The warm beiges in this beautiful Swedish apartment are combined with fresh tints of green and a beautiful exposed brick wall in the bedroom. The color scheme consists of warm and cool beige paint colors, which provide the perfect canvas for the subtle accessories and wall art in the beige rooms and the white kitchen.

A warm beige living room with an abundance of natural light

The living room has an abundance of daylight coming in through those big windows leading up to the balcony. The beige walls in this space give the room a very warm look and feel and the wall color makes the white door and window frames and the white trim color on the ceiling stand out in an elegant way.

Beige is the perfect neutral color to use on your walls if you are looking for a warm effect in a space. A beige room can be so characterful when you pick out a mid-to-darker tone like in this beautiful living room. The beige makes the room cozy and inviting, while also adding depth to the interior.

The white sofa (it’s the Ikea Soderhamn model with a Bemz custom cover*), combined with the white fluffy area rug lightens up the space, while the beige walls add a warm element. The nude pink throw pillows enhance the beige color of the walls, while the light and dark brown wood tones in the coffee tables and the black leather vintage armchair add some contrast. The fresh green fiddle fig tree in front of the window adds a fresh touch to the color palette.

Beige wall paint on open shelving in a former doorway

I think the open shelving is one of the elements that stand out so nicely in the interior design of the living room. The beige paint on the former doorway and the built-in floating shelving are the same as the wall color, which gives the shelves an integrated look. Such a great way of utilizing a doorway that’s not in use anymore.

An exposed brick wall combined with a cool beige wall color in the bedroom

The exposed brick wall behind the bed is the main focal point of the entire interior, as it stands out when looking from the living room into the bedroom through those historic double doors. Note that only part of the wall has been kept exposed, while the rest of the space has a subtle tone on the walls.

The nude pink pillows and the beige bedding make a visual connection with the adjacent living space and the grouped fabric pendants take center stage against the dark red and orange tints of the bricks behind it.

The vintage desk next to the window has been painted in the same color as the wall for a tone-on-tone effect and the XL round mirror reflects the daylight and the space in a beautiful way.

A white kitchen with a small dining area inside a niche

What stands out the most in this rather basic white kitchen is the dining room area in front of the window. The small round dining table with the crisp white linen table cloth combines so nicely with the light oak dining chairs and the large paper shade pendant above the table.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Henrik Linden for Alvhem

This beautiful and compact apartment in Sweden is not quite as small as a studio apartment, since it has a small bedroom that is separated from the rest of the living space, yet it has some really nice space-saving solutions that are easily applicable to studio apartments as well.

If you are looking for more inspiration on how to decorate compact spaces, have a look at my post about inspiring small studio apartments.

A kitchen and living area with combined functionality

The living space has a compact kitchen, dining room, and sofa area all combined in one room, yet this functionality-packed space doesn’t look too crowded. This is because the selected furniture fits a small floor space, leaving enough white space around the pieces.

The compact kitchen is based upon the Ikea Veddinge line in grey, combined with chrome and leather handles from Beslag design and white stone countertops. The one-wall layout of the kitchen fits perfectly in between the two doorways and the layout consists of bottom cupboards only for a lighter look. The wall above the kitchen counter holds a stainless steel hood combined with stainless steel open shelving, which pairs up nicely with the chrome details in the handles and the faucet.

For extra storage space, a custom wardrobe with mirrored doors was built into the corner of the living area. The reflection on the mirrored doors makes the room seem larger and lighter, a trick that can be beneficial in any small or studio apartment.

The greige wall color on the walls pairs up nicely with the grey cabinet colors in the kitchen and the beige curtains in front of the windows bring out the warm undertones in the beautiful and elegant paint color.

The small round dining table seats 3 and is perfect for small space living. Its white marble table top combined with the black metal legs brings a lovely contrast to the room together with the beautiful black leather sofa. The wood tones on the coffee table and on the lounge chair are different from the color of the hardwood floors, which makes the palette interesting.

A separate bedroom with smart storage space

When decorating studio apartments or small one-bedroom apartments, it’s important to use vertical space for storage to make up for the lack of square footage or meters. This small apartment has a separate bathroom and a small bedroom that can be accessed from the living and dining room.

The limited wall space in this bedroom has been used in such an optimal way, by building a custom-wardrobe solution around the bed. This way, the sleeping and storage functionality are combined in a very efficient way and you create a little niche space for the bed, which has such a cozy effect.

I recently compiled a list of built-in wardrobe ideas that go over the bed in case you are looking to implement a similar solution in your bedroom.

via Innerstadsspecialisten

This classic turn-of-the-century apartment in Sweden looks both classy and playful at the same time. The refurbished historical details throughout the space give the interior a classy Scandinavian design look, combined with pastel tints and subtle patterns for an interior design that is elegant, yet playful and characterful at the same time.

Light grey walls and a playful Scandinavian interior design in the living room

The apartment has the most beautiful natural light coming in through those historic windows and I love that the heating has been built into white cladding for an integrated look. The living room has light grey paint on the walls with yellow and green undertones. The undertones are very subtle, yet make enough of an impact to make the white trim and floorboards stand out in an elegant way. The beautiful historic fireplace with brass details adorns the living room corner and adds a chic touch to the space.

The polka dot sofa is from the Swedish brand Meli Meli and adds such a playful element to the space. The pastel color palette of the rug underneath the sofa adds a beautiful texture to the living room and at the same time provides a beautiful touch of pastel color in this Scandinavian interior.

A light grey kitchen combined with subtle light gray paint on the walls

The kitchen has clean lines, which are enhanced with a dark grey granite countertop and chrome cabinet knobs from Swedish Beslag design. The kitchen cabinets look Ikea Bodbyn, yet I think the owners or interior designer of this beautiful apartment has painted them in the same subtle color as the grey walls for a tone-on-tone look.

The open shelving on one side of the kitchen has been painted in the same paint color as the walls as well and they offer a great sport for displaying the prettiest kitchen elements.

The dining room area contains a vintage dining table with black and natural bentwood chairs that have been placed in front of a beautiful bay window. I love how the different wood elements of the furniture and flooring look together.

A classic gray bedroom with built-in cabinets in the same color

The bedroom has been painted in a slightly darker warm gray color, which pairs nicely with the beige and cream tones in the headboard, lamps, prints, and the textiles on the bed. The gray walls are matched with the gray paint color on the custom-built wardrobe in the bedroom for a tone-on-tone look combined with the same chrome handles as the ones used in the kitchen.

via Innerstadsspecialisten

This small Scandinavian interior has a shared living and sleeping space and a separate kitchen. The building has historic features, with high ceilings that make the small apartment seem more spacious. In both rooms, you can find a subtle touch of green, which ties the designs of the adjacent spaces together and adds a fresh touch to the space.

I recently wrote a roundup blog post about inspiring small studio apartments as well, in case you want to decorate an even smaller apartment.

A classic gray living and sleeping space with a Scandinavian interior design

The beautiful crown molding on the ceiling in the living room really stands out against the gray paint color on the walls. The natural light coming through those white turn-of-the-century windows is softened out by the beige curtains and the light-soaped oak hardwood flooring.

The white fluffy area rug contributes to a light palette in the living space and also visually separates the sleeping and lounging area from each other. The white sofa and soft furnishings really stand out against the warm gray walls for a sophisticated look with a Scandinavian design touch.

The black mirrored side table and the black String shelf on the wall add so much contrast to the white fabrics and the gray paint color, while the cognac leather pouf and the terracotta duvet cover add some lovely warm tones to the mix.

The green coffee table is about the only piece of color in the living room and it has such an impressive effect on the space. It adds freshness, while still being subtle and modest and I think it contrasts nicely with the warm undertones in the light gray paint on the walls.

A basic white kitchen with a cozy dining room area

The kitchen has been painted in an off-white that is barely noticeable, yet it does make the white kitchen cabinets and the white trim on the ceiling stand out in a subtle way.

The dining room area consists of a small round dining table in light oak, which is so typical in Scandinavian interiors and stands out nicely against the light color of the area rug. The Ant chairs in white are joined by a single green one, which makes the look so playful. I love the way the touch of green comes back here in one of the dining chairs and adds a green tone just like in the other room.

Mid to light gray paint colors to give a try to achieve this look

If you are looking for a gray paint color with subtle warm undertones like in the living space, you can try out a swatch of Farrow and Ball’s Lamp room gray*, which has a soft look in well-lit spaces.

Styled by Linnéa H. Manaberi, photographed by Henrik Linden for Alvhem

The open-plan kitchen with solid wood cabinets in this beautiful apartment is a true focal point in the space and perfectly fills out the floor plan. The entire apartment has light grey walls, which provide a subtle backdrop for the dark solid wood kitchen cabinets and furniture pieces in the living room.

The bedroom features grey walls and a wardrobe in the same color for a hotel-style effect where the bed and nightstands have been integrated.

A living kitchen with wood cabinets and soft grey walls for a lovely contrast

The kitchen stands center-stage in this open-plan apartment which used to be two rooms that have been opened up. The kitchen cabinets are made out of dark wood, which adds so much character to the space and the beige limestone countertops match this natural color palette perfectly.

The kitchen layout has been spread over two opposing walls, with the area closest to the window containing only lower cabinets for a lighter look. The beautiful open shelving above the counter by the window provides a perfect spot for pretty ceramics and picture frames and I love how the lighter wood of the natural finish hardwood flooring is combined with the solid wood cabinets of the kitchen.

The gray paint in the space has not been painted all the way up to the ceiling, but rather a white trim mimics the effect of crown molding for a lighter and more elegant look. In the living area, an antique white-painted built-in closet adorns the corner, which stands out so nicely against the grey walls.

The dining table connects the kitchen with the living space and introduces two more wood tones to the material mix inside the interior. The light and dark blue elements in the wall hanging add a pop of color above the dining table, yet the color palette of the rest of the space has been kept very minimal and based on natural materials.

A bedroom with a tone-on-tone wardrobe

The bedroom has grey walls as well, a perfect backdrop to the subtle color palette, just like in the rest of the apartment, yet what’s interesting here is that the cabinet doors and the frame of the bedroom wardrobe have been covered in the same paint color as the walls, resulting in a custom cabinets solution that integrates storage on both sides of the bed.

The bed is decorated with a brown velvet headboard and a small space has been carved out of the wood cabinets. This niche serves as a bedside table and this whole setup resembles a hotel-like setting with the wall color tieing the look together nicely.

The bed is made with a peach-colored duvet cover combined with a chequered throw blanket and white wall lamps with gold details, which complement the grey walls of the bedroom and the paint color of the wardrobe.

I recently compiled a list of built-in wardrobe ideas that go over the bed in case you are looking to implement a similar solution in your bedroom.

Wrede

via Innerstadspecialisten

For the occasion of this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, Danish design brand Vipp has turned a 13th-century Italian palazzo into a pop-up hotel that displays an excellent fusion of Scandinavian minimalism combined with maximalist Baroque architectural elements of the Pallazzo.

The palace is decorated with beautiful frescoes and founder Edoardo Monti has hosted more than 200 artists in residence. The BAroque setting of the palace is turned into a liveable installation realized by Danish interior designer Julie Cloos Mølsgaard and the palace is the 7th hotel concept that has been added to the list of Vipp’s portfolio of hotels and guesthouses.

You can take a peek inside of the Vipp Cabin by the lake here, their loft in an old pencil factory here, or the Vipp Chimney house here.

The Vipp guest house is located on the first floor of the palace, reached by a staircase adorned by pastel frescoes. The rich color of the terracotta tiles in the living room and bedroom is lightened up with Vipp furniture pieces in off-white sofa fabric materials enhanced with pieces from the Vipp lighting collection that spread a soft and diffused light throughout the space.

The modular V1 kitchen in matt black takes center stage on top of a jade-tiled floor in the living kitchen, where modern interior elements contrast with the historic features of the palace. The art pieces add another dimension to the design of the pop-up hotel and tie this mixture of modern and historic together in an elegant and sophisticated way.

For the occasion of the pop-up hotel, Vipp is releasing the Monti Edition Swivel chair in a limited quantity, which is upholstered in a rich Italian textile made by renowned textile company Torri Lana. Palazzo Monti typically showcases art exhibitions and now, for the first time is hosting a liveable installation where guests can check-in to the palace.

This small apartment in Sweden has such a minimal color palette, with the subtle light gray paint color on the walls that has a beige undertone (greige, or gray-beige), light soap-washed hardwood flooring, and an abundance of natural light that comes through these beautiful historic windows.

The lighter shades of the walls and flooring set the stage for black accent furniture pieces in a high contrast, yet minimal look. The crown molding and the ceiling have been painted white, while the window and door frames and the floorboards have been covered in a greige paint color that is slightly darker than the walls, making them stand out in a subtle and elegant way.

A warm gray living and dining space with black and white furniture pieces

The combined living and dining area is the biggest room in this rather small apartment, which has been designed to look more spacious with the selection of only a few elegant furniture pieces that are not too big so there is enough white space around them.

The white fabric sofa and off-white area rug brighten up the lounge area, with the black coffee table and PK 22 leather lounge chair adding a lot of contrast. Subtle black details come back in the ceramics on the floor and on the window sill as well, which is a nice touch. The wall art has a lighter color scheme as the wall color, which results in an interesting aesthetic.

Opposed to the sofa, in between the doorway of the kitchen and the bedroom, a low black bench is placed against the wall for displaying artwork, and a small HAY Matin table lamp fits the look perfectly. The greige and gray colors in the artwork complement the greige and gray paint colors of the wall and door frame, which looks very balanced.

The dining area next to the historic fireplace follows the clean and minimal lines of the rest of the living room interior and consists of a small black dining table and black Ant chairs which add so much contrast.

A small white kitchen with a black countertop

The kitchen has been fitted on both walls of the hallway, which is quite a challenge, however, I think the result is functional while still being aesthetically pleasing. The kitchen has been covered with ceiling high subway tiles and both upper and lower cabinets allow for enough storage space on a small surface.

Warm greige-gray walls in the bedroom combined with a wardrobe in the same paint color

The bedroom matches the same color palette as the rest of the apartment with a very modest and subtle look. The greige paint colors are used both on the wall and on the custom-built wardrobe, which results in a very integrated look.

The bed has been made with a mixture of gray, and beige textiles, and similar to the rest of the apartment, you can find just a hint of color in the green plant next to the bed.

Best greige paint colors to recreate the look

If you are looking for greige or gray paint color swatches to achieve a similar look inside your own home, you might want to give a swatch of Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth white* a try, which combined with white trim, might give this subtle and elegant play between colors. Combine this with Purbeck Stone* on the window and door frames for a greige paint color that is just slightly darker.

Gray-beige paint colors tend to be a little tricky to get right, so it’s really important to try out paint samples first. The daylight hitting your room can bring out more cool or yellow undertones and many warm colors in the furniture can bring out similar warm tones in the paint color as well. That said though, once you find the perfect neutral color palette for your walls, it’s easy to combine with black and white pieces in the furniture and soft furnishings to finish off the look.

Styled by Lingsell, photographed by Sjöström for Historiska Hem