Today, the winner of the contest “Sweden’s Most Charming Home” (held by real estate agent Fastighetsbyrån) was presented. The most charming home in this country is inhabited by Pia Qvist, who describes it as “Charming and personal, with a consistent style. A home filled with personal things, full of history”.

A lovely, Swedish, country style. Above is my favourite pic. Can’t recall I’ve ever seen a sweeter fire place / wood stove area! The very definition of charming and very well in the spirit of decor guru Pippi Longstocking. Of course it’s too much white for my (and I guess, also Pippi’s) tastes, but a bucket of paint for the dining set and I’ll move in, oh and one for the walls too; it’s indeed very homespun and nice. I like the pic below also, especially the rug and the adorable blue mirror display. The fact that the vintage door and the candlestick seem rather haphazardly thrown in – although they perfectly match the beautiful chandelier – makes it all more interesting. Or maybe it’s the parallel story going on with the cupboard (almost a Christmassy vibe there) that makes it intriguing. Either way, I like it!

More pics, and the other finalists, here.

Source: kurbits.nu

Source: Veranda

Source: etsy.com

Hello rust and bye bye Summer, please see you soon. Btw, have you read this travel review of Stockholm?

This weekend has held the Autumn 2011 Formex Fair. As always with these fairs – and maybe with this one in particular – there is much ado about nothing. Of what makes this event, fresh ideas & insights, trends and innovations are extremely small parts. Actually, you almost only find it in the marketing material! This of course is beneath contempt, since Formex could be The Place for inspiration, clearly ahead, like a fortune-teller-market. Instead, the exhibition is mainly blah when it comes to fresh new thoughts. Luckily enough though, we stayed for a lecture by Lotta Ahlvar, the CEO of Swedish Fashion Council. This very inspiring talk outlined some upcoming trends. Again it was confirmed that the Swedish white minimalist era is over. It belongs to the 00s. The successor can not be understood and defined already, of course, but Ahlvar spoke of somethng like “down-toned and cozy” as the present new concept. An anti-trend of course, after all the whiteness in this country. With the 70′s as style reference, nature as the source and the farmer as guru, a bit of style- and view-shifting is afoot.

Lotta Ahlvar highlighted a clearly growing trend in Sweden – the urban farmer. Or at least, the urban cultivator. The city is transforming into Farmville. Think potato plantations in the window and warp chickens on the balcony (and maybe a dairy cow in the garden?) Long passed are those multi-equipped fancy kitchens people never cooked in, just showed off the occasional sourdough. Now it’s time to plant some uniquely rare beans. In a cozy and 70s nostalgia environment. Crafts belong to the new (new-old) movement too and wool was noted as a trending material; knit, crocheted or tangled. Recycled. And wood! Lots of wood. Even more of the Swedish pinnstolar and Windsors (especially appropriate as one of our main resources and exports is wood). Moving on to the trend colours,  the charts for 2012-2013 contained lovely reds and 70s yellows together with gold and copper (i.a., this is only one / my selection). I really believe in Brandy orange + brass. There was also charcoal and clay. Now this was some of the trend news, let’s await a greater impact! I personally am convinced Lotta Ahlvar is right on track in her trend spotting (and n.b. I’ve fueled some of the content; all excesses are on me, not the lecturer). If not already, in due course (the style-anxious) Swedes will take the new trend line very seriously. Furthermore, this path is a natural consequence of our eco-thinking, conscientious waste sorting & recycling and not least given the ongoing trendification of the countryside.

As mentioned above, the innovativeness and trend sensibility demonstrated in the Ahlvar speech (and in the written Formex material) was not very much reflected in the Formex fair’s main content: the exhibiton. Some nice things were spotted – pictured above, though seen before -  but the overall impression was just as shabby chic as 2005. Loads of factory-worn or whitewashed signs with positive messages and other “newly-made antiques”. Not one single eye-opener, which leads me to conclude that the Swedish (mainstream) market for interior design products is pretty dull. Do It better Yourself – my next mission is to find/invent and share some DIY-ideas.

And speaking of, I like the DIY fair Hem & Villa and the Home fair way better. This year [Oct 13-16] it’s themed – tadá! – Close To Nature. Trend report follows.

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Rag rugs have gone from being a standard element in (at least Swedish) homes, to almost oblivion, to newly awakened wide popularity. Just have a peek though our rag rug tag, there’s quite a lot of fresh decor scenes with this feature. Like well, our hallway! ;) Of course, rag rugs are right on target in today’s passion for reusing and recycling. Personally, I have always loved – and lived with – these handicrafts, which are often a hodgepodge of old t-shirts, bed sheets and other scraps of fabric. And I’m happy I managed to save the ones woven by Grandma from being thrown away. And also, that we got some – beautiful blueish ones – form Mike’s Grandma. Fine as stuff, as we say in Sweden.

A neat manufacturer in this rag rug wave is the Swedish company RugCycle, with the (from the name obvious) concept of recycling rugs.  Their new 2nd collection is actually a homage to rag rugs, designed in collaboration with the TV-profile and Northern Swedener Linda Lindorff. The staring point has been simple, countryish rag rugs, crafted by local women, often with local designs and techniques. These traditional rugs are hand-picked in Northern Sweden and sewn together in various combinations. The fascination of the craftsmanship and female force behind the rag rugs was crucial throughout the design process. So, the most Scandinavian of flooring traditions is here adapted to modern homes and needs by reusing the old and beautiful crafts. Available for purchase this Autumn. Hurray for this!

Update: And I just need mention this other new rag rug – product. From Danish super-brand Nordal‘s summer 2011 collection: rag rug placemats !

We usually only post stuff that really inspire us here at Trendey (or pics from our own projects) but there is an interior design phenomena I just can’t leave uncommented. The white ‘light and fresh’ Swedish (or Stockholmish) interior style is wildly, almost insanely, acclaimed. I know a lot of you love it too. This style is not just a trend in Stockholm, it’s a norm. White, white, white…Increasingly though, the norm has been questioned – thank god – by people who love colours, creativity and a homey atmosphere. When the chips are down, the white hygenic/’industrial’ style is all but a cosy place to curl up and recharge in. It is actually more like a box to keep in robots in, or like “ER with a kitchen”, than a home. I think these pics takes the biscuit. They raise the stakes and somehow says it all. A kitchen fully wrapped in tiles. How clean, light and fresh! ;)

| via Emmas designblogg |

U.S gave us Halloween and last weekend some cute witches and ghosts actually rang our door and said ‘trick or treat’ in English, in Sweden. Today we are celebrating All Saints Day. In contrast to Halloween, this day is about souls and angels. Elements as crisp as the white bedlinen above. We light candles on the graves of our loved ones. I can’t, since the graves I would want to visit are 300 miles up north. But it is a day of remembrance and reflection. And love! Colourful and cozy…

| image from toast collection |