Inside Out / 99INSIDE overseas inspiration
‘COCO TIGER’ CUSHION (OPPOSITE, ON ARMCHAIR), AND ‘SAFARI CLUB’ CUSHION (ON ROCKING CHAIR), STUDIO LISA BENGTSSON, STUDIOLISABENGTSSON.SE. TABLE LAMP (THIS PAGE, TOP LEFT), SEKELSKIFTE, SEKELSKIFTE.SE/EN. ARTWORKS: (TOP RIGHT)
THEKING OF THE JUNGLEPOSTER (TOP) BY STUDIO LISA BENGTSSON, AS BEFORE. OTHER ARTWORKS, ARTISTS UNKNOWNThere are plenty of vignettes in Lisa’s home. Design classics and
sweet second-hand chairs are joined by antiques, wacky souvenirs
and affordable IKEA bargains. “I love beautiful things and my hope
is that the mixture should form a solid style that says something
about who we are and what we’ve been through,” she says.
In a corner of the living area is a leather chair from the 1920s,
plus a lamp that is Lisa’s “only real bargain”, as the shopkeeper
threw it in for free with the chair. An ottoman from Morocco is
complemented by various artworks, including Tillsammans, a series
of paintings of a basset hound that Lisa did in 2011 for Rädda
Barnen, the Swedish section of the Save The Children charity.
The opposite side of this room is wallpapered with ‘Golden Lily’
by Lisa’s hero, 19th-century British designer William Morris, and
an IKEA sofa is adorned with some of her own cushion designs.
An adjoining dining area boasts massive windows, along which
she has placed brass candlesticks given to her by her mother.
Lisa’s enduring motivation for her work – and, indeed, her
renovation of this home – has always been to keep it as personal
as possible. In fact, the first wallpaper print she created – part
of the thesis for her master’s degree at college – was titled
‘The Family’. “I anticipated that my mum and grandma would
buy a few rolls each and the rest would be left,” she says. It didn’t
quite turn out that way – the design remains her biggest seller.
As for whether she sees herself, Niklas and the kids living in
the pink house for the long term, Lisa isn’t sure. “I would love
to live by the water some day,” she says. “My parents live by a lake
and I am fascinated by it – it’s so quiet and peaceful. But I love
this house and would like to take it with me if I ever move!”
Lisa accepts international orders and ships her designs all over
the world. See the full range at studiolisabengtsson.se.bright idea
In the hall, colourful knobs
are put to good use. “I found
them in London’s Notting
Hill and I love them,” says
Lisa. “Sometimes we hang
clothes on them, or they
can also just be decorative.”INSIDE overseas inspiration