Having spent twenty years living in a huge, draughty and quite dark Tudor pile, Bill and Ingrid knew that their next home would be full of light, warm and cosy! This ended up being in Gothenburg, Sweden where all the houses are super-insulated, super-warm and flooded with that delightful pale Nordic light.

The sitting room is filled with large comfy sofas covered in blue and white ticking

The sitting room is filled with large comfy sofas covered in blue and white ticking

Coming in through the front door the Swedish influence is immediately apparent. From the lobby, through the dining room and on into the sitting room, the walls in this more formal part of the house are all painted in Dulux Gustavian Grey. Translucent white linen drapes in the sitting room add to the ethereal look and provide the perfect backdrop for treasured works of art

Coming in through the front door the Swedish influence is immediately apparent. From the lobby, through the dining room and on into the sitting room, the walls in this more formal part of the house are all painted in Dulux Gustavian Grey. Translucent white linen drapes in the sitting room add to the ethereal look and provide the perfect backdrop for treasured works of art

The other end of the house has a more relaxed feel and is evidently where the parties happen! The whole downstairs part of this wing has huge plate-glass windows that open out onto a south-facing deck with far-reaching views across the Romney marshes

The other end of the house has a more relaxed feel and is evidently where the parties happen! The whole downstairs part of this wing has huge plate-glass windows that open out onto a south-facing deck with far-reaching views across the Romney marshes

In a child’s bedroom pinks and turquoise have been cleverly used to create a really light and pretty room

In a child’s bedroom pinks and turquoise have been cleverly used to create a really light and pretty room

A large table in the open-plan sitting and dining area was commissioned from a joiner at The Old Forge in Appledore, and is home to a few quirky collectables – such as a bacon slicer and a tin man advertising a downtown shoe shop somewhere in the American Midwest

A large table in the open-plan sitting and dining area was commissioned from a joiner at The Old Forge in Appledore, and is home to a few quirky collectables – such as a bacon slicer and a tin man advertising a downtown shoe shop somewhere in the American Midwest

The other end of the sitting room opens out to a relaxed snug dominated by huge velvet sofas and heated by a very impressive “contraption”! Further investigation revealed it to be a “Kakelugn” wood-burning stove, common in Eastern and Northern Europe but almost unheard of over here

The other end of the sitting room opens out to a relaxed snug dominated by huge velvet sofas and heated by a very impressive “contraption”! Further investigation revealed it to be a “Kakelugn” wood-burning stove, common in Eastern and Northern Europe but almost unheard of over here

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether
  • styling: Lucy Fleming

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