WHERE TIME STANDS STILL

The owner of this farmhouse in the Hälsingland region of Sweden has gone to elaborate lengths to preserve its character

Owned by the same family for centuries, the update of this home was a labour of love

When Monica Liljedahl inherited the farm that had been in her family since the late 1600s, she vowed to honour and restore its traditional interiors. ‘It’s the house that set up the rules and I have had to listen carefully,’ she says. Such was Monica’s devotion to the renovation of the property that during the project, she herself became an authority on the paint stencilling and splatter techniques that are so characteristic of the region.

Hälsingland, in central Sweden, is famous for its decorated farmhouses, which are so well preserved that collectively the area has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like the others, Monica’s farm is comprised of a large farmhouse with around 15 smaller buildings surrounding it. Typical of the agricultural properties in Hälsingland, the house’s timber walls are painted in the red Falu paint that is made from by-products of the mining process at the famous Falun mine.

For Monica, who works as a librarian and lives in Stockholm, inheriting the farm meant seizing every available opportunity to escape the city with her family – whether it be for Easter, midsummer or the crayfish parties of late summer. ‘It’s a fantastic place to have for the weekends,’ she says. ‘It takes about three-and-a-half hours to reach by car. In autumn, there is an abundance of foraging to be done, for berries and mushrooms. In the winter, we can ski and in the summer, we have our own swimming spot by the forest river; and, of course, we have a sauna,’ she adds, gleefully.

Despite the passing of time, the farm has very much clung on to its original character. ‘It’s still entirely intact and has never been subdivided, so it hasn’t changed,’ says Monica. Up until 1965, the farm was used purely for agriculture, but it has since become a holiday retreat. ‘The fields are leased to local farmers to keep the landscape open,’ she says.

Much of the property’s original furniture, which was made on the farm, has been preserved, with Monica supplementing these heirlooms with her own finds from antiques markets. ‘The old table in the kitchen is marked with the date 1750 and the cabinet 1826,’ she says. Passing through the house, the rooms are like individual time capsules, each one with a distinct character that comes from the differing periods. ‘My family never threw anything away so every room maintains the style of the period it was decorated in,’ says Monica. In the oldest part, the kitchen and parlour, she worked tirelessly to scrape away the wallpaper to reveal the timber walls complete with moss growing between the panels.

But the particular focus of the restoration was on the stencil (schablon) and splatter patterns and wallpaper that are so unique to the farmhouses of Hälsingland. ‘I took a course to learn stencil painting and how to make my own oil tempera,’ she says. Under the layers of wallpaper, she found the original styles, which she restored. Where it wasn’t possible, she sourced patterns that were typical of the area. Donning a swimming cap, Monica used an old whisker made of birch twigs to create a splatter paint effect in the study and hallway, thoroughly dousing herself during the process.

There is little or no evidence of the modern way of life at the farm, with Monica often favouring candlelight over electric. ‘Each room tells its own story and there are many tales from the farm,’ she says. ‘We even have our own ghost, said to be a nurse in a 19th-century uniform.’ But unlike the apparition, Monica’s farm is very real, and remains an atmospheric and unforgettable piece of Swedish rural culture.

INSIDER INSIGHT

Monica Liljedahl shares her tips

QUICK DECORATING FIX

You can never have too many wild flower arrangements to make an interior inviting. We’re lucky to have so many growing in our garden.

SECRET ADDRESS Svenskt Tenn – I love the Josef Frank fabrics

SMALL BUDGET, BIG IMPACT In my old barns, I found benches, tools and buckets that were never designed for a domestic interior but make great additions to a rustic kitchen. LAST EXHIBITION VISITED The Affordable

Art Fair in Stockholm.

EXTERIOR Large, brightly coloured porches are a common feature among the farms of Hšlsingland

KITCHEN A carpenter made units to match the original grey one by the window. The stencilling on the walls is an original Hälsingland pattern. Find a similar marriage cupboard at The Decorative Collective

STUDY Monica peeled back many layers to reveal the original wallpaper, which she restored. The combination of border paper, stencilling and splatter paint adds quirky character. For a globe like this one, try Stanfords

LIVING AREA In this room – one of the oldest in the house – moss can be seen between the wooden panels. Monica spent hours stripping back the walls to reveal the original timber. Try John Lewis & Partners for a sheepskin rug

EXTERIOR The farmhouse is painted in the traditional red Falu paint of the region, which is made from by-products of the mining process at Falun mine

HALLWAY The orange wall colour was created using a locally made matt linseed oil paint. Monica’s grandmother made the rag rug; Trendcarpet sells similar designs from Sweden

BEDROOM Pure white bedding and a pale green wall lift the dark wood tones, while the delicate sheer curtain adds a sense of whimsical romance. Wall in linseed oil paint by Gysinge