trendey

Jacob and Line Blom has staged their townhouse in Copenhagen as a long series of collisions between different eras, styles and cultures. In a cultural landmark townhouse from 1878, they went as far as they could without toppling over. Posh yet decadent, rough yet strict.

IMHO? Amazing. A creative and interesting decor that stays balanced and harmonious. A splendid mix with lovely details. Elaborate yet relaxed: A fresh white-based eclectic style.

Story and (more) pics via the magazine Sköna hem.

Hot hot hot…..as of January 2010.

Pics from LivingEtc

….is right now this one, accoring to votes @ Booli Inspiration. The company Booli aggregates real estate listings, and today they lauched a new website with “Sweden’s most beautiful homes”. The promoting goes “Maybe it’s time to furnish or renovate a little bit at home? Take the chance, let yourself be inspired. And by the way, best of all, if you really fancy a room … the home is for sale.”

I’m not sure whether estate agents will be perfectly happy with this (they already have a horn in hand to Booli), and for that matter: people have actually had their homes photograped in order to sell the place, not to participate in a “nicest home”- competition on the internet. But the idea isn’t too bad…! It’s Swedish! Ugh sooo Swedish! We vote and think, assess and evaluate…And lift our Scandinavian ideal to the skies. (Thank God there is no way to dislike a home, I don’t want people to see their rooms displayed with red minus-56 figures)

Get in there if you need insipration on Scandinavian interior style!

Now, returning to the eclectic decor style. What determines whether the decorator has mastered this style?

Maybe we can apply law here! In copyright law, the term ‘threshold of originality‘ (Sw. verkshöjd) determines when a creator of a work has certain exclusive rights. Threshold of originality means that something reaches a level of artistry – it is a measure of originality, individuality and independence. The threshold of originality does not include the ideas, the subject or contents of a work, but its unique shape, expression and interpretation. Originality has to do with a reflection of the author’s/creator’s personality. You see where I’m going with this..? :)

The main characteristics of the eclectic decor style is that it radiates authenticity and originality. It is telling of its creator. Furthermore, the eclectic style has been associated some benchmarks: a mix of several styles; design elements should coordinate or have a unifying component; main decor principles should be followed; harmony created. I’m a qualified lawyer but I am no judge. So I’m turning to you: what do you say about the level of artistry in these decors, 1-5? (more…)

In a column in the latest issue of Swedish Recidence Kjell Häglund says Swedes have become trend-bulimics. We are compulsory eaters of home decor trends. Chew and spit, spit and chew. In a furious speed. Before the “right” lamp or furniture piece is for sale, we have bought it.

Worse still, we put ourselves on high horses with our “knowledge”. You can see it in the evening newspapers. They have started to let people send in pictures of their homes and comment on others’ home pictures. Result? Many disparaging remarks. Mean notes and remarks on almost everything from fellow readers who know exactly how the decor should be. Swedes are anxious, believe me, and our resistance to supreme trends is weak.

In view of this, let’s strike a blow for a narrow – almost no trend at all- trend: again; the Swedish folk style. Something old, reliable and genuine. No fuzz. One can not write about Swedish folk decor without mentioning Carl Larsson (1853-1919).

photo: Carl Larsson Garden

The home – the interior ideal – created by artist couple Carl and Karin Larsson in Sundborn more than 100 years ago, has been given standing as the archetype of Swedishness. Sweden’s first interior design book A home by Carl Larsson, with 24 paintings from Little Hyttnäs in Sundborn, came out in 1889. In this book Carl Larsson describes how a nice home can be created with simple means. He writes:

Therefore, o, Swede, save yourself in time, again become simple and dignified, be rather clumsy than elegant, dress up in leather, fur and wool, make yourself furniture that fit your heavy body, and way in strong colours in everything, yes, the so-called gaudy, which are necessary as contrasts to the deep green pine forests and the cold white snow, and let your hand freely cut or paint the meandering he is willing and able to on your furniture. Then you will become happy in the feeling of being yourself, it will go well, and you shall live long upon the earth. Amen.

The painting “Skamvrån” (‘The Shame Corner’) by Carl Larsson

The Swedish folk style is well-looked-after and continuously brought up to date by Gudrun Sjödén. Above and below are images from her latest home collection. IMHO, the collections get better each year, none of her past has been this nice. The choice of interiors for the photos – an old cottage far north in the country (Burträsk above), an industrial building in a Stockholm suburb (below) and a wooden house in the archipelago (ResarÃ) are all perfect, pure atmosphere-enhancers.

Textiles are crucial in this decor: curtains, rugs, hangings, table cloths and runners, chair cushions, throws, pillows…and characteristic wallpapers>s. The style is easy to apply – even in small doses – to get an ethnic/folklore touch.

Some say the traditional Swedish folklore style is dead. I say NO NO NO….It may not be the hottest trend in the broad masses of people, but it surely is in good health. A great example is this 50×70cm print below by the talented young illustrator Henning Trollbäck. He “lost himself in the old myths of the dalahorse”:

There are plenty of contemporary folklore fabrics. Among my fav’s is this metered fabric by Eva Jobs for Jobs Handtryck:

As shown in Sköna hem. I love the powdry wall colour and the atmosphere…

…the lovely cupboards

…and the effortless details.

I could live here! :)

Your thougts?

|photos: Johan Kalén for Sköna hem|

Now, what characterizes the eclectic interior style, the style of decorating that becomes stronger as the inclination to follow trends – or one single trend -  tend to reduce? Here’s some scattered notes.

It is often explained that an eclectic decorating style mixes elements from at least two other decorating styles. Percentages to the style mix have been suggested, though (to me) it seems impossible to be guided by such a precise breakdown. Essence of the style is that it is perfectly permissible, and even mandated, to mix different styles. Mix traditional with casual, Eastern inflences with country style or contemporary with any ethnic culture AS LONG AS there is a unifying component to the decor.

Speaking of different styles, I might be late, but just found this interesting personal style test at Sproost. My personal style result was 40 % Vintage Modern, 30 % Rustic Revival and 30 % French Eclectic. What’s yours?

Those who know say eclectic style is mainly about creating harmony. The contrasting style elements are combined so that they in fact create harmony. It’s through vague or indistinct commonalities elements are bond together. This is a key question to the style, I’d say. There is for sure a thin line between eclectic decor and chaos. Basic design concepts such as form, scale, pattern and colour must be taken into account.

Another element in the eclectic style is to add whimsical and unique items. Fun and varied accessories are placed out: artwork, knick knacks and pillows. Trolls are the ultimate knick-nack! I did this one! The model is a Swedish rock/folk singer I like :) A fascinating knick knack-collection can be found in the eclectic home I wrote about here.

There seems to be widespread agreement that an eclectic style or decor is more telling of its creator than all other kinds of decor. It radiates authenticity and originality. There aren’t many rules, it can’t be! Do whatever you like keeping the main decor principles (about form, scale, composition, proportion, etc.) in mind is the way of the style. Champion it, and the decor will radiate a soulful bohemianism.

|pics: HouseToHome|

|photos: HouseToHome|

The pictures above – having popped up and circulated on various interior design blogs this fall – is somewhat iconic of the Parisian Chic Interior Style. Pictures one can look at and ponder for a quite a while, it’s something with the atmosphere.. It’s a contemporary yet traditional style. Below is a more loose Parisian style, more arty Parisian, a bit less “chic”.

|Photos: CôtéMaison.fr|

And whilst speaking of Parisian chic, it is interesting to note that the Danish fashion empire Day Birger et Mikkelsen points out Parisian Rock Chic Style as a must-have look this Christmas season:

We think that what is called eclectic style is soooo interesting we’ve given it its own category. We want to dig deeper into this: It is really the style of the times. Winds are blowing towards your own personal creativity. It is without doubt trendy/-ey, but is it anti-trend or trend-free? Not really or not yet, I’d say. Because….if you fill your home with all sorts of things you collected from all the corners of the world, paint it freely and boldly in the colours you like best, mix furniture from the local dealer, relatives’ treasures and mass productions – and season it with your best DIY-projects you can’t be sure the Interior Designer will classify your home as eclectic style. There are rules to it. No 1: Design elements should coordinate. Note below the selection of rugs to the furniture, and in the last pic how the red frame mirrors the shade of the painted figure’s turban. | pics: HouseToHome |

..this vibrant home with a personal mix of 50’s, vintage, comics, fantasy, toys, 16th century details, wayward puppets, glamorous movie stars, bright colours, beautiful dresses, fairy tale creatures (etc.!) is inhabited by a young illustrator, artist and student. |pics: Frida Ekman, SvD.se|

The prevailing style of decor in the capital of Sweden has been a topic in this blog several times. My apology and explanation is that I – during my four months long search and hunt for an apartment to buy – glanced through countless real estate ads and visited numerous styled Stockholm homes. It has been summed up in Scandinavian style and the “colour” Stockholm-White (its definition and colour code is disputed, some holds it’s S 0502-Y). Now, I stumbled across the (very fine) blog Splendid Willow, written by Monika, who is a native Swede living in the US. She has recently listed the design elements you can be sure to find in a Stockholm apartment:

* White. Swedes embrace gallons and gallons of white paint.
* Hardwood floors with individual rugs (we stopped using wall to wall carpeting decades ago).
* State of the art kitchens.
* State of the art bathrooms.
* Books! Books are prominent, we surround ourselves with books and display them with pride.
* A great mix of old and new. A true Swede will rather have no furniture at all than to get rid of historical elements such as old wood burning stoves and the old beams.

I endorse all the points and add to the list:

* Naked windows. A fear of curtains lives inside the city homes.
* Stylish lighting. Lighting is a crucial point. Right now, two trends stand out: large round lights hanging from the ceiling (the IKEA Maskros lamp probably sell like crazy) and chandeliers, preferably crystal.
* Well-arranged wardrobes. Again, you’ll never escape IKEA, that company has distorted our brains showing their shelving systems with thousands of practical options. (The dream of a walk-in closet is intrinsic but not always pronounced.)

Proof. (Exhibit A to F)

|photos from Skeppsholmen|