Nordic Style’s Space Saving Solutions: Making the most of your London flat

Space in London is hard to come by. We all seem to be living on top of one another and finding room within the small London flat is a challenge. As history has shown us, finding space as a London dweller has and continues to be a challenge. So today, Nordic Style is here to suggest some simple pieces that may make the London life just a bit easier and more organized. 

First, here are a few quick and interesting background facts I came across while looking into London life from the past: 

* Around 1880 the minimum room height was 8 feet/2.4 m and each flat had one lavatory, drainage, and window.

* The 1960’s brought to light the need for more space and began to develop, for the first time, space standards which were derived from how residents actually used their homes and different rooms within their flat. This report also highlighted the need for storage space and heating.

* In London today there is still a growing demand for space, regardless of household size.  Research shows all groups of home buyers have expressed criticism regarding London's lack of space and storage. Additionally, modern day London dwellers have expressed a need for environmental sustainability and resource efficiency (Taken from: July 2010: Summary of evidence on proposed housing design standards).

As space and storage in London continues to be a challenge here are our suggestions to make use of your flat, better:

Our Window Effect Mirror is great for creating the illusion of an extra window and can create a more spacious feel to any room. We often have special reduced prices on this item so it’s always worth calling the shop to see if there is an offer on.



We recently started carrying our own range of Divans which are perfect for under bed storage. The divan can have up to four drawers.

Our Open Top Dressers are great for table linen, cutlery, and crockery.


We currently have a special offer on a 2 Door Glass Top Dresser for only £898.50 (70% off!).  There’s only one, so be sure to call the shop at 020-7351-1755 if you would like more information on this offer. 

Welcome Spring!

This weekend was spectacularly warm. It’s finally safe to say spring has come to London. This time of year brings colourful flowers, cute baby animals, and love. Yes, it's the season for weddings, especially in Sweden.

Soon after Easter the height of the Swedish wedding season begins. Whitsun and Midsummer are the most popular times for weddings in Sweden. This summer, June 6th, to be exact is also the date of the much anticipated Royal wedding for Swedish Princess, Madeline.

Sweden has many traditions for love and weddings. For example, when flowers are in abundance, a woman is meant to pick a bouquet of seven or nine different varieties from an equal number of meadows. She then places the bouquet under her pillow. This Swedish tradition promises that the woman will dream of the one she is destined to marry. 

Another wedding tradition involves selecting spring flowers for the bride's wedding day. Here she may want to use lavender, thyme, or other piquant herbs.  The strong aromas are used to ward off evil spirits. The bouquet and the bride's crown, veil, and dress represent the ancient tradition of viewing the bride as "queen for a day".

(above from left to right: 18pc dinner service, white Jug Set of 3, 24pc Cutlery Set)

Finally, the most common tradition for all weddings is the tradition of gift giving. Luckily Nordic Style has an abundance of perfect wedding gifts for your next wedding, be it Swedish or not.

(Above Left to Right: Skogaholm White Quilted Bedspread, Cream Quilted Bedspread, Estelle Bed Linen)

Please visit Nordicstyle.com for more information on the above products

The 4 traditions of Easter in Sweden

There are 4 main traditions that make up a Swedish Easter. The holiday has even been said to be bigger than Christmas.

1)     Eggs play a big role on Easter Sunday. This is in part because they were not allowed during the 40 days of fasting during Lent. The first painted Easter eggs are recorded in southern Sweden during the 1700s.. In Sweden it was typical to decorate an egg by wrapping it in birch leaves before cooking them. After cooking the egg, there was a subtle pattern left on the shell. However, far north they would often have to wait until May for the arrival of fresh eggs, perhaps this is why by the end of the 1700s glass and porcelain eggs rose to popularity. The Easter bunny doesn’t play a big role in Sweden and is a relatively late arrival from Germany at the end of the 1800s. 

2)     påskkärringar or häxor which are Easter witches. This stems from the witch hunts in Europe from the 15th -18th century when untold numbers of people were accused of and executed for being witches. There is a longstanding Swedish folklore that on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter known as skärtorsdagen) all of the witches would fly to Blåkulla for a party with the devil that lasted until Easter Eve. 

3)     Feathered Branches or påskris and påskkärringar. Påskris (also known as fastlagsris) are birch branches decorated with feathers wired to the ends. As far back as the 1600s birch branches were used to playfully whip family members in remembrance of Christ’s suffering. Today they are present everywhere and you find them decorating homes as well as shops. 

4)     Påskliljor (Easter lilies), or Daffodils are the common flower for Easter in Sweden. Yellow plays a big role in decorations due to its connection to eggs which symbolize life. Some of the common Easter foods include pickled herring, janssons frestelse (a potato dish with anchovies and onions), salmon, and eggs. Today lamb is often served on Easter day but that is a modern occurrence.

(Source: http://semiswede.com/2012/04/07/pask-easter/)

Guest Post: By Meranda Snyder

Hello Nordic Style blog followers. We are happy to have Meranda Snyder, a Swedish design enthusiast, write a guest post for us! Read below for a great historical review of Swedish design and some of it's origins. Hope you enjoy!

It was during the mid-19th century, when the Napoleonic Wars were brought to an end, that more suppressive and restrictive policies led society in general to stay within safer communities. An emphasis on home life brought small communities together and an interest in furniture design and interior decorating was fuelled as a result. Industrialization and a growing middle class saw waves of development and opportunity.

Up to this point, for many years, war had been on everyone's mind. They lived and breathed war and basically could taste it. Napoleon had conquered most Europe, and it was very fashionable to embrace the magnificent Empire style that was associated with Napoleon. Masculine mahogany furniture with lots of gilt ornaments was quite prestigious, and Napoleon was known to flaunt the symbols of his vision and empire. After the wars had ended, society in general was ready for peace.
Biedermeier furniture began in Germany, and the style extended into Scandinavia who also put their own spin on the design with a distinct Swedish interpretation. While most Biedermeier furniture was largely identified for excessive gilding and ormolu mounts, Swedish Biedermeier focused on clean lines and minimal ornamentation.
The Biedermeier style was a simplified interpretation of the influential French Empire style that was associated with Napoleon. Empire furniture was a status symbol - everyone had to have it. It became quite popular in neighbouring countries where the look was copied and modified. Biedermeier furniture was often made from local woods that were commonly available, simply because replicating the look wasn't exactly affordable. Expensive timbers such as mahogany were very expensive. While the timber was available near trading ports, it was taxed heavily making it very costly. Woods such as Cherry and Pearwood were stained to imitate the more expensive timbers that were seen in France. In Sweden, Blondewoods freshened the look, and the stark lines were softened a little with gentle curves.
Biedermeier furniture was the first style in the world that emanated from the growing middle class. Gottlieb Biedermeier, which the furniture was ironically named after, wasn't the inventor of the style. He was a German author who in his poems developed a character "Papa Biedermeir" who through satire and mocking the politics of the day caught the attention of the public, and the name just stuck.

Did King Carl John Influence The Style In Sweden?

The answer is yes! Born by the name Jean Bernadotte, and French by birth, Bernadotteserved a long career in the French Army. He was appointed as a Marshal of France by Napoleon, although the two didn't have the best relationship. When Bernadotte was appointed as ambassador to Sweden and then decided to abandon his support for Napoleon in a political move, he gained the favour of Sweden, and became Sweden's new king Karl Johan. The Swedish Karl Johan style, similar to Biedermeier, retained its pompus Napoleonic style throughout the 19th century. King Carl XIV Johan who had strong German and Danish influences adopted the Biedermeier style and expanded to many different areas of Sweden.

Guest Post By Meranda Snyder who writes for The Swedish Furniture Blog www.the swedishfurniture.com which discusses the most beautiful Gustavian, Nordic and Swedish Furniture, and how you can replicate the look for your own home. 

2013 and beyond!

We have been busy at Nordic Style over the last few months, launching a Stunning New Web site, developing and producing many more classic Swedish Furniture pieces and Ranges that are now on display in our showroom.  We have also increased the amount of accessories we carry in store to create that Classic Swedish calm and harmonious interiors appreciated by so many.

With great new additions to our team, Sunday opening and a revamped showroom we are ready to continue to thrive in 2013 and beyond as the first and now last Gustavian Furniture Manufacturer in the UK.

Here is a quick peak at some of our NEW accessories and our favourite new pieces in the Chelsea showroom at the moment.

(Left - our classic Nordic Style candles, Middle - our NEW Pedestal Table, Right - our NEW Solid Oak Painted mirror)

P.S. don’t forget to check the blog every week for exciting new posts. You can look forward to updates about our new products, guest posts from other Swedish furniture enthusiasts, unique Swedish food recipes, and just all around Swedish fun!

Bloomsbury print

For those of you who have stopped into our showroom lately, you may have noticed our new spring items. The new Bloomsbury canvas print (which hangs in the window of our children's area) is part of the new spring showroom.

We have been so inspired by its bright bold colours lately that we wanted to find out more. The origins of this print took us on an exciting historical journey.

As it turns out, the print was actually inspired by the 20th century Bloomsbury Group. The highly creative group of poets, artists and designers, one of whom included Virginia Wolfe.

(image found here)

The charm of this print encompasses the eclectic style of these artist types. The beautiful Charleston Farmhouse ( as pictured above) clearly shows the inspiration for our new fabric.

(image found here)

Although the Bloomsbury Group was not Swedish, this print also encompasses a more modern Swedish design, one that closely emulates the popular prints of designer Josef Frank. Whether our new Bloomsbury print inspires you or not, still stop in and browse our always classic Swedish showroom.

(image found here)

Berry Picking

In London, It’s a bad sign when Hyde Park begins to look like the great outdoors. You then know you have not left London in a while. I think I can safely assume that it’s not just the staff at Nordic Style who are anxious for summer holidays away from the city. A holiday with sun and vast scenic landscapes seems like the perfect fix for the London city dweller. A Swedish summer is able to remedy both sun and the outdoors.

From early May until late August the sun sets late in Sweden. In fact, in Stockholm the sun sets around 10:02 pm in July! There is a dreamy term for this phenomenon called Midnight Sun. Midnight Sun is a long period of constant sun where the day and night become blurred. This type of lighting gives the landscape a magical feel and also provides adequate weather for hiking around Sweden.

The Swedes are allowed access to all public land (known as Allemansrätten) which encourages a great many to get out and explore the outdoors. Mushroom and berry picking, especially a berry called Cloudberries, are just one favorite outdoor activity enjoyed by the Swedes.

We think our Ostindia dishes are the perfect accompaniment for berries and other puddings. To eat Cloudberries like the Swedes, just add sugar, some cream, and enjoy!