A colourful renovation of a 1930s house in Sweden

We Brits have long loved Scandi style and, despite interiors becoming increasingly maximalist, our passion for all things Swedish shows no sign of waning. The clean lines, exposed woods and muted colour palettes combine to create an unfussy aesthetic that’s effortlessly cool.

These are calm spaces that feel both inspiring and relaxing to linger in. It’s refreshing then, to hear of the appreciation being reciprocated by our esteemed Swedes – especially when the Swede in question is Emma von Brömssen, a venerated pattern designer whose work adorns wallpaper, textiles and ceramics.

‘When I was growing up, my grandmother’s home was filled with lots of English textiles and she always enthused about English gardens,’ says Emma. ‘She was influenced by the English look and I became influenced by it, too. I love that English homes are so cosy and inviting. And I love the textiles.’

Luckily, Emma’s aunt was born in England and would send eight-year-old Emma leftover fabric remnants, which she used to sew patchwork bedspreads and cushions.

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‘My mum taught me how to use the sewing machine when I was four years old,’ she says. It went beyond that though. Every year Emma would rearrange her bedroom with new furniture (old pieces that she would repaint), and introduce new fabrics.

A similar theme persists in her current home, which she and her family moved into 11 years ago. The early 1930s house needed a thorough renovation, which they’ve chipped away at gradually.

‘The house wasn’t very nice when we viewed it – lots of its original features had been stripped out. We love old wooden houses though and the internal doors, wooden floors and some of the wooden details were still intact.

We could see the opportunities – plus, it’s just a five-minute walk from the sea,’ says Emma. She and her husband Edward treated the wooden floors in the traditional Swedish way – mixing linseed soap with cold water and mopping the floor 10 times. ‘The grease from the linseed oil protects the wood while the oil lightens it,’ says Emma.

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They also extended and had a new kitchen fitted, which Emma then hand-painted in a dusky shade of blue. ‘When my mum saw the colour for the first time she said, “I recognise that colour”, and we later realised it was the exact same shade that my mum used on the exterior of her house, where I grew up. I’d seen it every day as a child.

Without realising, I’d gone back to my roots. I clearly gravitate towards things that remind me of my childhood,’ she says. To balance the newness of the kitchen cabinets and create a timeless feel, traditional wall panelling was reintroduced after it was discovered elsewhere in the house.

These days, with all the major work done on the house, Emma admits to redecorating a room every couple of years – usually using one of her new wallpaper designs. Her designs are in her favourite palette of blues and muted pinks and often feature wildlife, florals and leaves.

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The designs, which wouldn’t look out of place in an English country house, work beautifully in combination with the soap-washed floors, mid-century furniture and white wall panelling.

When it comes to inspiration, Emma cites the Arts and Crafts movement (specifically William Morris), Tove Jansson (author and illustrator of the Moomin books), travel and nature. Her favourite design from her own range at the moment is Hares in Hiding, and it features heavily in her home – lining all the walls of the living room and covering her favourite antique sofa.

‘Designing wallpaper is tricky because it covers such a huge space – you can see every mistake. But I find it so interesting that when you introduce wallpaper to a room it makes such an impact,’ she says. Despite her tendency to redecorate often, she says she really loves the hares, ‘they might stay a while…’

Her love of wallpaper is evident throughout the house, even, somewhat controversially, in the bathroom. ‘Having wallpaper in the bathroom is not typically Swedish – Swedes are so functional,’ Emma says. ‘Every Swede who comes round asks me, “How can you have wallpaper in the bathroom? Doesn’t it get wet?” I tell them to ask the English,’ she laughs.

Emma’s hare print-covered sofa is her favourite piece of furniture – bought on Swedish online marketplace Auctionet and dating from the 1920s. ‘It’s like a little old lady sitting here in my living room – it’s very cute,’ she says. ‘I love furniture with personality and this comes with lots.’

This is indicative of her lifelong inclination towards antique and vintage pieces. ‘I love the mystique of wondering where each piece has been and who has used it. My favourites are pieces from the Jugendstil era, which is what we call the Art Nouveau movement – and, of course, the Arts and Crafts era. The most important thing is to have objects around you that you like and which mean something to you; items that have history.’