Swedish Houzz: Elegant Design Emerges From Dumpster Finds
Found objects and original furniture define this elegant urban interior in Stockholm
Decorator Zandra Lidén sees beauty in things others might cast aside, giving refurbished dumpster 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. This year she opened her home to visitors as part of Open House Stockholm, a free festival that gives the public the opportunity to take a look inside the city’s most exciting buildings and interiors. We sat down with Lidén for a chat about her work and home.
“Exactly where I live is a bit of a blind spot in Söder. It’s a lush oasis – you won’t stumble across it on the way to somewhere else. The houses in the area are from the early 1900s through to the 1930s,” Lidén says.
Lidén 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.
Lidén 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 house she lives in was built around 1910. Here she has lived next door to Stockholm celebrities from various eras, including a famous Swedish actor, Sven Wollter, and rapper Lorentz.
The apartment’s rooms are large and pentagonal, which can make it very difficult to furnish. “I have 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 has designed much of the furniture, like the beautiful coffee table in the living room, herself.
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The apartment’s rooms are large and pentagonal, which can make it very difficult to furnish. “I have 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 has designed much of the furniture, like the beautiful coffee table in the living room, herself.
Here’s how you can decorate a large living room
Many dumpster 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 traveling, and I painted many of the paintings myself too. It really is a mixed bag, and I didn’t buy much new.”
The living area and bedroom are in one space. The walls on the bedroom side have been painted grey to delineate a separate zone.
As a general rule, colour plays a major role in Lidén’s home. “I painted it the same way as our first pop-up store. The apartment had been white, and I re-painted it when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
Bedspread: Åhléns
As a general rule, colour plays a major role in Lidén’s home. “I painted it the same way as our first pop-up store. The apartment had been white, and I re-painted it when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
Bedspread: Åhléns
The bedside table, the headboard and the mirrored screen are Lidén’s own design, put together by her brother, a carpenter. The furniture is also for sale in Esteriör’s online shop.
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Lidén was more excited than nervous to open up her home for Open House Stockholm.
“I was thinking more, ‘will anyone find it?’ I always like to meet people, and if you do come here, you must be interested in architecture and interior design, so we have something in common. I know I love going into people’s homes – I’m the one who is always looking into windows as I walk down the street – it’s such a fun thing to do,” Lidén says.
“I was thinking more, ‘will anyone find it?’ I always like to meet people, and if you do come here, you must be interested in architecture and interior design, so we have something in common. I know I love going into people’s homes – I’m the one who is always looking into windows as I walk down the street – it’s such a fun thing to do,” Lidén says.
She says this is the perfect city for this kind of event. “Stockholm has so many gems, and the architecture here is also really varied.”
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 an emergency solution, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden table, at the first pop-up; Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one at Jysk or Rusta. So it was actually an emergency solution, which I quite like now.”
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The kitchen table was originally an emergency solution, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden table, at the first pop-up; Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one at Jysk or Rusta. So it was actually an emergency solution, which I quite like now.”
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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 (420 kilometres) north of Stockholm, on the coast],” Lidén says. “I’ve found a lot of stuff there. I think I bought five or six of these chairs for 200 kronor (about ₹1500)!”
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 her eyes open for new decor. “For example, I found a floor lamp in the garbage disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I have found a lot of things in the garbage disposal room, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are dumpsters 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 her eyes open for new decor. “For example, I found a floor lamp in the garbage disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I have found a lot of things in the garbage disposal room, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are dumpsters 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.”
Read more:
My Houzz: A Peek into an Architect’s Eclectic Home
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
My Houzz: A Peek into an Architect’s Eclectic Home
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Zandra Lidén, interior decorator and designer at Esteriör
Location: Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Size: About 47 square metres (506 square feet); 1 bedroom; 1 kitchen
Södermalm is superbly located between the Skanstull transit hub and the trendy neighbourhood of Nytorget.
Lidén has now been living in the apartment for four years. “I’m from Söder[malm] but have moved around Stockholm quite a bit,” Lidén says.