Serene Scandinavian Style Celestial Vibes in a Small Cottage

When I think of the most serene Scandinavian style celestial vibes, I imagine white painted floors, antiques, airy unfussy interiors, and natural light welcomed through undressed windows. A particular Swedish immigrant’s cottage also springs to mind. So we’ll turn the spotlight toward dreamy French Nordic Inspiration from My Petite Maison and remember why we are so in love with WHITE glorious WHITE.

Serene Scandinavian Style Celestial Vibes in a Small Cottage

The ethereal goodness inside Tracie’s home takes my breath away and feels so set apart.

Tracie of My Petite Maison has created a lovely white wonderland of a French Nordic home.

And she loves so many of my favorite things!

Vintage, blush pink blooms, painted Swedish furniture, and quiet atmospheric interiors.

Fortunately for us, she also sells vintage and antiques a few times annually.

There are folks who believe all white or mostly white decor is an attempt at “safety,” and I couldn’t disagree more.

To get white right is a balancing act and a courageous one at that.

A look of sophisticated simplicity often involves a considerable amount of effort and restraint.

Because texture, character, architecture, and art become more important than ever for striking the proper balance.

The Sweetest Porch Entry

Isn’t this scrubbed vintage or antique pine table glorious in the all white painted setting?

Just imagine when the snow is falling outside! What a snowglobe fantasy of a moment inside and out.

Since Tracie is a seller of what she collects, she is able to continually get a fresh look by rotating pieces.

I have always thought that would be such a bonus of being a shop owner!

Always a reason to shop, and always a fresh vignette to create.

What’s your take? Are you the type that can hunt down favorite pieces only to eventually sell them to hunt for new ones?

And if you ARE a shop owner, do you sell items you would never personally want to own? Because that has always fascinated me. (Selling objects that are downright ugly or undesirable to you because they fly out of a shop.)

Scandinavian Pieces in a Country Cottage on the Prairie

There’s such a humility to how this creative homeowner decorates and lives.

Swedes are known to be sensible and skilled at restraint, and those qualities seem reflected here.

And I love how easy and breezy the living feels with this serene style. No need to fuss about living with pets or scratching this or that finish.

When those dings and little mishaps happen, it seems to only strengthen the look you were going for all along.

Living With Nordic French Collections

There’s an artfulness to the styling Tracie does as she plays with light, with silhouette.

And seeing such pared back simplicity always inspires me to move things around a little bit in my own space.

What can be subtracted?

Or what is stopping the eye instead of freeing it?

Even when she adds pieces to a vignette that aren’t white, there’s an ethereal mood that comes from softened, muted tones or aged finishes that glow.

So often we forget about the power of understated glow!

I think it’s why so many of us appreciate living finishes (such as unlacquered brass) that eventually grow subdued and quiet.

Those finishes along with distressed paint finishes become so much easier with which to live.

It’s why a European country aesthetic appeals so much to me personally: the very worn upholstery or the threadbare rug is not something about which to feel embarrassed.

Those signs of wear reflect signs of life and use…like smile lines and changes in skin from age. Is it the worst thing to be useful in this life and to get used up thoroughly and beautifully?

Pretty Pieces from the My Petite Maison Shop

I want it all!

While her shop may not be currently stocked, I find that it’s always an education when I browse her finds. I see curious objects and usually need to know more. What a fabulous eye she has.

Only Slightly Shabby & Oh So Swedish

I am ready to plop down on this velvet settee and peek inside shelter magazines, how about you?

Religious Vintage Items

I have collected religious items from antique markets and garage sales for years, but mine tend to end up in a box or drawer. It is truly a gift to know how to live with such treasures.

Could it really be as simple as putting a nail in the wall and hanging them at a level that makes sense? When you live with a rainbow of whites, such simple gestures seem to work.

And how precious is a single rose in a ramekin or sugar bowl or old jam jar?

One of the supreme benefits of living in an old cottage where the ceilings are low and the rooms are human-sized, is how the little details can speak.

When serene Scandinavian style with its unfussy, lightened up approach is not over-wrought or over-thought, the look feels oh so much more natural.

Even pricey, more rare pieces and antiques from Northern Europe can be enjoyed everyday in a very humble, hands-on manner.

Look at how a lovely embroidered window treatment (possibly a tablecloth) becomes an art installation and a celebration of handmade wonder:

And a sense of humor is always near…little sheep under a food dome, anyone?

I love how un-self-conscious these spaces feel. It has become more difficult over the years to NOT feel self-conscious as a blogger and presence on social media.

Tone on Tone Decorating Inspiration

If ever you wondered why I take less photos of my own interiors, it isn’t that I’m not enjoying them.

Even though my skin has thickened, it is still a matter of wanting to preserve a bit of privacy and avoid judgmental attitudes from folks who aren’t in the arena.

Maybe it is why we see so many overly-perfected designs and contrived rooms online.

Something gets lost when the styling is created to be consumed rather than to be enjoyed as pure pleasure for the room’s owner.

So if ever you find yourself imagining that it is a glamorous life for “an influencer” or whatever the silly label gets slapped on content creators, remember things are seldom as they appear and come at a cost.

The Ease of Living With White

While you have probably heard countless times from interior designers that they personally enjoy living with an absence of color and neutral palettes since they work all day with color…

I wonder if what they truly love is the ability to exercise their creativity, to change things around easily.

Because for some of us, we don’t want our spaces to ever feel finished or perfect.

We are all about process and new horizons and enjoying our homes as laboratories.

What’s your take? Like the feeling of an always evolving space more than one where all the boxes have been checked?

Check Out This Effortlessly Decorated New York Apartment

So many great ideas and perspectives from someone who puts her heart into feathering her nest that she is renting!

French Nordic Decor Finds

If you love a romantic white space, you may be familiar with this author:

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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