This beautiful duplex apartment in Sweden (styled by Anna van Keppel, photographed by Elin Sylwan for Historiska Hem) has so much character and personality. The black kitchen and large dining area seem to be the heart of the apartment, from where you can take the spiral staircase up to the second floor where there is a bedroom and an office space hidden underneath the roof.

The asymmetrical living room layout features a curved sofa, a curved coffee table, and a custom module for the TV. The dining area in the adjacent kitchen has a color palette that complements the one of the living room.

On the second level, you can find a bedroom with a built-in wardrobe around the bed for optimal use of storage and a home office with a desk integrated into the window sill.

What is a duplex apartment?

A duplex apartment is an apartment that is spread over two floors, with a staircase that can be accessed from inside the apartment. Often the apartments underneath the roof don’t have so much usable floor space, so by connecting two floors together, you make one bigger unit.

Sometimes you will even have a separate entrance for the second floor, but that’s usually when two units are transformed into one unit with more space.

A kitchen with black cabinets and a beautiful living area

On the lower level of the duplex apartment, you have the living kitchen with a big dining table and a living room. The kitchen was fitted in a rather awkward layout, but works nicely with its U-shape and still leaves ample space for a large vintage dining table.

I love the style of the limestone wall by the sink, which has been covered with a plexiglass backsplash for an interesting combination of textures. The black cabinets add so much contrast to the warm undertones of the off-white walls and I like the wooden floating shelves and countertops for an effortless yet warm style.

The black kitchen is finished off with a butcher block countertop paired with a black countertop by the sink and floating shelves for keeping glasses, cups, and cookbooks.

The wall shelves are custom-made to fit the width of the wall exactly, making the asymmetrical layout of the kitchen less obvious.

A spacious kitchen dining area with an impressive wall rug

The large wood dining table paired with oak wood dining chairs in front of the kitchen window is paired with a black tulip lamp and an impressive hanging wall rug that adds a beautiful array of warm colors to the setting.

A living room with an awkward layout

It’s not so easy to decorate a room with angled walls, yet I love the way the owners of this apartment made the living room work. The angled sofa fits perfectly along the angled walls and the asymmetric coffee table makes the setting complete. It kind of feels like the furnishings were made exactly for this room.

The common wall between the kitchen and the living room is used for a custom TV unit which has been painted in the same color as the wall for a sleek tone-on-tone look.

A spiral staircase to the office space and bedroom

The black spiral staircase works so nicely with the black cabinets in the kitchen and the round shape fits the style of the space. From the kitchen, you can make your way into a rooftop office space and bedroom on the second floor of the duplex.

A custom home office space with a desk integrated into the floor plan

The office space is a great example of a custom storage solution that goes over into a desk. When you are working with sloped ceilings and angled walls, it’s often better to have someone install custom-built fittings rather than try and make regular furniture work.

The custom window sill desk includes storage cubbies on the bottom which are great for displaying objects and storing books.

A bedroom with a custom-built wardrobe around the bed

On the other side of the staircase, you can access the bedroom which has a very nice storage solution as well. The bed was built into two storage units with a headboard and artwork in the middle for a sleek and cozy effect. This solution is something you could install with ready-made storage units as well and would make a great Ikea hack. You could even cover the entire bedroom wall with cabinets, just like in this example and if you are looking to implement a similar setup in your bedroom, make sure to take a look at this post which includes a full list of wardrobe ideas that go over the bed.

styled by Anna van Keppel, photographed by Elin Sylwan for Historiska Hem

Grey wall colors come in a wide variety of shades and grey paint is probably the easiest color to make work in an interior. Pick out a charcoal grey for a bolder and darker effect in the space, go for a light grey for a subtle effect that still has a bit more depth than regular white walls, or go for a soft grey to turn your room into a soft canvas for your soft furnishings and main furniture pieces.

While white walls can feel bright and tend to reflect the daylight in a strong way, they can make your home clean and bright, but can also be a bit harder to make cozy and inviting. By selecting warm grey tones for your living room (especially in rooms with a wooden floor) you warm the palette up and your walls become the perfect stage for your furniture and accessories.

A living room with pale grey walls and white elements

The grey walls in this beautiful apartment built in 1895 in Sweden accentuate the elaborate architectural features on the ceilings, doors, and windows. The light grey wall color makes the white elements stand out so wonderfully and the warm undertones of the white-soaped hardwood floors add a subtle warmth and luxe feel to the entire apartment, especially in the grey living room.

The historic green fireplace brightens up the otherwise neutral palette in the grey living room and the light grey wall color is brightened up by the white and cream tints in the sofa area. The white linen sofa (I believe this is the Ikea Vimle model with a Bemz custom cover*) combined with the lighter colours in the throw pillows, white cushions, and the fluffy white area rug add texture, and brighten up the grey palette and turn this space into a relaxing living room.

The natural materials of the two rattan armchairs add some warm shades to the mix and the black eye-catcher vase on the brilliant white marble coffee table combined with the black floor lamp add some different shades to the room. The monochromatic prints next to the fireplace stand out very nicely against the grey walls and the wooden floor, while as the books on the floating shelves are the only pops of colour in the otherwise grey scheme.

How to make a grey living room work

Grey living rooms come in a variety of shades and you can pair grey with different palettes to turn your living room into an interesting, cozy place to relax. Take this example of a very subtle grey living room just a few shades darker than white, or this example of a characterful living room with a powerful grey scheme that looks characterful and strong, paired up with a grey sofa.

Selecting the right shade of grey for you living room

Go for light greys in your living room (like Blackened* or Dimpse* from Farrow & Ball), just like in the pictures when you want a light look that reflects the natural light coming in and pair up with a light grey couch or even a white one to enhance this lighter look.

Got for a darker, or deep grey living room when you want a deeper, more characterful look and pair grey walls with a grey sofa or a grey rug to go for a tone-on-tone look where you combine grey shades and mix grey textiles for a subtle effect.

Neutral shades like wood and rattan, cool tones, and bright prints go well with a grey palette, as the grey living room walls act as a dark backdrop for everything that is placed in front of it.

When you select your grey paint color, you should always pay attention to the orientation of your room. The daylight in north facing rooms tends to make your greys appear cooler, while a south facing room enhance the warm tones in your grey.

In case you are unsure, you can always start out with a feature wall and always buy the paint sample to try the color out in the space.

A white kitchen with a beige natural stone countertop

Rather then the grey colour palette in both the living room and bedroom, which are painted a few shades darker, the walls of the kitchen have been kept white to keep it clean and to reflect the natural daylight in the best way possible.

The kitchen itself is built inside a niche without a window with direct daylight, so in this room, an all-white colour palette is preferable. Both the kitchen and the dining area are kept very light and neutral, with a few wood tones and the beige natural stone on the counter as the focal point in this room to enhance the natural light coming in from the smaller window in this room.

A grey bedroom with black accents

The bedroom with black and white accents shares the same modern grey colour scheme as the living room, yet rather then working with a white fluffy rug, a deep grey rug with a diamond pattern was added underneath the bed. The accent soft furnishings on the bed share the same colour as the textiles in the grey living room. The mixture of beige and white really stands out against the cool grey wall color.

The black wall lamps on both sides of the bed add a contrasting element, just like the floor lamp does in the living room and makes the mix of grey more interesting and characterful.

Photographed by Maria Sahlander for Bjurfors

The sage green kitchen cabinets are most definitely the element that stands out the most in this lovely Swedish apartment (Styled by Living Deco, photographed by Jonas Berg for Stadshem). We don’t know for sure, but I feel like the design all started with the kitchen. The sage green cabinets set the stage for the color palette of the rest of the apartment, which is such a great example of a sage green color scheme in the different rooms of this place.

The kitchen and entryway share the same room. By placing a narrow kitchen island against the entryway wall, the two functional areas are separated from each other, while also increasing the available countertop space in the kitchen.

The living room walls are painted in a subtle wall color with green undertones, paired with a white sofa, a hemp rug, and wood cabinets and wall shelving. All these natural materials warm up the color palette in this space. The bedroom has darker sage-green walls, paired with warm wood tones for a cozy and inviting effect.

Sage green cabinets combined with black and natural tones

A beautiful combination of materials with a sage green base

Sage green is a great color for kitchen cabinets as it is more sophisticated than neutral shades, fresher than olive green cabinets, yet also a bit less bold than a more vibrant green. Sage green kitchen cabinets can be combined with warmer tones like in this example where a wooden countertop, beige walls, black cabinet hardware, and a brass faucet warm up the sage green.

The layout of this kitchen

This kitchen remodel was done with the flow of the apartment in mind, you can see that. Right next to the kitchen, the entrance door to the apartment is located. By fitting a small wall, the kitchen area and the hallway space are separated from each other. The wall doesn’t go the entire length of the kitchen however and where the wall stops, the sage green bottom cabinets continue for a modern solution that allows you to have a feeling of more space. I love that the lower cabinets have dual functionality depending on which side of the room you approach them from.

On the wall opposing the hallway, a few upper cabinets are installed, but the sink area has been kept minimal. The space above the farmhouse sink has been used to hang up those lovely black wall lights that add contrast to the sage green palette.

The tall cupboard in the corner of the kitchen gives the space a subtle farmhouse kitchen element, that is contrasted by the modern black wall lamps with the gold details.

The narrow peninsula kitchen island module that separates the kitchen from the entryway is paired with floating kitchen shelves in a soft wood tone that fits perfectly on this narrow kitchen wall with a subtle beige wall color.

The white porcelain farmhouse sink has a visible front, which allows for an impressive effect against the sage green kitchen cabinets.

A subtle and soft green color palette in the living room

The living room is an extension of the kitchen in terms of layout, and this space follows the design language and color palette perfectly. In the living room, a more subtle and lighter hue of sage green has been selected, which gives this space a lighter look with a touch of nature in the wooden furniture pieces and the hemp rug on the floor underneath the white sofa.

The beauty of the interior design of the kitchen and living room lies in the matching of the sage green color codes, which are different, yet complement each other perfectly. The round dining table is placed between the kitchen and the sofa area. It has a simple design, which is enhanced by a peg rail on the wall and a poster of a beautiful painting.

The white sofa stands out against the subtle wall color with green undertones and the mixture of beige, white, and dark brown colors in the furniture and accessories make for a balanced effect in this cozy space.

The natural hemp rug and the wood tones in the wall cabinets and wall shelving warm the color palette in the livin room.

A darker and moody green color palette in the bedroom

The bedroom has been painted in a more moody sage green, which has a characterful effect on this room. Tints of blue and green are great choices for a bedroom as the cooler undertones have a fresh effect on a bedroom. Green however is a color choice closer to nature and has a cheerful and reviving effect.

The darker hue of sage green in this bedroom accentuates the beautiful white doors and the crispy white linen sheets on the bed. The fresh green branches on the bedside table add an even fresher touch of green to the palette, which is a welcome change in the otherwise muted sage green palette.

The pine wood of the bookshelf above the bed stands out against the dark sage bedroom wall.

Note how the deeper sage green color of the bedroom complements the lighter sage of the living room and is finally tied together with the beautiful shade of sage green cabinets in the kitchen. This palette ties the design of the apartment perfectly and gives it a cohesive look.

Sage green kitchen colors to give a try

Below are a few suggestions of sage green colors to give a try, yet you should know paint codes can always appear differently depending on the daylight and materials in the room. You should always test sample codes on location.

Farrow & Ball Lichen* is a mid-tone sage green color that is calm and muted similar to the one on the sage green cabinets in the kitchen. It has underlying blue tones, which gives it a subtle look and feel and works wonderfully combined with natural tones.

Farrow & Ball Vert de Terre* is a delicate green that is both fresh and soft. The blue undertone results in a soft atmosphere and is muted just like the sage green in the living room.

Colors that compliment sage green walls

You can combine sage green walls with warm and neutral tones like beige, wood tones, and other natural materials to bring out the warm undertones of the paint.

If you want to highlight the fresh gray-green shade in the paint color, you can think about pairing sage green with cooler elements like mint, white marble, or fresh green plants. For a more contrasting look, pair sage green with black accents or a dark forest green.

Styled by Living Deco, photographed by Jonas Berg for Stadshem

A yellow kitchen and a pink bedroom are two very characteristic elements to be added to one single apartment, but the owners of this beautiful Swedish home (Styled by Clindholm Design, photographed by Jocke Ono for Historiska Hem) were able to pick out softer shades of pink and yellow for a color scheme that is elegant and sophisticated.

A yellow kitchen with white tiles and black grout

Is yellow a good color for a kitchen?

Yellow sounds like quite the daring color for a kitchen, yet it’s all bout the intensity and saturation of the paint colour. A bright yellow might be too bold for your taste, yet a more nuanced shade like these mustard yellow kitchen cabinets has a sophisticated look with a visual warmth coming from the area.

What color matches a yellow kitchen?

Combine yellow kitchen cabinets with natural elements to accentuate the visual warmth of the space. In this beautiful Swedish home, the yellow cabinets have been combined with a natural wood dining table and chairs for an eat-in kitchen and the walls of the adjacent living area have been painted in grey with green undertones.

The white tiles with black grout add a certain lightness to the space and the beige marble countertops enhance the visual warmth coming from the yellow kitchen cabinets. The layout of the kitchen consists mainly out of base cabinets, with a few open shelves added on the top for a lighter look since so much of the white backsplash is visible.

On the other side of the space you can find a large built-in cabinet next to the niche that has been turned into a pantry. This is something that was carefully planned out together with the kitchen renovation. Note that the white tiles come back in the pantry as well, which is a nice touch to this L-shaped layout kitchen.

In the same color as the kitchen, a custom mudroom bench was installed with ample storage space for coats, shoes and baskets.

The living room includes a TV gallery wall with a storage cabinet underneath it, which stands out against the dark wall color.

A soft pink bedroom

The blush pink wall color has been used on almost every single surface in this small bedroom, apart from the ceiling and the door and window moldings, which have been kept white. The soft pink paint color has been complemented with wood accents and rustic textures in the many natural baskets that are spread throughout the space.

The open shelving in the little niche at the foot of the bed was painted in the same pink paint color, which gives the space a very cohesive look enhanced with little details in natural shades.

Is pink a good color for a bedroom?

You want your bedroom to be a place of rest and tranquility, so while a nude or soft pink works nicely, a hot pink would be way too stimulating in my opinion. Another aspect to pay attention to is pink tones that remind of little girls rooms, which pastels tend to do. Make sure you find the perfect shade and your bedroom will look sophisticated.

If you are looking for more pink bedroom inspiration, have a look at this blog post.

Pink bedrooms and how you can make them work

If you are unsure about making the commitment, you can always try an accent wall instead of a full pink room. Pick the wall behind your bed and this wall will serve as a pink headboard of sorts which you can match up with throw pillows in terracotta tints for a cohesive look.

A pink headboard is perfect for adding a touch of pink to the bedroom without having to paint your walls. Since a headboard is quite a large surface, it will have a similar, yet more subtle effect in the room.

Which pink colour is best for a bedroom?

The pink walls in this particular bedroom turn the natural light coming from the window into a soft glow, an effect you would only have with a nude pink paint color on the lighter spectrum of the color wheel.

I you are thinking about pink walls in your bedroom or another room in your home, it’s really important to settle for the right shade (you don’t want to end up with anything nearing hot pink or too pastel), so buying a tester is absolutely crucial as the shade of the paint can depend on the direction of the natural light coming into the room.

some pink paint colors you might want to buy a tester from:

Templeton pink from Farrow & Ball* is a subtle pink when much natural light hits the space, yet has a deeper touch when used in rooms with low light.

Sulking room pink from Farrow & Ball* is a warm, powdery pink for a more intense look which will add depth and pairs up nicely with whites and green.

Other pink bedroom ideas to take inspiration from

If you are looking for more inspiration, check out these other pink bedroom ideas to turn a boring white space into an interesting interior with pink walls:

• A pink bedroom with pink drapes to separate the bedroom from the rest of the space here

• A pink bedroom with blush pink walls and black accents in a gorgeous turn-of-the-century home here.

• A small pink bedroom with dusty pink walls here.

• An eclectic pink bedroom with a pink headboard and vintage pieces here.

A classy bathroom with white tiles and black grout

The subtle pink drapes that are used in this bathroom are a hint to the colour scheme in the bathroom, which is such a nice touch. The green tiles and the classy freestanding claw foot tub add so much character to this space and the same white tiles with black grout from the kitchen can be found in the bathroom as well for a coherent use of materials.

Styled by Clindholm Design, photographed by Jocke Ono for Historiska Hem

This beautiful penthouse apartment studio (styled by Emma Fisher, and photographed by Henrik Linden, via Alvhem) has the most beautiful round windows, which let in such an abundance of daylight. The apartment includes a sofa area, dining area, open-plan kitchen, and a bedroom with a home office.

All these functional areas are included on a relatively small layout, yet the interior still looks spacious and not crowded. If you are looking for more inspiration on how to decorate even smaller spaces, have a look at my post about inspiring small studio apartments.

A penthouse apartment with exposed wood beams

The exposed wood beams in both the ceiling and the lower parts of the penthouse add so much character to this interior. The round window in the open-plan kitchen is so impressive and the width of the sofa (it’s the Ikea Soderhamn sofa with a Bemz customer cover*) was picked out to fit the space exactly. The white and natural color palette of the main furniture has been contrasted with some black elements which complement the grey kitchen with the white marble countertop in a nice way. 

The small niche in between the sofa and the kitchen is used for an extra bench, which can be used when more people come over, but its main purpose is decoration. The art print on the wall turns this wall into its own little area and I’m sure the table lamp looks so nice when it’s on at night.

An L-shaped kitchen with grey cabinet fronts

The kitchen has been built into an L-shape in the middle of the penthouse where the ceilings are the highest. I believe the cabinet fronts are the regular Ikea Bodbyn ones in grey, enhanced with white glossy metro tiles and a white marble countertop.

A round dining table combined with a round mirror

On the other side of the sofa, a round dining table fits perfectly underneath the angled roof, resulting in a cozy and intimate dining area. The round mirror on the wall complements the shape of the dining table and reflects some extra daylight in this corner.

Bedroom and home office behind a half-wall

Just like in any small apartment, you have to carefully pick and choose where you place your furniture and how you plan your layout. More so even with penthouse spaces, because you have to take into account the lower ceiling heights and exposed wooden beams, which though beautiful, can be a little bit difficult to plan a layout around.

The head of the bed has been placed underneath the lowest part of the ceiling. Since you are rarely standing up where you sleep, this is the perfect spot for a bed. The home office has been placed right in front of the round window, which gives you a beautiful view while working from home and you also have some extra height in this area.

Ikea pax with a reflective mirrored surface

The big Ikea Pax wardrobe is fully covered in mirrored surfaces, which makes this element blend into the space. The mirrors on the Pax doors have the added advantage that they reflect the small penthouse space and add the same time multiply the already abundant daylight in this room.

A bathroom with white tiles and grey grout

The bathroom has been covered with white subway tiles with grey grout, which has a nice effect on the space. The straight lines of the tiles contrast with the angled lines of the walls and windows, which contrasts even more with the round shape of the bathroom mirror.

Underneath the window, where the ceiling height is really low, a small Ikea Eket module was placed for some extra storage. When you live in a penthouse with angled walls, you have to optimize every nook and cranny available and take any storage opportunity you can get.

styled by Emma Fisher, photographed by Henrik Linden, via Alvhem

This white studio apartment with light grey walls has light purple decor pieces and textiles as the red thread (or shall I say light purple thread) throughout the interior design. The white floor makes the studio apartment seem more spacious as it reflects the daylight coming from the big windows.

By selecting a white sofa (it’s the Ikea Soderhamn with a Bemz custom cover*) and a white fluffy area rug, the perfect white base is set for other elements like the small wooden coffee table, the wooden lounge chair, the desk, and a plethora of light purple and purple shade variations that brighten up this apartment. These natural elements warm up this palette with cool undertones and the purple shades in the soft furnishings add a point of interest to the space.

I have recently updated a blog post full of small studio apartment ideas if you are looking for other inspirations on how to design with a small layout. Go check it out here.

A living space with light purple shades

From the light purple duvet cover* to the throw with different shades of purple on the sofa, the light purple lampshade, and even the flowers, this apartment is filled with light purple interior design pieces that make the decor interesting and characterful. Even the wall art has some light purple elements in it, which complements the blue hues and undertones in the light grey walls.

A purple shade mixture in the sofa area

The dark purple shades in the blanket combined with the pale purple in the art prints and the light purple in the lampshade elevate the look of this white fabric sofa. Combining a white floor with a white area rug and grey walls can easily feel too clean and minimal, yet by working with natural wood tones in the lounge chair and coffee table and by working with accessories all on the purple spectrum, you get an interesting and cohesive look that works cozy and inviting at the same time.

A light purple duvet cover for an elegant effect

The light purple duvet cover really is the key to giving this bedroom area this cool and effortless look. The beautiful light purple shade is combined with white textiles and wood tones in both the little bench behind the bed and the peg rail on the wall. These wood tones warm up the palette in the same way as in the sofa area, while the light purple adds points of interest.

A home office with a slight purple tint

This studio living space even has a little home office corner, where a purple shade combination could not be missing of course. The muted purple shade on the HAY Matin table lamp (€ 184*– $192*) works nicely with the light purple bin underneath the desk and the olive green and beige details in the print complement the purple shades perfectly.

A purple chair in the kitchen

In the kitchen, which has been decorated in white and natural colors, a vintage chair that has been painted in a darker purple shade ties the look together with the living and bedroom area. This lovely medium purple shade draws all the attention since the rest of the chairs and the dining table is picked out in light wood and the kitchen itself is mainly white. The light purple vase on the window sill with the deep purple hydrangeas is a lovely finishing touch to this setting.

Styled by Studio In AB photographed by Mariah Sahlander for Bjurfors

Dining table in front of a bay window

A bay window is one of those much sought-after elements in an apartment, but how to make good use of it is often a bit of a challenge. The owners of this beautiful Scandinavian apartment utilized the bay window as a dining area with CH24 wishbone chairs and a beautiful oversized avocado plant.

The antique piano is a real eye-catcher in the living and dining area and complements the warm wood of the dining table and chairs. The sofa area is decorated with touches of pink in the throw pillows, the blanket, the pouf, and the rug, which adds a warm touch to the already warm atmosphere in this cozy apartment.

Grey kitchen cabinets and white tiles with black grout

The kitchen is a simple Ikea kitchen (with the grey Ikea Bodbyn fronts) combined with a marble worktop, finished off with subtle brass door handles. The white tiles with the black grout give this kitchen a finished look and the black stove and exhaust add a classic industrial touch that complements the tiled wall.

Pink details in the bedrooms

The pink used in the living room comes back in both of the bedrooms of this apartment as well, which is a nice red thread. In the guest room, the pink curtains (though the way they are hung gives me anxiety) and the pink vintage chair add character and warmth to this slightly awkward layout. The round mirror on the wall above the vintage desk reflects the light and makes this small bedroom seem bigger.

In the main bedroom, the small pink detail in the art print ties this room together with the rest of the interior.

Styled by Lindholm, photographed by Johanson for Historiska Hem