Paulina and Leia, 4 months.
– I’m passionate about the Scandinavian aesthetic. I can’t hide it. I assume that it’s obvious? But of course, I still think that you can always be inspired by other people and their homes.
I am in the home stylist Paulina Larsson’s home and I cannot hide how impressed I am of how perfect everything is. Of course her 20,000 Instagram followers are already familiar with the white, beige and brown interiors but seeing it in reality is something entirely different.
The house has decorations in every nook and cranny.
Ellie's bedroom. The nameplate is from Buttercut.
The cabinet in the hallway is from Ellos.
The house has decorations in every corner.
The little house is from Rusta and the Christmas trees are from Skandinaviska Rum.
Having light-coloured furniture and rugs looks so fresh and clean but it is not the type of home you would expect a young family with sticky fingers to live in.
– You shouldn't be so afraid to go for white rugs, we’ve always had white rugs. I have two small children and it works great. I’ve never felt worried because everything is easy to clean. Many people come here with children and become afraid. I tell them that it’s fine, just put your child on the rug. I’m not very afraid of that, says Paulina.
“Play around with the placement of decorations – for example a book lying on its side with a small vase on top can help create a sense of balance”, says Paulina.
Paulina and Leia.
This year's Christmas presents in neutral hues. The train is from Jula.
The Advent star lantern is from House Doctor.
”Combine older and newer objects to give the home a personal and unique feel”, says Paulina.
I start to wonder how long my own home could stay this perfect. My guess is around 30 minutes.
Paulina became interested in home decoration at a young age after her parents separated and she got her own bedroom in two different homes.
– It became a new start in two homes. And I got to choose new wallpapers and colours for the wall paint. I started sanding pieces of furniture, repainting them and moving things around quite a lot. I created paintings and sold a few of them as well. So that started very early on. I was very young, probably five or six years old, Paulina says.
The open-plan kitchen and living room feels light and spacious.
”I like red anyway and for New Years I will switch to black bows. We are going to celebrate with friends. I will then have black on all drinks and I have ordered black balloons”, says Paulina.
The history of you: Small Steps Great Stories, a book from Stacking Stories.
The silver bowls look stylish and adds a vintage feel to the décor.
Paulina and Leia.
Paulina's father is a skilled carpenter. He gave her support and encouragement so it was easy for her to get started.
That fertile soil has made it possible for her to work as a home stylist as an adult. Paulina works in close collaboration with the estate agent Bjurfors.
– It starts with me going for a consultation at a client's house and we go through the home. I look at what we can do to create the best conditions for each room of the house. The goal is to present the home in an attractive way. Styling a home makes a difference, it highlights it and increases the value. A home without furniture can be difficult to sell so I recommend using furniture and style it to achieve that potential, says Paulina.
“The light in the home is completely different in winter, Even though it’s cold outside there is still a warm glow indoors”, says Paulina.
Christmas tree decorations from H&M Home, Slottet in Skellefteå and Jula.
The cabinet in the hallway is from Ellos.
Leia's bedroom. The giraffe is from H&M Home.
I ask her whether she can sense straight away what feels “wrong” when she walks into someone's home.
– Yes, definitely. It’s often about not decorating every corner in exactly the same way. Take the bedside tables for example. There are often two lights that are exactly the same, it feels static. Then I just want to remove one light. You can keep one light, perhaps place it on top of a book and add a vase with a thin straw of grass or a green leaf. On the other side of the bed you could perhaps put a large green plant, a book or a small lantern.
“The marble table cost SEK 300 in a charity shop but is worth a lot more! It's incredibly heavy”, says Paulina.
Peace and quiet in Paulina's bedroom.
The advent calendar complements the neutral tones in Paulina's home in a harmonic way.
Paulina's home in Skellefteå.
Paulina’s top tips for a stylish home:
- Mix different shapes, shades and textures to create a harmonious but interesting décor.
- Combine older and newer objects in order to give the home a personal and unique feeling.
- Play with where you place decorations – for example, a book, a small vase and a green plant on the bedside table can bring life and dynamics.
- Avoid matching too much, variation gives character and charm.
- Use green plants and natural materials to create a fresh and inviting atmosphere.
- Posters. You will notice the different it makes and it is actually quite cheap. You can create a lot yourself or you can create pictures of these canvas frames or paint on cardboard.
- Another idea is to create plaster paintings yourself. It is very cheap to buy plaster.
- Coffee table books is really something that is trendy. Buy pre-owned books, I’ve done that quite a lot. Some of them I’ve bought new but the shelves contain a mix. And you can turn the books around or remove the cover.
- A lot of nice textiles. That doesn’t need to be expensive either.
Peace and quiet with Leia in Paulina’s bedroom.
Paulina and Leia.
The Christmas tree topper is from Watt och Veke and the cushion is from H&M Home.
The vase is from Ernst.
"The candelabra from Stoff Nagel is my absolute favourite in my home", says Paulina.
She also stresses the importance of not being afraid to try new things and not always sticking to the rules.
– You only live once, says Paulina.