We recently finished a complete Scandinavian makeover of a midcentury home in Venice. Oh my! It started out as this small, run down house on an awkward lot with a small asphalt yard. But by the time our incredible team of architect and engineers, builders and finishers were done – just about a year later – the property was transformed into a beautiful modern home with gorgeous interiors opening up to an inviting lush outdoor space.
We added a master suite on the second floor with soaring 14 foot ceilings, French floor to ceiling closets and a luxurious master bath with a marble shower and a freestanding soaking tub.
The interiors were inspired by my Swedish upbringing and I chose extra wide Douglas fir plank flooring, finished with traditional Scandinavian white lye, a centuries old soap finish that has it’s own Instagram following! The gorgeous floors were echoed in wall cladding of the entry and as a feature in the master bedroom, tying the existing and added spaces together.
I love light fixtures and find that the right pair of sconces or the perfect pendant can take a room from beautiful to stunning and for this home I carefully chose vintage fixtures to elevate the staircase, masterbath and kitchen.
My wonderful cabinet shop built the handcrafted Douglas fir kitchen and bathroom vanities and we topped them in honed grey Carrara marble. I am a big fan of a limited material palette, when designing with Scandinavian minimalism as the inspiration, and we used the same grey honed Carrara marble for the long fireplace ledge slash bench anchoring the livingroom. All the windows were changed to black steel and I used black steel door hardware throughout. The only spaces not painted white were the bathrooms. The master bath was painted a rich dark chocolate, to offset the brilliant white sinks and tub, and the powder room was finished with a soft, sand colored lime plaster.
The devil is in the details they say, and this is especially true when you attempt to create perfect minimalism. Our craftsmen did an exceptional job and I am so grateful to all of them for their attention and care.
