and the internal doors, wooden floors and some of the wooden details were still intact.\u00a0<\/p>

We could see the opportunities \u2013 plus, it\u2019s just a five-minute walk from the sea,\u2019 says Emma. She and her husband Edward treated the wooden floors in the traditional Swedish way \u2013 mixing linseed soap with cold water and mopping the floor 10 times. \u2018The grease from the linseed oil protects the wood while the oil lightens it,\u2019 says Emma.<\/p>

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They also extended and had a new kitchen<\/a> fitted, which Emma then hand-painted in a dusky shade of blue. \u2018When my mum saw the colour for the first time she said, \u201cI recognise that colour\u201d, and we later realised it was the exact same shade that my mum used on the exterior of her house, where I grew up. I\u2019d seen it every day as a child.\u00a0<\/p>

Without realising, I\u2019d gone back to my roots. I clearly gravitate towards things that remind me of my childhood,\u2019 she says. To balance the newness of the kitchen cabinets and create a timeless feel, traditional wall panelling was reintroduced after it was discovered elsewhere in the house.<\/p>

These days, with all the major work done on the house, Emma admits to redecorating a room every couple of years \u2013 usually using one of her new wallpaper designs. Her designs are in her favourite palette<\/a> of blues and muted pinks and often feature wildlife, florals and leaves.\u00a0<\/p>

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The designs, which wouldn\u2019t look out of place in an English country house, work beautifully in combination with the soap-washed floors, mid-century furniture and white wall panelling.<\/p>

When it comes to inspiration, Emma cites the Arts and Crafts movement (specifically William Morris<\/a>), Tove Jansson (author and illustrator of the Moomin books), travel and nature. Her favourite design from her own range at the moment is Hares in Hiding, and it features heavily in her home \u2013 lining all the walls of the living room and covering her favourite antique sofa.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2018Designing wallpaper<\/a> is tricky because it covers such a huge space \u2013 you can see every mistake. But I find it so interesting that when you introduce wallpaper to a room it makes such an impact,\u2019 she says. Despite her tendency to redecorate often, she says she really loves the hares, \u2018they might stay a while\u2026\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Her love of wallpaper is evident throughout the house, even, somewhat controversially, in the bathroom. \u2018Having wallpaper in the bathroom is not typically Swedish \u2013 Swedes are so functional,\u2019 Emma says. \u2018Every Swede who comes round asks me, \u201cHow can you have wallpaper in the bathroom? Doesn\u2019t it get wet?\u201d I tell them to ask the English,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>

Emma\u2019s hare print-covered sofa is her favourite piece of furniture<\/a> \u2013 bought on Swedish online marketplace Auctionet and dating from the 1920s. \u2018It\u2019s like a little old lady sitting here in my living room \u2013 it\u2019s very cute,\u2019 she says. \u2018I love furniture with personality and this comes with lots.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

This is indicative of her lifelong inclination towards antique<\/a> and vintage<\/a> pieces. \u2018I love the mystique of wondering where each piece has been and who has used it. My favourites are pieces from the Jugendstil era, which is what we call the Art Nouveau<\/a> movement \u2013 and, of course, the Arts and Crafts era. The most important thing is to have objects around you that you like and which mean something to you; items that have history.\u2019<\/p>

Emma\u2019s c1920s English sofa (bought from Auctionet) is reupholstered in her own design, Hares in Hiding, which she\u2019s matched to the walls. A hare from Artilleriet is displayed on an antique cabinet from Auctionet.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Emma, who works as a pattern designer, outside her typically Swedish home.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Hares in Hiding dominates the living room without overwhelming it.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Mid-century chairs by B\u00f8rge Mogensen were found on Auctionet and lend a Scandi feel to the kitchen. The pendant lights are from Ebolicht.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Mismatched plates create a striking tableau in the kitchen. Flea market-found Portmeirion is on the top shelf while the rest includes vintage pieces from European potteries, such as Upsala-Ekeby, R\u00f6rstrand and Fajans.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
One of the two old sofas in the living room has been reupholstered in a striped design by Colefax and Fowler, while the other is covered in GP & J Baker\u2019s Nympheus. Emma\u2019s St\u00e4pph\u00f6na design brings a modern edge to a pair of mid-century Skrindan lounge chairs by Kerstin H\u00f6rlin-Holmquist.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
By sticking to a predominantly blue and white colour palette, Emma can mix patterns while keeping the feel calm.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
A cosy layered feel has been created in the master bedroom with a bamboo bed from SoffaDirekt, wallpaper by Emma and mismatched textiles. The blanket is from Tweedmill Textiles in Wales.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Treasured objects are arranged together in the bedroom. The vintage vase was a gift from Emma\u2019s mum, the small beige platter is by ceramic artist Kristine Thenman and the mirror and lamp are from Auctionet. The lampshade was handmade by Emma.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Metro tiles and a hint of wallpaper give the bathroom a British feel.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Emma\u2019s desk, showing her artwork, a pattern named Plenty more Fish. Emma paints each pattern by hand with ink and Japanese brushes. \u2018My process is often about hiding characters in the background. This gives the pattern more interest and makes the design process more exciting,\u2019 she says.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
Two of Emma\u2019s posters, Dancing Crane and Karp, continue the blue and white theme on the stairway.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"1930s<\/figure>
The hallway is a triumph of colour and pattern and contains eclectic design influences \u2013 from a Scandinavian mid-century chair to tiles from Marrakech Design and wallpaper with an Eastern feel.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>