Over these worrying weeks, feeling safe, secure, and happy in our homes has never been so universally important.
I feel extremely lucky to say I feel all three of these things, and why I wanted to start a new series on the blog, ‘At home with.’ Taking a closer look at Nordic inspired homes, no matter where in the world they are, I want to share with you both the incredible interiors as well as give you a real sense of what it’s like to live there from the person behind the front door.
So, where better to start than with the beautiful Italian apartment of award-winning Norwegian blogger and journalist, Ingrid Opstad, also known as That Scandinavian Feeling.
Over to Ingrid to tell us more:
“My fiancé Claudio and I, as well as our poodle Bowie, had been renting in the leafy town of Monza near Milan, for a while before we found the perfect apartment to buy and renovate.
I knew straight away that I could create my own little piece of Scandinavia here in Italy, so we started by making 3D drawings to see how we could maximise the space to perfectly fit our lifestyle and needs.
Our home was a typical Italian 1970s apartment with 2-metre-high ceilings and old terrazzo flooring, but we decided to cover this with laminate to give it a cosier feel. It also had a long corridor running through the whole space which we decided to take away to create a hallway and make the other rooms bigger.
Our kitchen truly is the heart of our home, and where we made the biggest changes. We both love cooking and eating so we decided to lose one of the bedrooms to create a large open plan living, kitchen and dining area. It is minimal and classic, with pale grey doors, a marble style top and gold details. Instead of over-head cabinets we put up a long open shelf which tied the space together nicely.
In the bedroom, we added a half wall behind the bed, this meant we could use the space created as a walk-in wardrobe which is something I’ve always wanted to have. We also project films on the opposite wall for quiet nights in.
For me, a house truly becomes a home when you add your personal touches to it. The piece I cherish most is my vintage PH 5 lamp by Poul Henningsen. This exact lamp actually used to hang in my parent’s kitchen when I grew up so having it here brings back lots of fond memories. When we sit around the table and eat, it takes me back to hyggelig moments with my family and reminds me of home.”
There’s no place like home
10 quick fire questions, to find out more about Ingrid and her home:
- Tea or coffee?
Coffee. I do enjoy the occasional tea, but after moving to Italy I’ve got the taste for good quality coffee. - Chocolate or cheese?
Chocolate – everyone who knows me knows I am a big chocoholic. - Watching TV or listening to music?
It depends on the time; during the day I prefer music, and in the evening TV. - Reading a book or flicking through a magazine?
Hard choice, can I say both? - Bath or shower?
We only have a shower in our home now, but I do miss being able to have baths - Slippers or socks?
Cosy, knitted socks, in Norway we take our shoes off at home so we all own tons of them. - House plants or fresh flowers?
House plants. I do like fresh flowers, but I also don’t like that they die, so usually I buy fresh flowers which can be dried afterwards, such as lavender. - Candles or lamps?
Both are essential for hygge, I would say I have 50-50 of them. - Cushions or blankets?
Although I love cushions, I can’t live without a blanket. My fiancé makes fun of me because even on the hottest summer evenings in the south of Italy I am wrapped up in a blanket. - Dog or cat?
I love dogs, especially Bowie!
Want to see more?
Thank you so much for sharing your home with us Ingrid, you can find out more about my home here.
Please visit, That Scandinavian Feeling to read more from Ingrid or you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.
All photos by Ingrid Opstad, That Scandinavian Feeling.
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