decor8 Reader Spaces: Samantha + Grant in Malm?
A series showcasing reader spaces was launched in '06 here on decor8 and since last year I put that on pause, for 2008 I want to start up this series again. To kick things off I thought today you may like to see the home of readers Samantha and Grant (and 18 month old daughter Charlie) who live in beautiful Malm? Sweden. Sam loved this post featuring Liza Giles' apartment and believes her style is quite similar so she wants to welcome us into their world. This apartment just so happens to be on the market, so if you're interested in owning in Sweden, please contact Sam and Grant for more information sam_nixon{at}yahoo.com.
Sam says, "I didn't know what our style was, but I think Boho Modern might describe it. We have collected our stuff over years and years and it's not all the same style or era, but we love how it goes together."
About the space, "It's a not so good 80's attic installation but we repainted everything white, including the so-so quality wood floors and it made a huge difference." Ah white wood floors. So many dream of these beneath their feet. I asked Sam what inspired her to paint them white, "We loved the look (first spotted in Elle Decoration and Living Etc.) but at the time we had beautiful floors so we didn't want to take the risk with the white paint. When we bought this apartment the light was not as good, we thought the white floors would help with that, which they did -- They made quite a big difference to the light in the apartment and give the illusion that the apartment is bigger than it actually is."
When I asked her about the actual task of painting them, she said that is was hard to find someone in Malm? to paint them, their painter did not want to do it! They asked a friend who did the job for them using a, "long armed paint roller and lucky for us he did an excellent job. They do take a lot of work to keep clean, more so than unpainted floorboards. You tend to notice dust and spills a lot sooner! But when they are clean they do look fabulous."
Since Sam is such a sweetheart, she allowed me to ask a few more questions about her style that I was curious to know. Like where do they find such great furniture? "We found most of our furniture in the UK, and our favourite shops are metro retro in London and Castle Gibson, also in London. We really love metro retro and we have had excellent service from the owner Saxon."
After looking at their style, I think this stylish couple would love to connect with my favorite shop in northern Germany for vintage modern furniture, ComingHome Interiors (shop tour here, they ship all over Europe and to America). In addition to brick and mortar stores, Sam and Grant are also keen on flea markets and find their favorite ones are in Copenhagen.
I asked if she had a favorite piece and of course it was hard to pick just one, "But if we have to, then it would probably be the big desk which you can see in the picture with the computer on it. We found it in Zurich and it was originally used in a Zurich hotel," she adds, "And maybe also the 1930's theatre light you can see by the sofa."
How does she keep it so clean? Sam tells us, "The apartment as seen in the photos is a bit more tidy/sparse than usual as we are selling it, and the Swedes are not so into the Boho Modern look, so some of our collections and art (which includes more than a few etsy finds found via decor8!) are packed away for the minute." That explains how amazingly tidy things are, which also makes me breathe a sigh of relief as I can't imagine anyone with a toddler living in such absolute perfection! Thank you Samantha and Grant for allowing us to visit your home today, it's both beautiful and filled with fun decorating ideas and inspiration. May you sell your home and find another amazing space to fill with your well curated selection of beautiful things. Lovely!
(images from samantha and grant nixon for decor8)