Swedish Interiors is the first book to share the history, progression, and key elements of Swedish style and how to use it in many different styles of homes. From the white and blue-hued images of the familiar Gustavian style to the gold accents and luxurious patterns found in the Swedish Baroque, Rococo, and Biedermeier periods, the secret to Swedish design is in having the confidence to mix old and new while maintaining a clean and simple aesthetic. Swedish Interiors emphasizes light, comfort and elegance. The authors operate Eleish Van Breems Antiques, a renowned Swedish antiques and decorating resource. Featured on Martha Stewart Living, and in Country Living, House Beautiful, Travel & Leisure, the New York Times, Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Victoria, and Yankee.
Swedish designers are noted for producing distinctive and elegant forms; their furniture and household goods have an especially loyal following around the world. Design in Sweden has more than just an aesthetic component, however. Since at least the late nineteenth century, Swedish politicians and social planners have viewed design as a means for advocating and enacting social change and pushing for a more egalitarian social organization. In this book, Keith M. Murphy examines the special relationship between politics and design in Sweden, revealing in particular the cultural meanings this relationship holds for Swedish society. Over the course of fourteen months of research in Stockholm and at other sites, Murphy conducted in-depth interviews with various players involved in the Swedish design industry—designers, design instructors, government officials, artists, and curators—and observed several different design collectives in action. He found that for Swedes design is never socially or politically neutral. Even for common objects like furniture and other household goods, design can be labeled "responsible," "democratic," or "ethical"— descriptors that all neatly resonate with the traditional moral tones of Swedish social democracy. Murphy also considers the example of Ikea and its power to politicize perceptions of the everyday world. More broadly, his book serves as a model for an anthropological approach to the study of design practice, one that accounts for the various ways in which order is purposefully and meaningfully imposed by designers on the domains of human life, and the consequences those impositions have on the social worlds in which they are embedded.
Although Swedish design has exercised an extraordinary influence on modern architecture and interior furnishings internationally since the early twentieth century, the intellectual background from which it emerged is far less wellknown, for some of the crucial, generative writings on the subject by Swedish thinkers of the time have never been widely translated. Modern Swedish Design Theory collects three of these seminal essays for the first time in English. Accompanying these texts in the book are introductory essays and a postscript by the renowned architectural historian Kenneth Frampton.
Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Scandinavia is famous for its distinctive style: homes are pared-back and simple, and form and function are combined to create aesthetically pleasing and practical interiors. Scandinavians are inspired by light, having an abundance of it in summer but so little of it in winter, and house designs tend to maximize the amount of natural light that enters the home, and allow the inhabitants to make the most of outdoor life during the summer. Similarly, nature and the weather are major influences: homes are made warm and cozy for the freezing winter months—not just literally with log burners, but also through incorporating wood and natural materials. Here Niki Brantmark, owner of the interior design blog My Scandinavian Home, presents a wide-ranging collection of these beautiful homes and explores how the Scandinavian lifestyle is reflected in them all. The first chapter, Urban Living, features styles ranging from minimalist to bohemian, and pale palettes to dramatic dark colors. By contrast, the Country Homes tend to have a softer, calmer feel, through color and textiles, in line with a slower pace of life. Finally, the spectacular Rural Retreats include a mountain cabin, beach house, and rustic summer cottage, and demonstrate how having somewhere to escape to is so important to many Scandinavians. This collection of stunning interiors will put Scandi style within every reader’s reach.
With its emphasis on light-infused interiors and fresh painted surfaces, Swedish interior design is easy to live with, traditional and yet contemporary in its appeal. Katrin Cargill distils the chief characteristics of a look that embraces the cool colo rs and modest proportions of Gustavian interiors and the unpretentious charm of country nostalgia. Five practical chapters – The Essence of Swedish Style, Color and Paint, Furniture, Fabric and Accessories – show how you can adapt and recreate this style in your own home. The photographs, many of little-known Swedish interiors, feature rooms where the look has been successfully recreated and some of the period houses that provide the inspiration.
Lagom: n. just the right amount, balanced, harmonious. This beautiful, fresh cookbook offers genuine insight into how Swedes eat and cook – with recipes that fit around the seasons, occasions, times of day, and appetite. Eating and cooking in tune with 'lagom' means embracing food that is good for body and soul, unfussy, delicious and sustaining, and all in harmony. The Swedes understand that balance is everything – that you crave comforting food when a bitter wind is howling outside, that refreshing, lighter meals suit hot, hazy days, that a mid-morning bun is good for morale, and that a long, sociable lunch with friends and family on a Sunday is the most rewarding way to end the weekend. There is a time and place for every kind of food, and when everything is in equilibrium, you will be content and satisfied. Steffi Knowles-Dellner is a Swedish food stylist and blogger who will introduce you to the unique Swedish concepts that encapsulate lagom, in this her debut book. From the well-known smörgåsbord table of open sandwiches, and Fredags mys ("cosy Fridays") when hunkering down on a cosy sofa and tucking into tacos is a must, all the way to the irresistible idea of lördagsgodis – a single day for eating sweets to satisfy even the sweetest tooth.
Presents the first comprehensive English book about Carl Larsson, Sweden's best-loved artist, and his wife Karin, a textile designer, who revolutionized interior design and established a Swedish-inspired style that continues to attract a worldwide following. Original. 10,000 first printing.
Clean, elegant lines, delicate color schemes, well-proportioned, light-filled spaces, and natural materi-als--the hallmarks of Scandinavian design are unmistak-able. As the trend in residential design continues to move toward pared-down, comfortably elegant, environmentally friendly homes, the Scandinavian aesthetic has become a global influence in interior design. Lars Bolander, one of Sweden's foremost interior designers, has been creating the Scandinavian look in homes all over the world for decades. In this impressively illustrated volume, he and author Heather Smith MacIsaac, a former editor of House & Garden magazine, share their expert knowledge of the very best in Scandinavian design, past and present, offer-ing guidance on how to achieve the Scandinavian look, incorporate the trademark elements into any decor, and mix and match traditional and modern, humble and grand. Praise for Lars Bolander's Scandinavian Design: "A private, exclusive tour of the best of Scandinavian design. . . . This book is a new treasure for my design library, one I will refer to over and over." Bunny Williams "A sophisticated volume . . . an in-depth, intelligent, and informative look at the design sensibilities found in Scandinavian domestic furniture and decoration. . . . Lars Bolander surveys all of this with his keen . . . eye and finely honed historical knowledge, and the results are breathtaking." Martha Stewart "From his captivating shops in New York and Palm Beach, Lars Bolander has won an army of converts to his seductive vision of Scandinavian design, antique and modern, rustic and urbane. In this book, he brings that world of style vividly to life with images of some of the most magical and inspiring environments to be found there, from the light-dappled elegance of Gustavian interiors to the inventive purity of the very best in contemporary architecture." Hamish Bowles "Lars Bolander's handsome and intelligent book tells the story of Scandinavian design and its influence--in the past, in the present, and leading into the twenty-first century. A product of a northern world separated to a great extent from Europe, Scandinavian design looked to the styles of the French court in the eighteenth century, but developed its own style with an adaptive simplicity that has given it a place unto itself in the history of design, as beautifully visualized on the pages of this book." David Easton "Lars has the magic formula for combining the sophisticated Gustavian style with the rustic charm of the Scandinavian countryside. Just perfect " Juan Pablo Molyneux "He creates both classic and new looks, as well as bringing the traditional pieces into the 20th century (which I love) " MadebyGirl "Lars Bolander is the go-to person for Scandinavian decor in America." Veranda "It's total design porn at its finest." Everything LEB "Gorgeous." Annechovie "A visual delight." Swedish Interiors by Eleish van Breems "A lovely read and must-have reference and inspiration guide for any design library." Hampton Hostess "One you'll want to add to your library." From the Right Bank "Wonderful." Rita Konig (interview with A Lovely Being)
*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions* A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming. Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you’d ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects). Digging into her late husband’s tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.
