This month's features...

There’s a lot more to Scandinavian style than light wood and flat pack cabinets...the simple designs of beautifully organic forms combined with everyday functionality are familiar, as are the traditional interiors that let in as much light as possible to suit the Nordic climate. Contemporary Scandinavian design still has this minimalism but also embraces interesting architecture, handmade textiles, ceramic and glass, vintage and retro flea market finds mixed with iconic furniture pieces. There’s even the odd Ikea bookcase in the mix... Pin It Now!

Scandinavian design

Say Scandinavian design to most people and they will say chairs and fabric and one of the most famous was the Egg Chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen - a project for which Jacobsen designed everything from the building itself right down to the furniture and bathroom taps. Please see below where we have given you a good selection of chairs and fabrics from famous designers including Marimekko, Sanden and Stig Lindberg.

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Urban Renewal

Two designers specialising in revival and renovation give their Scandinavian-style London home a bright, airy overhaul. Jonathan Parkin and Jenny Lloyd are best described as transformers. They have the ability to take something unwanted or past its prime and change it into something desirable. Take their North London home: when they bought it nine years ago, it had been on the market for a while and was regarded as a “tricky” property. The single-storey building was “a bit like a hut, really”, says Jonathan. “The walls were mainly wood with small windows. It had been designed as a Scandinavian-style building, but lacked any feeling of light and space. We also had difficulty getting insurance because of its timber frame and flat roof.” Undeterred, the couple and their children moved in and, over the next five years, they virtually rebuilt the place. Most of the exterior walls were replaced with large glass panels and skylights were added. Removing walls to open up the living space reconfigured the internal layout... view interior feature Pin It Now!

Opposites Attract

Swedish-born designer Vanessa Fristedt’s East London home successfully combines a Scandinavian passion for clean lines with a collector’s eye for quirky British memorabilia and design. In the converted basement and first-floor flat of her period terraced house, Fristedt has skilfully drawn together the twin threads of her life. The large, bright inner hall, with its open staircase and wall of glass which looks out on to the sauna at the end of the garden, answers her Nordic desire for light and air, while the quirky décor and playful artworks speak of her immersion in the East London art scene... view interior feature Pin It Now!