106 HOMEBEAUTIFUL.COM.AU I AUGUST 2019
LIVI NG RO OM The walls in the living room (top) have been painted
about three-quarters of the way up in a soft green (try Porter’s Paints
Agave). Well-loved sofas piled with soft and sumptuous textiles create
a cosy and comfortable conversation space. For similar, try Castlery.
Framed prints and posters such as a Playtype calendar (far right) from
The Poster Club bring personality to the walls. Christian built the media
unit himself to Mari’s design, and she then painted it white. Industrial
lighting is a nod to the era in which the home was built. Get the look
with pendants from Fat Shack Vintage.E NTRYWAYThe rustic timber bench in the hallway (opposite)
and leather hat box were found in a vintage store. For similarly aged
timber furniture, try Water Tiger. The antique lamp hanging from
the wall hook was found in the house when the couple moved in.I
t’s spring in Mari and Christian’s garden and the old apple tree is
finally in full bloom. “This is the best time of the year,” says Mari,
who picks sprigs of apple blossom to display throughout her
home. The couple, who live in a small village lying an hour south
of Stockholm, have embraced countryside living and all it has
to offer. “I love the beautiful old houses and the way of life; buying
bread from the local bakery; fish from the fishmonger,” explains the
interior decorator, who says she feels lucky to be able to raise their
children, Dante and Juno, here. “It’s a wonderful place to grow up in;
it’s safe and the lifestyle is a bit old-fashioned, in a good way.”
The inspiration for the tree change came 10 years ago. The couple
were living in an apartment in the centre of Stockholm but were
longing for an escape from city life. One sunny day during Easter, they
took a drive to visit friends who lived an hour south of the city.
They were taken by the idyllic surroundings and knew instantly this
was where they wanted to live. A quick check revealed two homes for
sale in the area. Capturing their imaginations was a wooden house
built in 1884, with lots of potential but lacking in charm. With
only photos to go by and bidding already under way on the property,
Mari and Christian weighed up the pros and cons: the house was
spacious and on two levels, but was full of chipboard and linoleum
carpets. “It didn’t matter to us that there was so much to renovate,”says Mari. “It meant we could do whatever we wanted, as it couldn’t
get any worse.” They placed their bid, and waited.
The property was theirs within a few days and the couple started on
the task of restoring the house. “When we moved in, the interior
had no personality as many original features had been taken away,”
explains Mari. “We did a lot of detective work to figure out what the
house looked like when it was built. We found a small piece of old
skirting board and then ordered a similar one for the whole house.
We conducted research into how wide the floorboards were; where
the fireplaces were located... anything to do the house justice.”
To help solve the puzzle, a neighbour who had lived next door all
her life gave the couple old photographs of the interior of the house.
They then put in wide wooden floors where they had been taken out,
replaced doors and refreshed the paintwork. But, instead of opting
for the original palette of dark blue and brown, the couple updated
the home with a modern scheme of cool white and grey.
Old materials have been carefully reused where possible; they found
blueberry bushes and moss between the walls as insulation – and it is
still there. They bought architectural features from restoration yards
and Christian, a budding carpenter, has built furniture that will become
heirlooms for the next generation. Their hard work has created a warm
family home that references the past but looks towards the future.FLOOR PLANGROUND FLOOR FIRST FLOORCONSERVATORYLIBRARY LIVINGKITCHEN
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