+ Put up a picture of a landscape that you love – a seascape from your childhood, fields at harvest time or a forest you enjoy going to at the weekends.
LET THERE BE LIGHT!
Living in a country as famous for its midnight sun as its long, dark winters, it’s little wonder the Swedes are obsessed with light. Whereas warmer countries design homes around shade, Scandinavian architecture and decor focus on maximizing light and drawing it inside.
Windows are left unobscured, and curtains are often sheer so as to slip in as much natural light as possible. White or pale grey walls help light to bounce around the home. And it seems the Swedes are on to something. A slew of studies has shown that access to natural light can help reduce depression,4 aid recovery, increase job satisfaction and enhance performance. So let the sunshine in!
Let there be darkness, too!
With all this natural light streaming in through the windows 24 hours a day in summer, you might wonder how Swedes get any sleep at all. But look closely at any window and you’ll usually see a tightly rolled blackout blind, ready to be unfurled at night (desperate for light they may be, but Swedes would never deprive themselves of all-important sleep!).
Christophe Morr/Unsplash
Lighting-up time
Walk around a Swedish town at night and you’ll notice restaurants, cafés and people’s homes lit with a lovely warm glow, which is as inviting as it is flattering to the eye and soothing to the soul. Swedes’ innate ability to light a home with a soft, golden hue takes time and dedication, but there are a few shortcuts you can take. If you’re looking to dial down the lighting in your home – or are entertaining a Swede anytime soon (get it wrong and they’ll wince and grimace like a bear waking up after winter) – there are simple steps you can take. We’re focusing on ambient or mood lighting, designed to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Candlelight is akin to 1,500 K (kelvin) and overcast daylight is around 7,000 K, so you’re looking at a 2,700 K light bulb to achieve a warm tone similar to the beautiful, flattering golden light you find at sunrise.
The good news is most LED light-bulb packaging is marked with a colour temperature chart, where reddish-yellow light suggests soft, ambient lighting and blue indicates a colder, more intense light used for specific tasks.
Once you’ve got your light bulbs down to a tee, here’s the trick: keep upper walls relatively dark and then use low, soft ambient lighting in strategic places. Or go a step further and hide the ambient lighting so there’s no visible source, yet the lower walls and corners of the room are still lit in soft, warm light, to create an intimate feel with a touch of mystery.
Colour temperatures on the kelvin scale
Practical lighting
Don’t forget that Swedes are highly practical, too. It’s therefore important that a room’s lighting is adequate for all tasks. Think carefully about the way each section of the room will be used and ensure the correct blend of task, overhead and ambient lighting. Exchanging static switches for dimmers5 is a great way to use the same light for more than one purpose. Dial down the intensity for mood lighting, or ramp it up for tasks that require something more intense, like reading.
Candlelight
Who doesn’t love the romantic glow of a flickering candle? This soft, warm light is neither too dark nor eye-glaringly bright and perfectly highlights the contours of a face. It’s little wonder that candlelight is used in restaurants or on special occasions all over the world.
In Sweden candles are a big part of daily life. A single flickering candle may be on the breakfast table to brighten dark mornings. Or candles may supplement electric lighting on chilly evenings when the snow falls silently outside.
When the light starts to fade, why not add a few strategically placed candles to your own home to soothe the soul? Dot them around your living area, enjoy a candle-lit dinner on a regular Tuesday or simply brighten up an otherwise dark corner and feel the stresses of the day fall away.
Jovi Waqa/Unsplash
The lagom way with candlelight
Morning coffee by candlelight Some days the sun simply doesn’t want to come out (especially in the winter). At my daughter’s nursery, they often eat breakfast by candlelight – creating a calm and cosy atmosphere to start the day. Why not add a natural glow to your mornings, too? Who wouldn’t enjoy coffee by candlelight?
The art of arranging candles According to etiquette, you should use at least two candelabras or four single candles on a table. But rules are there to be broken, right? I think it’s beautiful to dot small tea lights in random formations along the entire length of a table. On warm evenings, hang jam jars with tea lights from branches to give a lovely rustic touch to dining al fresco.
Candles in unexpected places Candles don’t need to be confined to the sitting and dining rooms. Think about putting them in unusual places like by the sink in the downstairs bathroom – guests will be pleasantly surprised to powder their nose under the soft glow of a candle.
A warm welcome The next time you have a dinner party or celebration, place simple large, outdoor candles on either side of your front door for an extra warm welcome.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Whenever friends or family come to visit, they marvel at how spotless Swedish homes are. There’s rarely a speck of dust, never mind a cobweb or trail of mud, in sight (my messier Swedish friends may guffaw at this, but I stand by my observation).
The art of being a domestic god or goddess in the cleaning department would require an entire chapter to itself (and given my more, shall we say, ‘relaxed’ approach, I wouldn’t be the best person to write it!). But there are two particularly ‘clean’ Scandinavian practices that have inspired me:
Look, no shoes!
If there’s one big no-no in Sweden, it’s entering a house with shoes on. Whether you’re nipping in for a cup of coffee or a formal evening reception, there are no exceptions. Arrive at a house party and you’ll see neat rows of shoes lined up at the door and people mingling in their socks.
If you think about it, it makes sense. An independent study by UK firm Rug Doctor6 took swabs from a cross-section of shoe soles and found a large number of disease-inducing bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, as well as traces of gut and faeces bacteria from humans and animals. Not to mention mud, grime and everyday germs.
Removing shoes is also a good way to preserve your flooring and carpets, and if you live above someone, they’ll be extremely thankful not to hear the clip-clopping of heels overhead, too!
How to banish outdoor shoes indoors
But how do you ensure that everyone leaves their shoes at the door? There are some fun ways to solve the situation.
Why not create a designated place for people to place their shoes as they come in, and put a basket of cosy slippers and thick woolly socks