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BLUE MOOD

22nd December 2016

I’ve really missed Copperline over the last few weeks as I had to take a break for work – though the work/blog balance is usually in sync, tight pre-Christmas deadlines left me with literally no head space to write here. So that’s done, and it’s good to be back.

While I’ve lots of blog posts planned to catch up on (brace yourselves in the New Year!), I couldn’t resist easing back into blog mode with a #ScandiHouseLust post. I’ve been watching the Swedish TV drama Modus (pretty much the perfect TV for a winter’s night – you can catch it all on iPlayer) and, taut storyline aside, there are also a couple of great houses to drool over. One is the home of the lead character, criminal psychologist Inger Johanne Vik – think open plan living with a blue-toned colour palette against brick, and with the occasional warm gingery accent. Inspired by that blue palette, I headed to Entrance Makleri – always a good place to find a stylish interior – in search of some mellow hues.

Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri.

And this search led me here, to this beautifully styled apartment in Gothenburg in Sweden (which is now sold). With its palette of soft chalky blues and greys against pale floorboards, and with its period detailing offset by simple and clean-lined fittings, as in the kitchen above, this interior has a simplicity but also a lived-in patina.

Indeed, the kitchen’s a good place to start as this space was redesigned in 2015 using IKEA frames with bespoke cabinets in birch wood, and with Italian Rosso Verona marble worktops adding warmth against the black (look out for a post on worktops coming up in the New Year).

Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri.

Also note the two-tone walls. Very subtle but nicely done – and I really like how the stripe flows right through the panelled door. The main living space again has a similarly understated grey-toned palette with warm accents in the copper pendant and the brass side and coffee tables – talking of which, I’ve been admiring these antiqued brass-effect Seymour side tables from Swoon Editions, and how about the Aravali with brass and green marble… Beautiful, right? And an easy way of adding just a touch of luxe to a space.

Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri.

The bedroom shifts the palette to a more inky blue with a textured finish. Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball is my current crush to achieve this look. A few years ago I’d never have considered a dark blue wall colour, but now…  isn’t it funny how your eye adjusts as you start to see a colour palette cropping up? Blue can feel cold, but it’s about how you complement it with warmer tones and tactile touches in timber finishes and metallics.

Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri. Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri.

And there’s even a splash of Josef Frank wallpaper by Svenskt Tenn in the hallway – this print, Paradiset, dates from the 1940s, and is printed according to the old tradition of distemper printing, which brings the wallpaper patterns to life in a technique that comes as close to Frank’s original patterns and colours as possible. And that Cushion Elefant a few photos up is also from Svenskt Tenn – this elephant print was designed by the company’s founder Estrid Ericson in the 1930s. Looks great in ochre, but I have my eye on this design in Elefant Grey. Again, it’s a nice detail in an apartment filled with inspiring little moments.

Gothenburg apartment, sold by Entrance Makleri.

See more of this apartment on Entrance Makleri. All photos via Entrance Makleri.