If you follow me on instagram, you know that I just went on a two week trip to Sweden to visit our host daughter and meet her family for the first time. It was an amazing trip that reinforced my opinion that you can’t really experience a culture unless you know someone there. We had the incredible privilege of staying in our Swedish family’s homes and eating food lovingly prepared by them. They hosted a Midsommar celebration (a week or two after the real one) and a crayfish party (at least a month before they are actually in season) just for us. One day, in a few years, I want to return the favor and host the entire Nylen family here in Texas (And I mean that, Swedes!).
Now on to the beautiful interiors of Sweden!
We’ll start with Klara’s (our host daughter) own home. A floating house on one of the many freshwater lakes that make up the archipelago of Stockholm and eventually connect to the Baltic Sea.
Helena and Robert (Klara’s parents) just moved into this house a couple of years ago. They left an older, larger house with a big yard in favor of a simpler, maintenance free lifestyle. This home was almost the same square footage as my own, yet it packed in so much more function.
It was fun to talk with them about how they designed their kitchen. Remember, this house is floating. They don’t keep plates and glassware, and other heavy items in the wall cabinets as they would all fall out in heavy winds when the house would rock the most. Also, they laughed when telling me that their contractor encountered a bit of a problem when realizing that he couldn’t use a level to install the cabinets as the house is always moving.
Next up, the family’s 200 year old lake house.
This family lake house is more than just the house itself. You probably have a place in your life that is similar, and it’s probably your grandma’s house in some rural town somewhere. This is where the family gathers and every inch of the grounds is filled with memories.
Sweden was beautiful and I’m so grateful to have been able to experience it in such an intimate way.
Thank you, Nylen family, for opening up your homes to us and giving us an adventure that exceeded expectations in every possible way!
I have some after photo posts coming up soon, but before then, I’ll do one more Sweden post that will be all photos and videos, no words, and have nothing to do with interior design.
