A stylist’s enchanting summer retreat in the Swedish forest
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Deep in the vast Swedish forest, a tiny, gravelled lane tempts the traveller from the highway to a secluded old farmstead. Here, meadow replaces trees; the only sounds are birdsong and the buzzing of pollinators. That meadow took food and interior stylist Linda Dannin seven years to establish as she travelled between her twin bases of Sweden and London. ‘I love being so close to nature here; there are elk, deer and foxes on my doorstep,” says Linda. “It’s so peaceful, I can escape from the outside world.’
Linda has lived in the farmhouse for many years, but she also craved that Scandinavian essential, a little summerhouse, so where better than in her own meadow? Linda goes here to reconnect with her roots, draw energy and inspiration from nature, and accommodate guests. When her friends aren’t visiting, she has parties here. Mostly, however, Linda spends her time watching the flower meadow with a book and a cup of tea, writing and designing. It is a place of calm and creativity. Appropriately enough for a building designed for both people and plants, at first glance, the summerhouse looks like a Victorian greenhouse, with tall, pointed windows and a bricked plinth.
‘I’ve always loved old romantic English greenhouses,’ admits Linda. ‘But we do not use a lot of brick here in Sweden. I wanted to extend the carpentry of the old barn, [to which the summerhouse is attached], but still set the cottage apart.’ At just 25 sqm, Linda’s ‘cottage’ didn’t need planning permission, so she simply sketched out her ideas. Working with a local carpenter, Linda built it using reclaimed materials she gathered during years of travelling. ‘I collect material whenever I’m on a trip, even if I have to take it on a plane as special cargo,’ she laughs.
The windows were an irresistible find at a local antique and reclamation shop. ‘I just saw them, and I thought they would be perfect with the roof. It’s a northern Swedish style.’ Although pretty, the windows are single-glazed. This makes them a compromise for eco-conscious Linda, who compensated by ensuring the walls, floor and roof are well-insulated against the deep freeze that is the Swedish winter. Indeed, Linda’s biggest challenge during construction was preventing snow from working under the roof tiles or damaging the summerhouse where it attaches to the barn. The only ‘new’ parts of the structure are the foundations, the shower and the toilet. Unusually, these rooms are only accessed from the outside, but there are practical reasons for this. ‘When I have garden parties, guests do not have to enter the cottage. It avoids dirty floors and keeps cleaning to a minimum.’
In such a tiny home, every square inch must be used with care. A vaulted ceiling creates a sense of space and Linda made the most of the building’s height by creating an open mezzanine sleeping platform above the kitchen. ‘I wanted to create an airy feel,’ she explains. Decoration that echoes the natural world outside the cottage is used to great effect, including wallpaper on the kitchen wall, which is from the Kate Walton Collection. Linda was thrilled to find ‘Woodland Retreat’ by chance, since it features plants found in her meadow. The furnishings are almost all vintage and all, like the building itself, were collected “along the way.” Yet somehow, this eclectic assortment works perfectly; the 1950s sofa and chairs form a cosy sitting area with the 1920s French iron daybed, found in a flea market. And, of course, there are plants.
‘I wanted to bring in as much as I could from the outside. There are indoor and outdoor plants on rehab in here,’ laughs Linda. ‘In winter, I bring in olive trees, figs and lemon trees in pots to hibernate.’
Whether curled up by her new wood burner or working with the doors flung open to the scents and sounds of summer, it is a space she loves to spend time. ‘It’s so calm. When I lie in bed reading or sit by the windows, I feel connected to nature, even on rainy days.’
Stylist Linda Dannin’s work can be found on Instagram @creativemissl and @thetidalshore
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions1/10The summerhouse overlooks a 1200 sqm wildflower meadow that Linda patiently created over seven years. It is now alive with butterflies and other pollinators.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions2/10Linda often rides her friend’s pony through the forest.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions3/10Linda Dannin outside her summerhouse.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions4/10It was important to Linda that, as much as possible, items in the summerhouse are salvage or vintage, including the wonderfully tactile reclaimed brick floor. The kitchen table came from vadstenaantik.com, a Swedish antique shop housed in an old barn.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions5/10The interior is painted in ‘Silent White’ from Little Green Paints. The glassware on the table was made by glassblower Annette Alsio, @annettealsio (image 33 only)
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions6/10Up the ladder and into the bedroom, the gorgeous original windows came from Vadstenaantik and the bed linen is H&M.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions7/10
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions8/10The sitting area enjoys views across the meadow through those tall windows, while in winter, the space becomes a cosy retreat next to the wood burner. Many of the cushions and throws came from the interior boutiques in Sweden and London previously owned by Linda. Similar designs can be found at royaldesign.com
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions9/10Linda’s plant room is accessed only from the exterior. The wallpaper is ‘Artemis Ecru’ from House of Hackney.
Andrew G Hobbs / Linda Dannin Productions10/10As the summerhouse is attached to Linda’s 100-year-old barn, it replicates the carpentry details of the older building for consistency.
