Christmas is the highlight of the year
"It was in early May four years ago that we saw that the house was for sale," says Jessica Andersson, who is a former representative for JDL in Sweden. It wasn't love at first sight, but the chestnut trees were in full bloom, and the stone walls surrounding the house's 8.000 square meter plot were what she and her husband, Christian, fell in love with. The house itself, which was originally a wooden house from 1917, had been renovated in the 1970s, and it was certainly not pretty. However, the couple has managed to renovate it back to the original style and have transformed the house so that today it appears beautiful and period-correct.
During the renovation, they took into account the furniture they had and chose elements that would highlight it. They want the interior to reflect the location of the house to some extent. Hence the natural color scheme that they like. The couple often choose white, black and brown in different shades, and then a color can be added if they wish. They often add green. The furniture is mostly heirlooms and some flea market finds or antiques, but there are also a few new ones.
Jessica loves beautiful things – preferably old ones. Christian likes new things best, but they feel they have found a good balance in their home. Sometimes too many things can sneak in, and then they have to clean up. That way, the interior changes often. During the renovation of the new house, the terrible thing happened that the house where they stored many of their things burned down, and much of what they had collected and bought over many years burned down. That's why it has taken longer to get here than initially planned.
Christmas is definitely a big highlight every year. Jessica loves Christmas, and it starts early. As early as October, she goes out into the woods to collect pine cones, branches, moss and other things. It's about creating a calm and pleasant atmosphere for the children and now also for the grandchildren. Throughout November and December, they decorate and bake whenever they can. On Christmas Eve, the whole big family gathers for Christmas dinner. Santa Claus always comes to visit, and the family plays Christmas games. In the days that follow, they relax and enjoy themselves in the beautiful surroundings.
Jessica likes to use scents such as cinnamon, orange, cloves, star anise and saffron. She decorates with small fir trees or spruce branches, moss and pine cones and the like. She loves making bouquets and flower arrangements – not least for Christmas. She never decorates in the same way two years in a row, so every year there is a new theme, but Jessica tries to stick to natural materials, and she likes to reuse Christmas decorations in new ways. However, a little new decoration always sneaks into the collection every year.
A good tip from Jessica is to create a mood board to create coherence in what you want to achieve. This applies to interior design in general and also in the run-up to Christmas when you want to create a certain atmosphere.
In addition to wreaths, vines and beautiful flowers, lovely sheepskins and Christmas pillows are part of the Christmas atmosphere in this aesthetic home.
