gooollysandra

Thoughts on thoughts and images of beautiful things

Tag Archives: Scandinavia

9:07 pm - October 6, 2017 -

Space & identity

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My way of expressing myself is to build my own universe, and in doing so, he added, I create my own self.

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I really enjoyed this article by Tom Delevan about Oliver Gustav‘s apartment in Copenhagen in the March edition of The New York Times Style Magazine. I was initially drawn to it for a couple of reasons – the gray color palette, which happens to be one of my favorites; and not necessarily for interior spaces, but more so for clothing. I seem to have an infinite supply of gray sweaters and I’m only in my 20s. Gray is not a drab grandma sweater! I was also drawn to the article for its location. I have had a fascination with Scandinavia for a while now, so my interest is definitely peaked whenever I come across something related to that cold, dark, dreary, but comfortable and cozy part of the world (or at least this is how I picture it).

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Gustav is a creative based in Copenhagen and New York who works with art and interiors, and his apartment in Copenhagen reflects his passion for both. Reading about the historic structure (built in 1734!) was fascinating because of its eccentricities since it’s so old. The minimalist design and subdued color scheme is evident in the pictures, but what struck me more were Gustav’s thoughts about his space – that in creating the space around him he concurrently creates himself. I can completely identify with this, since I too find great parallels between my space and myself. I also admire his love of collecting because I also like to collect (but on a much smaller scale of course) and I have boxes of things in the attic that I’ve gotten over the years that I’m just waiting to find the right spot for.

I have a love affair with things…I just want a beautiful life.

While this may sound superficial and materialistic, I do think there is something to be said for having a certain eye and taste for things when it’s connected to a deeper cultural or intellectual interest, which it is for me and I’m sure for Gustav as well.

Delevan, the author of the article, is a very talented interior designer in his own right, which is beautifully exemplified on his website. Just so clean and effortless…take a look!

 

Categories: Art, Foreign, Interior Design Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
1:37 pm - December 24, 2014 -

A Scandinavian Christmas

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These are some of our Scandinavian Christmas decorations, many of them bought when we lived in Rome at a beautiful Scandinavian store on Via della Scrofa called Bottega Danese. On our most recent trip to Rome this past April, we were sad to find out that it is no longer there and is being replaced by a Chinese tourist shop. In light of this, we remember our trips there with even more fondness.

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The two figurines with the tall hats are my favorite Swedish ornaments, purchased at the Christkindlmarket in Chicago, Illinois.

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Categories: Foreign, Photography, Travel Tags: , , , , , , ,
4:50 pm - February 16, 2012 -

My obsession with all things Scandinavian

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As of late, or actually for about a year now, I’ve had this fascination with anything having to do with Scandinavia. I suppose it started when I saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and fell in love with the scenes of Sweden, the Swedish language, and the overall feeling of the films (setting aside the plot). For the record, I fall in love with a lot of things, least of all people. My interest in Sweden continued when I saw a Swedish band perform at an international music festival this past fall in Bloomington, IN called Movits! Once again, I loved the Swedish language, and their energy and style was amazing. Later in the fall I attended a lecture by a Swedish woman who spoke about women’s suffrage in Sweden. The content of the lecture was interesting, but most of all her personality was fun, which leads me to believe that perhaps the Swedish people as a whole possess good characters. I hope anyway, so as not to be disappointed when I visit one day!

I became further intrigued by Scandinavia when my family and I were talking about taking a trip to Belgium, Denmark, and Holland this summer. I’m not sure whether it will really materialize, but the thought of it certainly evoked excitement in my interest of Scandinavia.

I can only imagine how beautiful the landscape and wilderness is in Scandinavia – I picture forests and hills, and beautiful snowy plains, accompanied of course with animals that remind us how to be graceful in their promenade. What I’ve seen in pictures and movies of the architecture is stunning and certainly unique to the area. How nice it would be to live on a canal…

Perhaps the final thing, for now at least, that inspires my interest in all things Scandinavian is the style, that of interior spaces and furniture. My grandparents have a house full of Scandinavian furniture, which I adore! It’s such a nice quality of wood and the simple, modern, and elegant style is nice to look at, comfortable, and inviting. I’ve also been to a Scandinavian furniture store in Bloomington, IN, once again, and I wish I could buy the whole store! Or at least live in the store…I can’t forget IKEA, while cheap, mass produced furniture, elegant and most importantly, Scandinavian! I also love Scandinavian textiles, the patterns…! Well, I could go on, but I’ll refrain.

Can’t wait to visit all of Scandinavia someday…adventures! Also, I want to see the Northern Lights…what a spectacular show that must be.

Category: Foreign Tags: , ,