Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Roadside Finds and Original Designs Make a Unique Home
A small Swedish studio is filled with personality, thanks to the creative eye of its decorator owner
Decorator Zandra Lidén sees beauty in things others might cast aside, giving refurbished roadside rescues pride of place alongside secondhand market finds and original furniture. Her well-honed, elegant urban style is represented in both Esteriör, the interior design and furnishings company she co-founded, and her apartment in the hip Södermalm neighbourhood of Stockholm, Sweden. This year she opened her home to visitors as part of Open House Stockholm, a free festival that gives the public the opportunity to take a look inside the city’s most exciting buildings and interiors. We sat down with Lidén for a chat about her work and home.
“Exactly where I live is a bit of a blind spot in Söder. It’s a lush oasis – you won’t stumble across it on the way to somewhere else. The houses in the area are from the early 1900s through to the 1930s,” says Lidén.
Lidén made the lamp in the window herself out of an Ikea lamp, a piece of marble and some scrap brass, all of which balance on one another.
Lidén made the lamp in the window herself out of an Ikea lamp, a piece of marble and some scrap brass, all of which balance on one another.
The house she lives in was built around 1910. Here she has lived next door to Stockholm celebrities from various eras, including a famous Swedish actor, Sven Wollter, and rapper Lorentz.
The apartment’s rooms are large and pentagonal, which can make it very difficult to furnish. “I have found furniture for the space and have redecorated a lot over time,” says Lidén. “Actually, nothing in the whole apartment is the ultimate perfect fit.” She has designed much of the furniture, like the beautiful coffee table in the living room, herself.
The apartment’s rooms are large and pentagonal, which can make it very difficult to furnish. “I have found furniture for the space and have redecorated a lot over time,” says Lidén. “Actually, nothing in the whole apartment is the ultimate perfect fit.” She has designed much of the furniture, like the beautiful coffee table in the living room, herself.
Many roadside finds also stand out. “I found the trolley that’s next to the sofa out on the street,” says Lidén. “Otherwise, there are things throughout my home that I found at the secondhand market or bought while travelling, and I painted many of the paintings myself too. It really is a mixed bag, and I didn’t buy much new.”
The living area and bedroom are in one space. The walls on the bedroom side have been painted grey to delineate a separate zone.
As a general rule, colour plays a major role in Lidén’s home. “I painted it the same way as our first pop-up store. The apartment had been white, and I re-painted it when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
As a general rule, colour plays a major role in Lidén’s home. “I painted it the same way as our first pop-up store. The apartment had been white, and I re-painted it when I moved in to give it a fresh feeling.”
The bedside table, the bedhead and the mirrored screen are Lidén’s own design, put together by her brother, a carpenter. The furniture is also for sale in Esteriör’s online shop.
Lidén is more excited than nervous to open up her home for Open House Stockholm.
“I’m thinking more, ‘Will anyone find it?’ I always like to meet people, and if you do come here, you must be interested in architecture and interior design, so we have something in common. I know I love going into people’s homes – I’m the one who is always looking into windows as I walk down the street – it’s such a fun thing to do,” says Lidén.
“I’m thinking more, ‘Will anyone find it?’ I always like to meet people, and if you do come here, you must be interested in architecture and interior design, so we have something in common. I know I love going into people’s homes – I’m the one who is always looking into windows as I walk down the street – it’s such a fun thing to do,” says Lidén.
She says this is the perfect city for this kind of event. “Stockholm has so many gems, and the architecture here is also really varied.”
The kitchen, which she has painted dark green, can fit a crowd. “When I have friends over … We start with dinner in the kitchen, then move on,” says Lidén.
The kitchen table was originally an emergency solution, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden table, at the first pop-up; Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one at Jysk or Rusta (Swedish department stores). So it was actually an emergency solution, which I quite like now.”
The kitchen table was originally an emergency solution, but it suits the apartment. “I sold my old kitchen table, a simple wooden table, at the first pop-up; Henrik [Ekberg, Lidén’s co-founder at Esteriör] bought this one at Jysk or Rusta (Swedish department stores). So it was actually an emergency solution, which I quite like now.”
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen is full of secondhand market finds. “I bought the kitchen chairs ages ago from a secondhand market near our country house in Härnösand [about 420 kilometres north of Stockholm, on the coast],” says Lidén. “I’ve found a lot of stuff there. I think I bought five or six of these chairs for 200 kronor [about AU$30]!”
The kitchen sofa is also from Härnösand. “I got it from some family friends, it had been lying in a barn,” she says. “The sofa is as old as the hills – I’ve painted it with black linseed oil and sewn a new cushion for it.”
Lidén always keeps her eyes open for new decor. “For example, I found a floor lamp in the garbage disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I have found a lot of things in the garbage disposal room, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are [skip bins] on the street. I love that there are things one person doesn’t get any joy out of, but I know someone else will go crazy for.”
Lidén always keeps her eyes open for new decor. “For example, I found a floor lamp in the garbage disposal room just this weekend,” she says. “I have found a lot of things in the garbage disposal room, and also always have a rummage when someone is renovating and there are [skip bins] on the street. I love that there are things one person doesn’t get any joy out of, but I know someone else will go crazy for.”
Recently, Esteriör was commissioned to design some sets for fashion week in Stockholm, and Lidén and Ekberg are also decorating two private homes. Their next project is even bigger and has to do with a hotel, though at the moment it’s still a closely-guarded secret.
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Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Zandra Lidén, interior decorator and designer at Esteriör
Location: Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Size: One room and a kitchen, about 47 square metres
Södermalm is superbly located between the Skanstull transit hub and the trendy neighbourhood of Nytorget.
Lidén has now been living in the apartment for four years. “I’m from Söder[malm] but have moved around Stockholm quite a bit,” says Lidén.