Comments on: Swedish Design & Your Thoughts

By: Imogen

Imogen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:44:40 +0000

I am a quarter Swedish, my mother’s mother was born there and only moved to this country in her twenties, so consequently I have a fair bit of family on my mother’s side still living in Sweden. I have visited it twice in the last year or so (I have been when I was younger but then I wasn’t very aware of style & design!). I love it there so much! And it is true about the aesthetics of people there being very well developed! I don’t know if it is just compared to where I live where aesthetic niceties are only really thought about by people with a lot of money, but I do find that everything in Sweden is much more beautiful.

For example, not only in Stockholm where my family members (who are all creative people) have wonderful apartments, but up in the north in a tiny village, my great aunt and great uncle live in the most lovely home I’ve ever seen, even though most of it is based around comfort and practicalness. I wish I had a picture to show you, but it’s more than just the look of it, it’s the smell of coffee and rubber boots and cooking and old central heating. They also have a flat in the nearest town to stay in when the weather gets frightful and that is also lovely, even though it probably hasn’t changed since the 70s very much. I agree with someone up there who said it’s because of the winters that people love their homes so much.

And honestly I can say that I have been in people’s homes that would not be out of place in a magazine or a design blog. With lovely people in them as well. Maybe its a Swedish atmosphere and spirit that makes it special. I know that every time I have been in Stockholm and we visit the Skansen open-air museum I want to buy the whole (expensive!) gift shop of artisan and traditional Swedish home-wares. Sigh!

Here interior design I think is still focussed on an image of the traditional upper classes and has an air of poshness and elitism. Things are nice if they cost a lot, or if they are an imitation of something that costs a lot. People don’t really have much new ideas. This is just mainstream design for the mass of people, of course, I don’t know what goes on with people who actually know about it!

By: Isabel

Isabel — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:04:03 +0000

Im from Sweden and study design. Right now Im doing a course in Swedish furniture design so it was very interesting for me to read all the coments about what people outside Sweden percieve is Swedish design. In this course weve studied Carl and Karin Larsson and their home. How most you describe Swedish design is sort of the essence of the Larssons philosophy about design and life. About spaces made for living and the personal mix. Maybe this is sort of a Swedish (or Scandinavian) mentality. Even though far from every home looks like the pictures. There are lots of cases with pine panel everywhere, big leather sofas from the 80s and knicknacks scattered around the place. But I do think that Hollys is right in that the magazines show the ideal of the country.

Sometimes I dont really know what Swedish design is until I go abroad and see what Swedish design is not. But if i would define it with some frew words i would say functional, light, natural materials and not overdecorated.

By: Penny Patten

Penny Patten — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:12:40 +0000

Yes, I could say I like swedish style, nice post!
Penny Patten´s last blog ..Decorating For The Holidays

By: Alanna

Alanna — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:44:24 +0000

I completely agree with Maria Helena…I`m bored with all of the images of “perfection” innundating the major Canadian and American design magazines. I think that the style that appeals most to me is less “geographic” and more “demographic”…that is, I love the homes I see of the twenty and thirty-something creative types with some budget constraints. To me, designing or redecorating is not a challenge with a limitless budget. It`s when the budget is tight (but realistic, of course) that a person really has to use his or her innovation and creativity. For me, that`s what really defines a space.

By: A Sort Of Fairy Tale

A Sort Of Fairy Tale — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:55:37 +0000

great post! i live in the midwest (Chicago) and i definitely feel like it is
so over saturated here with Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel style! it’s like midwesterners have no idea that there is anything else out there. of course there are exceptions, but it seems to me this is the prevailing style in this part of the U.S.
sadly for me, i love the likes of English country, Scandanavian, and French country style. it’s just so hard it seems to find a great representation of these styles where i live….wah, wah, wah :(
one positive is that i do enjoy farmhouse style, so that is a bit easier to come by here!
A Sort Of Fairy Tale´s last blog ..What I Want Wednesday 11/18/09

By: Elizabeth E.

Elizabeth E. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:36:03 +0000

As a fan, I always like your challenges back to us, the readers, so today I will comment. In the area I live in–desert about an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles–the Tuscany/Italy vibes are most often seen in decor and shops. Is that because Italy is such a great place to travel to, or is it because I’ve traveled to Italy and my filter has changed to see those things?

But when I really take off the filters, I think mostly I would agree with your post that we have old sofas, tired decor, weary paint because our lives are lived at turbo-max and we don’t take time to slow down and enjoy (and spruce up) our surroundings.

I also think I’ll be forever “in the middle” of doing my rooms–I get the big stuff down, and then it takes forever to pull in the little touches that change it from a room in the magazine, to MY room. (I have to read your blog to really try and absorb what you post, because I’m just a Regular Person and not a decorator).

By: Merri Cvetan, The Design Coach

Merri Cvetan, The Design Coach — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:24 +0000

Then there is the HGTV influence. People seem to think you can redo an entire room for as little as $500 and in a single day!

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:46 +0000

I loved this post and I loved the link to emmas blog. Like Karen I am also from Australia and the thing i like about scandinavian style is that it always seems really naturally put together. They grasp the concept of collecting treasures and coupling it with clean lines making their places really cosy. In Australia the thrift stores and vintage is pretty crap. Unless you inherit from an old relative, your chances of finding something cool and old is slim (or you need to pay top dollar for it). I guess in Europe old furniture items are easier to come by and they really spruce up a home. Thanks for this blog post.
Kathryn´s last blog ..Karen M. Andersen: Studio Tour – part 1

By: Lucia

Lucia — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:08:03 +0000

I live in Uruguay, you can find some Uruguayan houses in this Argentinian magazine: http://www.espacioliving.com
They show houses at the country side or at the cost mostly. We Uruguay and Argentina share the same design style in a general point of view, but they have much more developed their design production. I particularly love when they show old houses that have been updated to fulfill modern life requirements. That combination of old, functional and cozy is the most I like.

I´m a big fan of Swedish design, I am fascinated by their houses!!! they look so simple!! sometimes I notice the small storage places they show … is that true in real life ? here you always find big closets and similar things even in the magazines … people like to keep things I think but how is that in Sweden ?!!!

By: Karin Johansson

Karin Johansson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:19:08 +0000

I’m Swedish, and I think that our attention to our homes is vital because of the climate here.

Without a well built home, we would freeze in the winter. (If I lived in a house built like most English ones, but in our climate, I would wake up an icicle! Absolutely frozen from the draughtiness and lack of double glazing.) We stay indoors a lot during the winter months. Without the light white decor, the winter would feel even darker. Without the joy of adding cheeky twists, we would probably get a bit down..

That might explain why I find that Swedes love their homes much more than the people I have known when I’ve lived in England and France. We love them for protecting us from minus 20 degree cold and 20 hours a day darkness!

Karin