EAST COAST STYLE A love of the historic houses of New England inspired the interior of this charming Swedish home, decorated in ever-elegant blue and white

Light, bright and beautiful, this Stockholm home was inspired by a love of easy New England charm

‘The HOUSE was in really bad SHAPE and I don’t think anyone else spotted the POTENTIAL’

Afew weeks after she had moved into her new home in Stockholm, a location scout knocked on Kristina Lindhe’s door asking if they could hire the house for filming. At the time Kristina, the founder and creative director of luxury homeware brand Lexington, was living in the property in its ‘before’ stage, where the ‘chill factor’ was very much in evidence and, indeed, the location scout had sought it out for its scary looks. Flash forward to today and it’s been completely transformed by Kristina who, through her creativity and design flair, has brought warmth and a real wow factor.

Kristina and her husband Tommy were attracted to the property because they could see its potential. ‘It needed a lot of work,’ she explains. ‘It had originally been built as a family home but had been converted to incorporate a granny flat, so there were two distinctly different spaces with two kitchens and two sets of stairs.’

Built in 1929, the house is a four-bedroom villa with the upper levels wider than the ground floor, resulting in an overhang. This chalet-style comes from Dalarna, a mountainous region in central Sweden that is synonymous with traditional costume, folk designs and painted Dala horses. ‘It was so dark,’ says Kristina, recalling her first visit to view the house. ‘The paintwork was brown and discoloured and some rooms were completely closed off.’ But the couple could instantly see what windows, light and opening out the space could do for the property. ‘We fell in love with it from day one,’ admits Kristina.

On moving in, Kristina vowed not to spend more than three months with the old kitchen, but the reality was nearer seven years! Having launched their home, fashion and textile company in the same year,

the family were pushed for time and had to take a gradually evolving approach to the renovations. ‘We were so busy with the company, I didn’t have time to make phone calls, oversee workmen coming in or even make key decisions about the house,’ Kristina says. ‘So we started with something easier, which was the bedrooms.’ They painted them white throughout, tackled the flooring and then the bathroom. In fact, the kitchen was the last room to be renovated.

The house was structurally sound and the couple opened out the space to turn it back into one big family home. Kristina had a clear idea of the look she wanted. ‘I’m inspired by the Hamptons, New England and the American East Coast – I love the old buildings,’ she explains. They opted for an ecofriendly ground source heat pump for warmth and hot water, with pipes buried deep under the garden to draw heat from the surrounding earth. It was an investment, but it got rid of the need for oil deliveries and has reduced the running costs.

Surrounded by a beautiful pine forest, the house has stunning views. ‘Our garden is not the best place for growing plants,’ admits Kristina, ‘the elk eat everything.’ But, a well-appointed deck offers a protected and low-maintenance area where the family can enjoy being outdoors.

Kristina considers the house to be in a constant state of flux and it continues to evolve. A few years ago, she and Tommy changed the floors from light wood to dark, and they’ve adapted the bedrooms and storage as their family has grown up. ‘With three children you end up with a lot of sports kit to store!’ But the Lindhe family home is beautifully calm. ‘Work is so busy,’ says Kristina. ‘We meet so many creative people and see so many wonderful new fabrics and the latest on-trend colours – but when we’re at home, I like everything to be still and restful.’

‘We have a lot of WINDOWS and an OPEN LAYOUT so the house is always LIGHT and BRIGHT’

‘I am inspired by THE HAMPTONS, New England and the American EAST COAST. I love the old buildings’

HOME PROFILE WHO LIVES HERE Kristina Lindhe, founder and creative director of homeware brand Lexington, and her husband Tommy THE PROPERTY A four-bedroom house in Stockholm built in 1929 LIVING ROOM Unfussy natural finishes and a neutral palette create a calm backdrop against which bolder colours are layered up. Large windows ensure the room has plenty of light, essential during dark winter days in Sweden

KITCHEN Kristina in the heart of the home. The renovation of the kitchen was the top priority when the family moved in, but due to its size, it ended up having to wait until last

TABLE DETAIL Having the pick of her own homeware ranges means Kristina can be sure the table is always immaculately dressed, whether for everyday meals or entertaining

DINING ROOM A relaxed setting for lunch, this space looks equally beautiful by candlelight for dinner. Kristina advocates keeping to a set palette to help rooms flow into one another

PLATE RACK This doubles up as storage and display with its red, white and blue chargers offering a nod to East Coast style. The painted stars were found on a trip to the US

HALLWAY A few years ago Kristina changed the flooring throughout from blond wood to dark-stained parquet. It works well with simple white painted walls and shelving for an elegant pared-back look against which personal items and flowers sing out