Having spent a year living in the small town of Skellefteå in northern Sweden, Libby Helinski fell well and truly in love with everything about the culture, environment, lifestyle and of course, design.
Deciding she wanted to bring part of that back to her hometown of Newcastle, she — with the help of her husband — opened Scandinavian homewares store, Pappa Sven.
With both a bricks and mortar and online store, Pappa Sven aims to be truly Scandinavian, rather than just a shop filled with Scandinavian-inspired products. Brands include Marimekko, Kähler Design, Ferm Living, Fine Little Day, By Lassen and OyOy Living Design, to name just a few; with the range including candles, cushions, blankets, baskets, rugs and small furniture pieces, as well as Marimekko bags and fashion.
Wanting their customers to feel like they’ve stepped into a cozy little shop in Stockholm or Copenhagen, the beautiful store is located in an old warehouse with exposed rafters and a big glass frontage. If you’re in the area, definitely check it out! Otherwise…
Aussies sure are known for their love of travel and Natalie Shell has made Tel Aviv her home, via stints in New York, Copenhagen and Amsterdam! Today, she shows us around her home and shares some expert tips on decluterring and small space living.
One half of global interior design and decluttering business Apartment Diet, Nat met fellow Aussie and business partner Tip Atkins Moore in Amsterdam. Now they work together via the wonders of the world wide web.
In 2007, Nat had a friend living in Tel Aviv so she went to stay for the summer holidays and ended up falling in love with the place. She later met (now husband) Noam and the rest, including son Luke, is, as they, say, history!
Nat and son Luke
Now back to her newly renovated Tel Aviv home: “We live in an old, typical Tel Aviv building in the city’s “old north”. We bought in May 2010 and moved in in September after renovating for 2.5 months (read: gutting it and starting again). Even in its weird, pokey, unrenovated state (there were seven rooms in only 75 square metres!) it had great light and airflow and a lovely energy, and is situated in a great neighbourhood (location, location, location always applies!).”
Almost everything needed changing so serious vision was required. The layout and flow were all wrong and the pink bathroom and olive green kitchenette, plumbing and electricity hadn’t been touched since 1950s.
“I knew what I wanted and worked with an architect friend Roy Itzhaki, to create the technical plans for a layout I envisioned and learn building project management,” Nat says. “First and foremost, after the basics, was making the flow work for us to create two bedrooms, a bathroom and guest toilet and an open kitchen/living room. I wanted to maximise living space and the light and create a space that was relaxed, fun and inviting.”
She chose a simple colour palette of timber, white and dark grey. “I’d lived in Copenhagen and have picked up a bit of the Scandinavian aesthetic. I also I love art and fun pillow covers and wanted a simple palette that would allow me to show them off.”
Almost all the internal walls came down and the bathroom was moved while other rooms were reoriented. They added a laundry into a closet in the new bathroom and lots of built-in storage, and Roy suggested turning the walk-in closet into a walk-through, effectively turning the apartment’s one bathroom into an en-suite from the master as well. Clever!
The new layout is a vast improvement, not least because you no longer have to walk through the kitchen to get to the second bedroom! “There were just too many rooms for such a small space and the layout made the space feel dark.”
Nat’s favourite thing about the apartment is how it feels. “It just feels good.” She’s also a big fan of the exposed brick areas. “My original plan was to remove a pylon between our living room and kitchen but then the structural engineer said the building couldn’t handle it, even with a steel beam. That weird brick structural pylon, and the original brick wall that was behind the original kitchen (now our bedroom), are now features I love.”
While Nat misses her family and friends in Oz, she describes Tel Aviv as an amazing, vibrant creative city, filled with great food, coffee, sunshine and beaches. “It’s in a crazy part of the world, but perhaps that’s part of the attraction.”
Nat and Tip have plenty of advice for other people living in small spaces but the key is to design for how you actually live, not for how you think you should. “For instance, if you don’t eat at home, you may prefer to have a larger couch area with a coffee table and some extra stools, making your living space bigger and not having furniture you don’t need. If you are renovating, think about how you want to live — do you like to spend time in the living room? Then consider designing more space in shared areas than say the bedrooms.
“Have good storage (preferably that closes). At the same time, we sometimes make the mistake of paying for extra storage rather than first letting go of things that don’t belong. Sliding doors and mirrors are also a good trick, though I personally went for art framed with glass and a glass splash back over mirrors because I prefer that type of reflective surface.
Nat in her dining area
“When it comes to furniture, don’t have too much. Choose furniture that is the right scale for the space and that can easily move (for instance, we often host dinner parties where we add a fold-up table to double the size and move the table into the living room/entrance void).”
Last but not least: “Have some empty space. It sounds strange but empty space, like our entrance and part of our bedroom, can make a space feel bigger. Edit what you own regularly and if something doesn’t belong, even after you’ve bought it especially, sell it or let it go.”
Nat and Tip help clients create homes and workspaces that they love, delivered either in person or online via Skype and email. Their business grew out of the blog apartmentdiet.com, which they’ve been collaborating on for five years. They’ve also created an online course that teaches people their Happy House Rules™ process: helping them get started, declutter, let go, and create homes they love plus systems that are easier to manage them with, across five weeks.
The next course starts next Monday 17 November 2014, just in time to get your space ready for guests to ensure a stress-free holiday period! Find out more.
As I write this, I’m sitting in Copenhagen’s cat cafe, with a real life cat on my right and some rather intricate coffee cat art on my left. So it’s safe to say I’m having a good time!
Having now lived in Copenhagen for three full months (where did the time go?) I’ve well and truly converted to the Danish way of life. Undertaking my final semester of university here, I’ve definitely been busy! There’s been studying (or lack thereof), working for Interiors Addict (how nice is Jen for letting me work from half way across the world?!) and of course, exploring my new hometown (well until December at least). During this time, I’ve learnt a lot, about myself and this beautiful country. So I thought it’d only be fair for me to share a little of that with you!
First, there’s the bike riding, which at rush hour becomes like a formula one race! Stick to the far right or risk being flattened. Bikes are truly the kings of the Copenhagen streets and if you want to get anywhere in a timely, cost-efficient manner, they’re the go-to form of transport.
Second, there’s the whole brunch thing. Sure we do brunch in Australia, but not to this extent. Think yoghurt, muesli, cold cuts, eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, cheese, bread and a smoothie all in the one glorious platter! And you’re not even judged for eating this ridiculous amount of food; if anything it’s the norm.
Third, the untranslatable word: hygge. So this word can’t really be converted to English, but for the Danes it’s everything. In essence it means creating a cosy, warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with the people you love. Cafes can be hygge, friends can be hygge, picnics can be hygge. Drinking mulled wine with blankets and oversized scarves? That can definitely be hygge! Basically, it just explains why the Danes are considered the happiest people in the world!
Fourth, the most beautiful homewares I ever did see. You can’t comprehend the amount of times I go into homewares stores and curse the fact that I only have one suitcase with me. So many gorgeous things but no way to take them home. Woe is me! My favourite place has to be the premier centre, Illums Bolighus, a must-visit for anyone who loves Danish and Scandinavian design. Selling everything from potato peelers to statement furniture, you’ll want one of every single thing.
My local homewares store!
Fifth and finally, the fact that Copenhagen’s in Europe. As much as I adore Australia, we are just so far away from everything! Since being in Copenhagen, I’ve been able to travel with such ease, be it a two-hour trip to Edinburgh, a three-hour trip to Reykjavik or this weekend’s one-hour trip to Berlin. Being so close to so many different countries, with so many different cultures and people, has made for some of the most amazing trips. I feel so unbelievably fortunate to be having this experience and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Feeding Scottish Highland Cows (hairy coos!) in ScotlandIn front of a geyser in Iceland
Follow Olivia’s journey on Instagram: @oliviashead.
All photography is Olivia’s own (apart from those where she’s in the photo, obviously…).
Editor’s foreword: I am super proud of our editorial assistant Olivia for being awarded a scholarship to study overseas this year. Luckily, she will still be working for us part-time, with the bonus of all that Danish design inspiration! Travel safe, Olivia! Jen
So, ten days from tomorrow I’ll be off, flying 23 hours to the other side of the world where I’ll be for the next four and half months. I’m trying to stay calm, cool and collected but it’s not going so well!
I’m off to Copenhagen, Denmark, for my last semester of university, where I’ll be undertaking a mix of journalism subjects and a subject on Danish architecture and design… I couldn’t resist! I’ll also still be writing for Interiors Addict, switching places with Jen as the Europe-based writer when she returns to Australia next month. Haven’t we become the little global operation?! As well-known pioneers in design, I hope to introduce you to some great Scandi finds and if my suitcase allows it, hopefully bring some beautiful goodies home with me.
Originally from England, I’m looking forward to returning to Europe and being only a couple of hours’ flight away from places like London, Paris and Rome. Ah, someone has to do it! I’m also looking forward to living in another country and really immersing myself in the culture. I visited Copenhagen for four days last year and absolutely loved it, so I have high hopes for the next few months, though I have to admit I’m getting very sad by the idea of leaving all my loved ones behind, especially my kitties!
If you want to follow me on my impending adventure, find my Instagram here. Also if you have any tips for things to do in Copenhagen please let me know (special thanks to Nat from Apartment Diet who has already sent me some great recommendations)!
