The Classic Sale at Bukowskis Auction, Dec 2-5 Stockholm

 

Bukowskis – a pair of natural pearl earrings with diamonds, estimate 1.5-2million Swedish crowns (ca. £129,000)

The other day I was working away in the antique shop, when two ladies from the auction house Bukowskis came by.  Now, I can spot a Swedish accent from miles away and we were soon chatting away about the antique worlds in Sweden and London, which was such an unexpected treat!  The reason for their visit however, was an upcoming Bukowskis’ auction i December where – among many other glorious treasures – an extraordinary pair of pearl earrings will go on sale.  I of course took the chance to find out more about the sale and auction house:

A painting by our beloved Carl Larsson “I Montcourt” (in Montcourt).  You might remember the blog post A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter 1 where we learnt about the wonderful painter Carl Larsson?

Who are Bukowskis?

Bukowskis is the biggest auction house in the Nordics with a focus on fine art, design, crafts, oriental antiques and last but not least jewellery, where we are the market leading auction house by a wide margin.  Bukowskis was founded in 1870 and we have since conducted well guarded auctions with the involvement of royalty, as well as scandalous artists.  In 2014 Andy Warhols’ last work The Last Supper was sold at Bukowskis for 50 million Swedish crowns (ca. £4.3 million).

So lovely to see the works of some famous Swedish painters – here Alfred Wahlberg, ‘Fog over Huskvarna Stream’ 1884

What do your jewellery auctions look like?

At Bukowskis you can buy jewellery in three different ways.  On www.bukowskis.com you can place your online bids for diamonds and exciting jewellery around the clock.  At Fashion & Diamonds that takes place twice a year (autumn and spring) we combine designer clothing and designer costume jewellery with cool accessories – and real diamonds.  It is an unbelievably popular auction!  (The catalogue publication starts on 19th September).  Twice a year the most expensive jewellery is sold at Klassiska, in June and December.  The stunning pearl earrings will for example be on sale in December.

A pair of natural drop-shaped saltwater pearl and diamond girandole earrings. Bukowskis Auction

Oh yes, do tell us more about these sensational pearl earrings!

These are earrings for a real princess!  The design brings our thoughts to daughters of Renaissance rulers and you can almost hear the rustle of silk and elaborate lace collars.  The earrings feature some beautiful diamonds as well as six drop formed natural saltwater pearls in girandole style.  They are 6.5cm long and made out of 18 carat white gold.

Circa 3.50 ct cushion cut diamond ring. Possibly by Cartier. Quality circa ca E-F/VS2. Circa 1910 – 1920. Bukowskis Auction

Any other pieces of jewellery that have recently stood out  at your auctions?

We are experiencing a strong revival for pearls.  They must be real pearls and big in size!  In June this year we sold a remarkable brooch; the pearl was almost two centimeters wide and shaped like a banana (see photo below).  The setting was inventive and tasteful and it became the most expensive pearl that has ever been sold at an auction in Sweden: 3 million SEK (ca. £258,000)

Bukowskis Pearl brooch sold for 3 million kronor in June 2014

So do I need to add that we will be on pins and needles to see how much the earrings sell for at the December sale?!  I do of course promise to keep you guys updated, and I would love to hear how you would style them, if you had the chance to wear them one whole evening!  I think that I would go for hair up in a soft, loose bun and a floor length dress with a high neck, so that a necklace wouldn’t be required, to really highlight these beautiful earrings!  Ahh, a girl can always dream, right?  

Bukowskis ‘The Classic Sale’

Viewing: Nov 25 – Dec 1 2014, 11am – 6pm

Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm.

Auction: Dec 2 – 5 2014

Wahrendorffsgatan 8, Stockholm

An Antique Swedish ‘Moraklocka’ at Nordic Style

 

Antique Moraklocka at Nordic Style in Wimbledon

So the very special piece of furniture at Nordic Style, which I mentioned on Monday in the post A Trip to the new Nordic Style in Wimbledon, is an antique Swedish Moraklocka!  This can probably best be translated as a type of Grandfather Clock made in the town Mora in Sweden and today we are looking into the history of this lovely design:

Antique Moraklocka at Nordic Style in Wimbledon

General Grandfather clocks were actually invented in England around the 17th century.  They quickly grew in popularity and could soon be found ticking away in castles around Sweden.  A century later they had become real status symbols in society and great manufacturing products in Sweden.  The first Swedish clocks were made at Stjärnsund in the county Dalarna, which soon became the place where clockmakers received their training and created the most beautiful clocks.  A huge part of Mora’s population were eventually involved in the trade in one way or another, and travelling salespeople brought the pieces with them and sold them across the country.

A Moraklocka at Nordic Style in Wimbledon

The name of the buyer was often written on the face of the clock

There was a system to making these clocks and usually a clockmaker would create the clockwork whereas a carpenter made the cover.  The clockwork would often carry the signature of the maker, whereas the cover remained unsigned – despite the beautiful handiwork.  It was also common practice to write the name of the buyer on the face of the clock, which we can see in the picture above.

The inside of a Moraklocka

… and another view of the inside of the clock

For a clock to be rightly be called a Moraklocka the clockwork must come from Mora, but not necessarily the cover.  The style of the cover was a straight design until around year 1800, inspired by the English grandfather clocks.  After that the style of Rococo inspired a curvy cover, which remained the popular style until late into the 19th century, and I was delighted to find that covers were often given local characteristics by painters in the different Swedish parishes.  The oldest known signed Moraklocka dates back to 1750. (2)

Nordic Style Scandinavian Furniture in Wimbledon Village

They have a lovely selection of Moraklockor at Nordic Style, which you can find here.

Sources:

(1) Klockimport.com

(2) Wikipedia – Moraklocka

A trip to the new Nordic Style in Wimbledon

 

Nordic Style in Wimbledon

Well I was very pleased to receive an invitation to Nordic Style’s new shop last week, as I haven’t been down to Wimbledon in quite some time and I definitely haven’t receieved my dose of Swedish furniture in a long time either!  You might remember an earlier series of posts from their Chelsea shop, where we fell in love with the romantic designs of classic Swedish furniture: A Nordic Style Dream in London (I, II and III).

A good example of the neutral palette that is so typical for Swedish interior design 

Well, how exciting that they are now expanding and this time into the beautiful Wimbledon Village.  The Village is the most divine little part of London with charming little shops and coffee places, the perfect place to meet the girlfriends for a fika (the closest English equivalent is probably afternoon tea, or just tea really as you meet your friends for a cup of tea or coffee and some cake) or dinner and drinks.  Especially perfect in this Mediterranean weather that we are currently experiencing..!

Halland Chest of 3 drawers

The shop is, as always, so beautifully decorated with softly coloured furniture, fabrics, beautiful tableware and accessories.  I obviously love seeing all the names of the pieces, as they make me feel so at home: Halland, Skogaholm, Karlsholm…

All the beautiful accessories…

Walking around in the shop just makes me want a whole new house to decorate!  I do love mixing things up for that unique look that is just my own, and from Nordic Style I would first of all go for their Gustavian Oak Bookcase:

I am in love with this Gustavian oak bookcase…

I would also lose myself in all their gorgeous accessories, like my favourite tray below, that I would just love to stack with a gorgeous and healthy breakfast for that Saturday-breakfast-in-bed-situation!

… and I definitely know where to get my perfect breakfast tray now!!

Some elegant tableware 

I would love to hear what you think of this Nordic style – is this how you would decorate your house?  Do you see anything here that you just love?

I was most of all tempted by a very special piece of antique furniture in the shop and I think that I will just have to save it for the next blog post – so do stay tuned my dear!

For all of you with a romantic taste in decorating… how much do you love this shabby chic lampshade? 

 

And this is where you can visit them:

Nordic Style
7 High Street,
Wimbledon Village,
London, SW19 5DX

A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter III

We are on the third chapter on the Nordic Style series and today we are looking at this beautiful fireplace, some classic Swedish tableware and our beloved writer Elsa Beskow:

Classic Swedish fireplace at Nordic Style Chelsea, Swedish Interior

Having lived abroad for almost seven years, the one thing I cannot help but reflect on is the incredibly comfortable indoor climate in Finland and Sweden.  In countries where -30 degrees Celsius is not unheard of, proper insulation is obviously a must, but how did people do it back in the days before radiators and modern heating came along?

The beautiful Farmhouse Table at Nordic Style

In the 18th century an energy crisis roamed in Europe, and there was a lack of firewood because of the ironworks’ wasteful ways.  On top of that houses were heated with open fireplaces that let out 90% of the heat – not exactly super efficient.  So two gentlemen, Carl Johan Cronstedt och Fabian Wrede (1), were tasked with solving the problem and developed a system that lead the heat through various pipes and spread the heat around the house.  Sweden soon received a reputation in the rest of Europe of being able to successfully sustain warm and lovely houses even through the long and cold winters – and beautiful fireplaces now adorned the homes.

The beautifully set Christmas table at Nordic Style 

Now let’s return to Nordic Style: I just love how they have set the tables in the shop – using very soft grays, whites – and of course also reds for Christmas.  I actually ended up buying the table runner that you see above, and it is the perfect addition to my Christmas table!  I am very tempted to also get the lovely Elliot Napkins above as well…

Aunt Brown’s Birthday (Tant Bruns Födelsedag) from 1925

They also have the sweetest touches of classic Swedish details in the shop, like this book by our beloved writer Elsa Beskow (1874-1953).  Swedish children – and children all over the world thanks to translation – have grown up with these books for over 100 years.  Elsa Beskow was a fascinating woman; she started telling stories as soon as she could speak, and having been brought up in a liberal home where the women’s movement was supported, she also expressed the values and ideals that she stood for in the books. (2)

I could really go on and write about this beautiful shop forever, but I will just go ahead and recommend that you visit the shop on Lots Road in Chelsea!  Thank you to Nordic Style for having me over and for bringing such beautiful pieces of Sweden to London.

 Sources:

(1) Stockholms Läns Museum

(2) Floris Books – Elsa Beskow

A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter II

The beautiful chandeliers at Nordic Style

My favourite part about writing this blog is visiting a shop and being inspired to research an era – and then share the fascinating history with you.  This is exactly what happened at Nordic Style, when I came across a few pieces of their Gustavian-style furniture.

Gustavian pieces of furniture are absolutely beautiful and this also happened to be a very interesting time in the history of Swedish design.  It was in fact branched into two eras: Early Gustavian (Höggustaviansk stil) which held some streaks of rococo design and reigned in Sweden approximately from 1772 until 1785, and Late Gustavian style (Sengustaviansk stil) which took over in 1785 and lasted until 1810 and was far less elaborate in style (1).

Classic designs at Nordic Style

Höggustaviansk stil was introduced by King Gustav III, after he spent months at the court of Versailles and wanted to create his own “Paris of the North” upon his return to Sweden (2).  He ordered for his palaces to be redecorated in Louis XVI style, which meant that the dark Swedish winter evenings were suddenly lit up by gilded mirrors and beautifully designed crystal chandeliers.  The trend caught on quickly and soon town houses and country cottages of the more well-to-do families in Sweden were all decorated in Gustavian style – albeit a more rustic and homely interpretation than that of the King (3).

Nordic Style Chelsea, Swedish Interior

Sengustaviansk stil was characterised by strict shapes and less ornamental designs than Höggustavians stil.  France had previously been a great source of inspiration when it came to style and interior, but Sweden now turned to England for ideas – a natural result of the Franco-Swedish War in 1805-07.

The war is obviously a long story but in short Sweden wanted to help England get rid of the fierce Napoleon, when he pronounced himself king of Italy in 1805 and then rather ruthlessly executed young Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon (4).  There was a lot of fighting back and fort that led to a strong opposition in Sweden towards everything French during this time.  The resistance was especially strong in Gustav IV Adolf’s circles and since they were the main trendsetters, their choices naturally affected design and style across the country.

Later in the 1800’s Provincial Gustavian style was made popular by Carl and Karin Larsson, which we learnt more about in the previous post: A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I.

Old school Swedish kitchen sofa, Nordic Style, Chelsea, Swedish interior London

The piece of furniture that inspired me to write this blog piece on Nordic Style in the first place was this 18th century original Swedish settle.  For me it brings back such wonderful memories of a beautiful farmhouse that belonged to a friend’s family and where we spent a lot of time as children.  They had furniture very similar to this settle as they had kept the house close to its original style with stunning wooden floors, Windsor-style chairs, lots of red/white and blue/white chequered fabrics and of course chickens roaming in the garden!

Clever storage often used by the maid of the house 

These settles – or sofas – were common in Swedish homes a few hundred years ago, and you can still easily find them scattered around Swedish kitchens.  Back in the days there was often no padding in the backrest or – for some inexplicable reason – on the seat.  Small cushions would sometimes be used to make it a little bit softer though.  These pieces of furniture were often given to the maid in the house to use as a bed, if she didn’t have her own room.  She would keep her clothes and work outfits in the storage space under the seat – an excellent solution for teeny tiny modern day London flats if I may say so!

I am very happy to say that today it is completely acceptable to make your sofa lovely and comfortable by decorating it with cushions and pretty throws.  I would LOVE to have one of these in my kitchen one day, preferably in front of a window, by a big dining table similar to the ones that we can see above.  It would be a terribly comfy one though, as I can’t imagine anything less appealing than an uncomfortable sofa – no matter how traditional it is!

We have one more post coming about Nordic Style – and the previous one you can find here: A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I.

Sources:

(1) Wikipedia – Gustaviansk Stil

(2) Inspirations from France and Italy by Betty Lou Philips

(3) ft.com – Interiors: the trend for Gustavian

(4) Encyclopaedia Britannica

A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I

Nordic Style, 109 Lots Road, SW10 0RN, London

On Saturday I finally made it over Nordic Style, a wonderful Swedish interior shop based in Chelsea.

 Decorated with the most beautiful pieces of Swedish furniture

Stepping into the shop was like arriving in a classic Swedish home; one that I one day intend to live in, whether it is here in the UK or in Sweden!  The tables were so tastefully set and the classic candle holders, table runners and lovely red flowers brought that warm, cosy Christmas feeling that we long for this time of year.

Carl Larsson table £2995 at Nordic Style 

I fell in love with this Carl Larsson-style table with its unique blue details in the cream coloured wood (see picture below).  In fact, the table awoke my interest in historical Swedish designs, so I will use these beautiful pieces of furniture as a backdrop when telling you about a few fascinating interior styles that have prevailed in Sweden over the past few hundred years.

Carl Larsson (1853-1919) is one of the most beloved Swedish artists through times, and together with his wife Karin Larsson (1859-1928) he lived a life dedicated to family and the arts.  Carl was a painter and his works – especially the ones of his wife, their eight children and their home Hyttnäs in Sundbord – became very popular and reached a worldwide audience.  This quote from Carl Larsson’s offical website gives a wonderful description of Carl and Karin (1):

“Lilla Hyttnäs became Carl och Karin’s mutual art project in which their artistic talents found expression in a very modern and personal architecture, colour scheme and interior design.  Carl’s paintings and books have made Lilla Hyttnäs one of the world’s most familiar homes. But not only that. The quality of the light, Karin’s liberated gift for interior design and the lively family life as it is depicted in Carl’s beloved watercolours, has become almost synonymous with our picture of Sweden.” – from the official homepage of Carl Larsson

A closer look at the Carl Larsson table 

Carl drew inspiration from the English Arts and Crafts designs, as well as Art Nouveau.  He and Karin thought about the long, dark winters in Sweden and so cleverly brightened interiors by using lots of whites, light creams and all the beautiful light blues, sage and pinks.  They also made sure that the little amount of light that was available in the winter, was accentuated by intricately carved wooden mirrors around the house.  Accessories were kept to a minimum, and a decorative look was created through stenciling on walls and textiles (2).  

Lilla Hyttnäs is today a museum open to the public, and the house, its interior, the paintings and designs left behind are still the most wonderful source of inspiration to people all around the world (2).  It is not uncommon for design houses and interior shops in Sweden to encourage their own designers to turn to Karin Larsson’s work for inspiration for new collections, and I found a lovely example of this at the home ware shop Hemtex here.

Given all the beautiful pieces in the shop I have decided to split up this post into a few separate chapters.  Do stay tuned my dear and we will continue our adventure in just a few days.

 

Sources:

(1) The official homepage of Carl Larsson

(2) Inspirations from France & Italy by Betty Lou Phillips

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Artist’s Studio-chapter

Welcome to today’s Your Secret Jewellery Collection, which has travelled over from Stockholm to be with us today.  The owner is an artist and pattern designer, as well as a wonderful seamstress, and I am hoping to present to you some of her creations later on in the summer.  However, let’s start with her treasure trove:

 Necklaces of different lengths and designs on a mannequin – the perfect jewellery display

If I could fit a mannequin into my bedroom I would definitely follow her lead on this one.  See how beautifully displayed all the necklaces are – no stressing around trying them on to see what they look like with your outfit, here they are easily reached and you are ready to meet the girls for a drink in just a few minutes!  Hanging together like this they obviously also create a beautiful piece of art.  We can see a fabulous mix of everything from H&M pieces, flee market bargains and handmade creations, to precious pieces from her grandmother’s jewellery box.

From grandmother’s jewellery case

Her own design! 

I was also delighted to find out that we both share a love for using Charbonnel et Walker-boxes for our jewellery – you might remember reading about them the other week?

An absolute pleasure writing about these beauties, thanks dear for sharing, and I hoping to eventually show off some of your designs as well.

You can see all the previous Your Secret Jewellery Collections here!

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Before and After-chapter

Today’s secret jewellery collection has been sent in by a young lady who has recently moved house, which means that we are being treated to the before and after photos of the treasure trove:

The before-photo of her collection…

Above is a shot of her old collection, where some paintings by Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946) can be seen in the background.  Helene is one of the most important Nordic artists and was an artistic child prodigy; she was accepted as a drawing student at the Finnish Art Society in 1873 at the age of eleven, which was a full five years younger than the average student.

The national gallery of Finland, Ateneum Art Museum, are giving us a very interesting background on Helene if you are keen to read a bit more.  I have also been looking up some of her works in connection with writing this post, and completely fallen in love with Dancing Shoes, 1882.  Have a look online and let me know what you think of her paintings – did you find a favourite?

… and after-photo number one…

And here are the after shots of the jewellery collection!  I love how the tones go so well together and makes it all look incredibly elegant.  We have already dipped our toes in the beautiful land of Iittala-design, and we are now continuing down this path, as today we are presented with this lovely Iittala Vitriini jewellery box and the Mariskooli.

Since Iittala Vitriini come in different sizes you can keep everything from small earrings and rings to bigger bracelets and necklaces in them – you can also easily match the colours as you wish within the collection.  The same goes for Mariskooli, although my favourite size is the one you can see above, the Mariskooli 15.5.cm, as it is the only one that fits all of my lovely necklaces – and clearly this young lady agrees.  The beautiful gold mirror is from an antique market and the metal case is from Spitalfields Market.

… and after-photo number two!

We can also see a few Chanel perfumes above, which I think is a lovely choice as perfumes by your jewellery make the collection look even more beautiful and elegant.  My thoughts are immediately drawn to 1920’s dressing tables with the big mirrors, pump perfume bottles, jewellery and make up.

And while we are on the topic: the one thing we have learnt is not to allow any perfume to go onto the jewellery, as it makes the metals go dull.  So always put your makeup and perfume on before your jewellery – just like our grandmothers did – and it will remain beautiful for a long long time.

So thank you so much dear for sharing your beautiful collection with us – I am sure that today’s post will inspire some of you to revamp your jewellery corners!

Our previous Your Secret Jewellery Collection posts can be found here, in case you have missed out on any of them.

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Dubai chapter

Today is Wednesday, which of course is Your Secret Jewellery Collection-day, so let’s see what you, our darling readers, are treating us to today:

 

This postcard is from Dubai, where our lovely lady has chosen to display her dazzling wedding rings in Iittala’s Vitriini bowl.  We also love how she has decorated her jewellery shelf with the Kastehelmi candleholders, that create the most beautiful glow with some candle light.

Sweet and fun colours with a wonderful message – what more do you need create a happy jewellery shelf?

The Iittala bowls are just perfect for displaying jewellery, with their simple and elegant lines that lift out the beauty in the gemstones and metals of your favourite pieces.  I have noticed that quite a few of you use them for this very purpose, and I am delighted that we Londoners are able to find these gorgeous Finnish designs at Skandium, one of my favourite shops!

Gosh such stunning rings as well!

Thank you so much lovely for sharing this with us today.  It shows that the only thing stopping us when decorating our jewellery shelves is our own imagination – so do let it run wild and you will create something beautiful!

We are loving this vintage-inspired shelf!  I have been on the look out for some gorgeous vintage suitcases for a loong long time – just like the ones above!

And just in case you have missed the previous Your Secret Jewellery Collection-posts, two dazzlings ones are waiting for you here:

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – part 1

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the New York Chapter

Frock Me! 1960s style and beyond

 This post is long overdue and I have so been looking forward to bringing it to you!  We are back at the Frock Me! vintage fair at Chelsea Town Hall, making the acquaintance of the fabulous Frillseekers Vintage:

The next Frock Me! vintage fair will be at Chelsea Town Hall on Sunday June 30th, 11am-5.30pm

At first I thought that the stall was focused on 1960s design, but it turned out that it was just my inexplicable love for 60s design that made me zoom in on those pieces!  They do however carry a great range of items all the way from the 1920s and have the most beautiful pieces for day and evening wear.

I was oh so pleased to find the gorgeous jacket above, as I adore the tall 60s collars – think Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn.  The top above was just so beautiful in its elegant white, gray and black colours and the distinctive cut.  It was a size too big for me, but some lucky lady will buy it and I know that they will live happily ever after!

Buttons above that are so characteristic of the 60’s 

I found myself drawn to the patterns above, and from chatting with the trader Caroline we agreed that there were strong Marimekko influences in these pieces.  Marimekko is, as you might already know, a very famous Finnish brand that has been around since 1951.  I have always been surrounded with these beautiful patterns, and they are fascinating as the style seems to appeal to so many people.  I even ran into a lovely Marimekko wall piece in Cape Town once – you can probably imagine how proud that made my Finnish self!  I am now very pleased to have found a Marimekko shop in London, as  it is the perfect antidote to homesickness for me!

Now back to Frillseekers – I was very pleased to find out that we can make appointments with Caroline at her studio, or find her on Portobello Market on Fridays, and get the chance to buy these amazing pieces.  So to market, to market my friend!