My Houzz: Lush Houseplants and Vintage Finds in a Stylish Flat
Found objects, forest greens and vintage furniture define this elegant urban home
Interior designer Zandra Lidén sees beauty in things others might cast aside, giving refurbished skip rescues pride of place alongside flea market finds and original furniture. Her well-honed, elegant urban style is represented in both Esteriör, the interior design and furnishings company she co-founded, and her apartment in the hip Södermalm neighbourhood of Stockholm, Sweden.
“Exactly where I live is a bit of a blind spot in Söder. It’s a lush oasis – you wouldn’t stumble across it on the way to somewhere else,” Lidén explains. The houses in the area are from the early 1900s through to the 1930s,”
She made the lamp in the window herself out of an Ikea lamp, a piece of marble and some scrap brass, all of which balance on one another.
She made the lamp in the window herself out of an Ikea lamp, a piece of marble and some scrap brass, all of which balance on one another.
The apartment’s rooms are large and pentagonal, which can make it very difficult to furnish. “I’ve found furniture for the space and have redecorated a lot over time,” Lidén says. “Actually, nothing in the whole apartment is the ultimate perfect fit.”
She designed much of the furniture herself, including the coffee table in the living room.
She designed much of the furniture herself, including the coffee table in the living room.
Many budget finds also stand out. “I found the trolley that’s next to the sofa out on the street,” Lidén says. “Otherwise, there are things throughout my home that I found at the flea market or bought while travelling, and I painted many of the paintings myself, too. It really is a mixed bag, and I didn’t buy much new.”
Follow this expert advice on how not to kill your houseplants
Follow this expert advice on how not to kill your houseplants
The living area and bedroom are in one space. The walls on the bedroom side have been painted grey to delineate the zones.
“I painted the apartment the same way as our first pop-up store. The walls had been white, and I repainted the place when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
Bedspread, Åhléns.
“I painted the apartment the same way as our first pop-up store. The walls had been white, and I repainted the place when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
Bedspread, Åhléns.
The bedside table, headboard and mirrored screen are Lidén’s own designs, put together by her brother, who’s a carpenter. The furniture is also for sale in Esteriör’s online shop.
A rustic plant pot adds texture in the bedroom, juxtaposed with a modern, minimal lamp.
The kitchen, which she has painted dark green, can fit a crowd. “When I have friends over, we start with dinner in the kitchen, then move on,” Lidén says.
The kitchen table was originally temporary, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden one, and Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one. It was actually an emergency solution, but I quite like it now.”
Check out 2017’s most popular Kitchen Tours
The kitchen table was originally temporary, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden one, and Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one. It was actually an emergency solution, but I quite like it now.”
Check out 2017’s most popular Kitchen Tours
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen is full of flea market finds. “I bought the kitchen chairs ages ago from a flea market near our country house in Härnösand [about 260 miles north of Stockholm],” Lidén says. “I’ve found a lot of stuff there. I think I bought five or six of these chairs for 200 kronor [about £18]!”
The kitchen sofa is also from Härnösand. “I got it from some family friends; it had been lying in a barn,” she says. “The sofa is as old as the hills – I’ve painted it with black linseed oil and sewn a new cushion for it.”
Lidén always keeps an eye out for new pieces. “I found a floor lamp in the rubbish disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I’ve found a lot of things in there, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are skips on the street. I love that there are things one person doesn’t get any joy out of, but I know someone else will go crazy for.”
Lidén always keeps an eye out for new pieces. “I found a floor lamp in the rubbish disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I’ve found a lot of things in there, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are skips on the street. I love that there are things one person doesn’t get any joy out of, but I know someone else will go crazy for.”
Recently, Esteriör was commissioned to design some sets for fashion week in Stockholm, and Lidén and Ekberg are also decorating two private homes. Their next project is even bigger and has to do with a hotel, though at the moment it’s still a closely guarded secret.
What do you think of this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
What do you think of this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here Zandra Lidén, interior decorator and designer at Esteriör
Location Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Size A studio apartment (about 47 sq m)
Photos by Nadja Endler
Södermalm is superbly located between the Skanstull transit hub and the trendy neighbourhood of Nytorget.
Lidén has been living in this apartment, located in a building that dates from around 1910, for four years. “I’m from Söder[malm], but have moved around Stockholm quite a bit,” she says.