My Houzz: A Beautiful and Calm Home in the Swedish Countryside
Nine years after spotting a rural farmhouse online, this Swedish family have finally created the house of their dreams
In the small village of Svanvik on the west coast of Sweden, one family’s dream country home is almost finished. The house, once a bit rundown, has been carefully restored by former cavalry officer-turned-interior and garden designer Anna Stenberg – who had served in the Swedish Defence Forces for 20 years – and her husband Patric. After two decades of service, the idea of taking a new direction in life began to appeal to Anna and she started to consider transforming her strong interest in interiors and garden architecture into something more than a hobby.
‘I have always helped friends plan bathroom renovations and new kitchens, and redecorated at home all the time, ever since I was young,’ Anna says. ‘It was only when I dared to really think about the idea of changing profession and working with this on a daily basis that it became real. It was very difficult. I didn’t know whether I could handle such a big leap or change work-wise, although I knew that I wanted to.’ And so her journey began.
‘I have always helped friends plan bathroom renovations and new kitchens, and redecorated at home all the time, ever since I was young,’ Anna says. ‘It was only when I dared to really think about the idea of changing profession and working with this on a daily basis that it became real. It was very difficult. I didn’t know whether I could handle such a big leap or change work-wise, although I knew that I wanted to.’ And so her journey began.
Anna drew, planned, painted and managed the budget while Patric, who knows a few things about carpentry, got to work building several things that they needed for their new home. Now, eight years later, the family has expanded – with the arrival of the couple’s two daughters, Emma and Julia – and the house has expanded with them.
‘When we moved in, basically everything in the house was left behind by the previous owners,’ Anna says. ‘We cleaned for weeks, and made several trips to the dump, but also found a lot of treasures. There were many beautiful old pieces of furniture, which I still haven’t found the perfect place for.’
In the dining room, there is a wall display of mirrors and frames that Anna found in some of the house’s various nooks and crannies. The floor lamp is a second-hand bargain, the crystal chandelier is vintage, the light bulb comes from PR Home, while the framed picture of the bird is by Emma von Brömssen.
‘When we moved in, basically everything in the house was left behind by the previous owners,’ Anna says. ‘We cleaned for weeks, and made several trips to the dump, but also found a lot of treasures. There were many beautiful old pieces of furniture, which I still haven’t found the perfect place for.’
In the dining room, there is a wall display of mirrors and frames that Anna found in some of the house’s various nooks and crannies. The floor lamp is a second-hand bargain, the crystal chandelier is vintage, the light bulb comes from PR Home, while the framed picture of the bird is by Emma von Brömssen.
‘I don’t remember where, but in some forgotten corner we found two old marble slabs, which I’ve been waiting to use. In the end, they found their place as bedside tables on the built-in wardrobe doors,’ says Anna.
The ornate timber headboard is Patric’s own from a previous home, and the paisley bedding came from Ellos.
Basket, Afroart.
See 14 ways to put vintage pieces to practical use
The ornate timber headboard is Patric’s own from a previous home, and the paisley bedding came from Ellos.
Basket, Afroart.
See 14 ways to put vintage pieces to practical use
The wood-panelled walls surrounding the entrance to the kitchen are painted a soft grey, which complements the shades of cream elsewhere. ‘We have tried to create a consistent feel throughout the house,’ Anna says.
‘The guiding principles have been natural materials, rustic and sustainable. But I do not feel locked to a particular style; I mix them up as I go along,’ she adds. ‘I’m just too interested in interior design and gardening to limit myself.’
The light fixture in the kitchen is an old lamp from Fagerhult, while the table was bought at a second-hand market. The kitchen floor is laid with stone.
‘The guiding principles have been natural materials, rustic and sustainable. But I do not feel locked to a particular style; I mix them up as I go along,’ she adds. ‘I’m just too interested in interior design and gardening to limit myself.’
The light fixture in the kitchen is an old lamp from Fagerhult, while the table was bought at a second-hand market. The kitchen floor is laid with stone.
On the first floor of the house, the study window overlooks the neighbouring meadow. ‘It’s peaceful to take your eyes off the laptop, when you’ve been sitting with sketches and counting in millimetres, and look out over the meadows,’ Anna says.
The trunk sitting beside the timber desk belonged to Patric’s mother’s uncle. ‘Uncle Henning was a real adventurer,’ he says. ‘He travelled around Russia and panned for gold in the US. So that trunk is said to have seen quite a bit.’
Wallpaper, Borastapeter. Tartan fabric, Modesto.se.
The trunk sitting beside the timber desk belonged to Patric’s mother’s uncle. ‘Uncle Henning was a real adventurer,’ he says. ‘He travelled around Russia and panned for gold in the US. So that trunk is said to have seen quite a bit.’
Wallpaper, Borastapeter. Tartan fabric, Modesto.se.
Next to the house is a barn where horses were kept until the 1970s, and old doors from here have been used to create this niche in the dining room. ‘I think it’s okay that it takes time to create a home, especially one that will last over time,’ Anna says. ‘Having too much furniture is not for me, so I tend to think a while before I decide how I want it.’
Chairs, Tre Sekel.
Chairs, Tre Sekel.
The kitchen has rectangular Metro-style tiles in crisp white, as well as an old wood stove that still works. ‘I think it’s important to be able to live without electricity and running water,’ Anna says. ‘During two recent disastrous storms in Sweden, I was working in the worst-affected areas and saw how bad things can be if you are not prepared. We have our own well for water, as well as a wood stove. It feels secure to have that out here in the countryside.’
Many of the items in the house Anna and Patric designed and built themselves. Out in the barn, Patric has a workshop space for carpentry and building, while Anna is planning and making sketches. ‘It always starts with asking myself, “What is the purpose, what do we want?” Then I make a moodboard in my head and just start drawing and building.’
‘The projects have come one after another,’ she says of their various renovations. ‘Last year we began to transform the barn into a garage, and it will be finished in the next couple of days. So now it feels like things are finally coming to an end. Next summer will be the first holiday without any work to do on the house, and I almost feels a bit jittery about it. But I’m sure we’ll find something new to do.’
‘The projects have come one after another,’ she says of their various renovations. ‘Last year we began to transform the barn into a garage, and it will be finished in the next couple of days. So now it feels like things are finally coming to an end. Next summer will be the first holiday without any work to do on the house, and I almost feels a bit jittery about it. But I’m sure we’ll find something new to do.’
The house has been renovated progressively and projects have succeeded each other for almost eight years. ‘I think the key is to focus on one thing at a time and make it clear what you want – and then getting through that inevitable slump in the middle of the project,’ Anna says. ‘After the dip, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and get it all together in the end. Myself and Patric are very similar in that we’re both disciplined.’
‘I made these shelves,’ Anna says, ‘by attaching pieces of wood with a leather strap that I ordered from a company in Lapland in northern Sweden.’
Anna inherited the oriental rug in the living room from her grandmother, and the table was left in the house when Anna and Patric moved in. The sofas were refreshed with new covers from Swedish company Bemz.
Ektorp sofas, Ikea. Cushions, PR Home and H&M Home.
Ektorp sofas, Ikea. Cushions, PR Home and H&M Home.
The rug in the living room was a gift, and the armchair is a sustainable, ecofriendly piece designed for Ire Mobel, a Swedish furniture company. The old table in the background was inherited from Anna’s grandfather.
‘I rode in my childhood,’ Anna explains, ‘and now we have an old horse stable on the property. My grandfather had horses, and in his stables stood this table that had been passed down from his grandmother.’ And so the history of the piece continues.
Hanna armchair, Emma Olbers.
Check out 11 ways to incorporate inherited pieces into your décor
‘I rode in my childhood,’ Anna explains, ‘and now we have an old horse stable on the property. My grandfather had horses, and in his stables stood this table that had been passed down from his grandmother.’ And so the history of the piece continues.
Hanna armchair, Emma Olbers.
Check out 11 ways to incorporate inherited pieces into your décor
The couple’s daughters, Julia and Emma, sit in front of the combined playhouse and gardening shed. When Anna decided to leave the military, she completely changed career and trained as a garden designer.
‘When I work with gardens, I always document and draw detailed plans. I’m probably quite influenced by my previous job and like to have everything in order and planned,’ Anna admits. ‘In the interior, however, I keep the target image in my head and then, to style it, I just go with the flow and with my feelings.’
‘When I work with gardens, I always document and draw detailed plans. I’m probably quite influenced by my previous job and like to have everything in order and planned,’ Anna admits. ‘In the interior, however, I keep the target image in my head and then, to style it, I just go with the flow and with my feelings.’
‘I was given this chair by my grandfather,’ says Anna. ‘He was a minister for many years, and was at one point in the 1970s given a lot of chairs as gifts by the President of Mexico!’
Marmoleum Click flooring, Forbo.
Marmoleum Click flooring, Forbo.
‘In retrospect it was absolutely the right decision for me to try out my new career,’ Anna says happily. ‘I have now come to the conclusion that our homes are among the most important things we have in life.’
‘It means so much to be in an environment that makes us feel good, and where we have a chance to express ourselves. And I have been able to do so, through the change in my profession, but also thanks to that house-buying impulse in the ditch in southern Sweden nine years ago. Now I will finally settle down and try to enjoy it – before my fingers start itching and a new project begins.’
House Doctor brass pots, Modesto.se.
TELL US…
What do you think of this home in Sweden? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
‘It means so much to be in an environment that makes us feel good, and where we have a chance to express ourselves. And I have been able to do so, through the change in my profession, but also thanks to that house-buying impulse in the ditch in southern Sweden nine years ago. Now I will finally settle down and try to enjoy it – before my fingers start itching and a new project begins.’
House Doctor brass pots, Modesto.se.
TELL US…
What do you think of this home in Sweden? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Anna and Patric Stenberg, and their daughters Emma, 6, and Julia, 5
Location Svanvik, north of Karlsborg by Lake Vättern in Sweden
Size 180 sq m
The way Anna and Patric found their perfect home was somewhat unusual. ‘I was a captain in the cavalry and was away for training in the southern parts of Sweden for a few weeks,’ Anna explains. ‘One day, as I lay there in a ditch in the middle of our fictitious battle, I got a crazy impulse and just had to flick through properties for sale on my phone. And there it was, the dream house for sale.’
Their home is a farm with attached stables, neighbours on one side and wide open meadows on the other. ‘The house had been built in 1939 and renovated twice, in the 1970s and the 1990s,’ Anna says. Once they had bought the property, the huge renovation project began. ‘The first two years we sorted out the water and sanitation and dealt with the geothermal heating, as well as the kitchen and bathroom.’
This updated kitchen comes from Ikea, but has been modified by Anna and Patric. ‘We bought all the wood from a small local sawmill and replaced mouldings, sockets, sides and handles.’ The worktop looks like marble, but it’s actually granite. ‘We managed to get our dream kitchen without a huge budget. I’m very pleased. The kitchen still feels modern, even though we built it nearly 10 years ago,’ says Anna.