Evocative
CHRISTMAS IN THE OLD BARN
Originally, this house was just a small log house from the 1700s. We’re visiting Ulla-Brit and her big horse farm in VästerGötland in Sweden where she lives surrounded by heirlooms from her parents and grandparents. Ulla-Brit loves the French/Nordic country style where romantic and feminine items are combined with rustic and country-like Nordic elements.
When you step into the stable, it’s like entering a fairy-tale or a Christmas story from the good old days. Here you could tell the children lots of stories about pixies and elves. You can almost imagine them dashing across the floor. Ulla-Brit has adorned the place with a fantastic mixture of old farming tools, skis and lanterns with candles. She has also used lots of Christmas trees and other types of greenery. In the middle of it all, we are welcomed by the craziest arrangement featuring white tablecloths, champagne, decorations and lots of presents. Here you can enjoy a warm drink and each other’s company whilst making lots of wreaths and decorations for the home.
Inside the house, you’ll find just as many impressive Christmas decoration items and everything is kept in natural colors and materials combined with white and rustic elements. All the old items, rusty and with plenty of patina, look great when combined with all the white items. In the kitchen, Ulla-Brit has an old iron stove that she really likes. She enjoys making a fire in it, listening to the crackling fire and feeling the heat spread throughout the entire kitchen. That is when the room starts to smell of fire and wood. Ulla-Brit loves this smell and it reminds her of her childhood when the family heated their home with wood.
Photography Tine Gertsen, Text Vivian Møller Christensen, Location Sweden, Images 57, Published in Jeanne d Arc Living 2022
