Vintage Swedish Cottage Kitchen Style

Admittedly, one of the reasons I wanted to visit Sweden (which we did this past summer, check out the many posts here) in the first place was to experience the innate sense of simple design found also in Scandinavia in general, and I was not disappointed! Our first stop was a lovely 1950’s Stockholm archipelago cottage that has been in the owner’s family, and the simple yet oh so lovely renovation that was done to make it rentable was really just jaw dropping, for me anyway. The effortless mix of vintage and modern, the overall clean white walls mixed with touches of color and rustic accessories, what can I say, it takes a lot to impress me, honestly, and I was impressed! While I didn’t get amazing interior photos of this simple cottage I do want to share with you tips for creating something similar where ever in the world you may be! So presenting Six Simple Ways To Add Swedish Style To Your Kitchen!

Six Ways To Bring Swedish Cottage Style into Your Kitchen

1. Use mismatched wooden chairs in different colors, and or styles. Here there was one olive green chair and two natural wood chairs, and white or creme would also look great as well as any color, really.
2. Hang a simple metal pendant light over the kitchen table, this one is reddish orange, and simply perfect! A very budget conscious choice, and you can always paint the shade in your desired color.
3. Make a backsplash from simple white tiles, and use dark grout if you dare! The grout here is dark grey and quite honestly avoids the unsightly dirty or stained grout that always happens especially in the kitchen!
4. Paint your kitchen cabinet doors a different color than the base, in this case the doors are a very light pastel/olive green and the base is white. This really looks great and is a subtle way to add interest and a vintage look. Just be careful to avoid too great a contrast between the two colors which will not be a calm effect.
5. Add a rustic woven rug runner to create warmth and character in the kitchen. Of course it looks particularly charming on the white washed wooden floor. Honestly after I took this photo I rolled up the rug as I didn’t want to get it dirty, but since I see photos or rugs in the kitchen regularly other folks apparently are neater than I, and have no problem with rug in the kitchen. A woven rag rug like this one is easy to throw in the washing machine, and the very kind of rug swedes love. I’m guessing that while this is likely made in India, Swedes once wove rugs like these.
6. Hang crocheted pot holders in accent colors on tiny hooks. The pot holders here are in red tones, which picks up the red tone from the pendant lamp. Learn how to crochet a Swedish style potholder here, and take a look at the other crocheted potholders in this kitchen here. Add a rustic dish towel to the mix, and voila!
7. Add in a good sink. When incorporating a Swedish cottage style to your kitchen, fireclay or cast iron sinks can work really well. Each has its own pros and cons, though, so make sure you consider your needs and preferences before buying one.

Other design touches of note are the simple black frame clock over the window, the  rustic sheer linen drapes, the vintage look Smeg refrigerator, and the fact that they kept the original vent over the stove intact because it looks great. 

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