Designer and calligrapher Ylva Skarp and her family decamped to the Swedish countryside to renovate a boarded-up former school built in 1901 and the results are simply spectacular
Festive tricks
Take advantage of what nature has to offer. Gather family and friends for an evening of festive foraging. Sprigs, pine cones and twigs can easily be transformed into Christmas decorations or grouped to create simple and beautiful displays.
Light up your home with candlelight and fairy lights. Subtle lighting will create Christmas atmosphere throughout your home. Try tall white candles for an elegant look, or tealights for gentle mood. String fairy lights in unexpected places for a little Christmas magic.
Create your own Christmas cards and wrap. This can be a fun family project and adds a personal touch to your gifts.
Words by: Helen Skarp
Photography by: Magdalena Bjornsdotter
Ylva’s love for calligraphy spills onto the walls and the floor with printed wallpaper and a graphic rug. The large windows frame a view of the lake beyond. A row of tables display homemade paper Christmas trees.
Ylva writes a card at the long dining table. “Group decorations rather than spread them out,” advises Ylva. “It gives a smoother appearance.”
Gift tags with ‘God Jul’, or Merry Christmas in Swedish, decorate presents. Pine cones and other pieces of nature foraged from outdoors adorn the table.
Just in time for Swedish Advent and Ylva’s birthday on 1 December, Christmas begins to take shape in this house. Beautiful woodwork, fine glass, white sheepskin and beautiful paper decorations are family favourites.
Ylva and daughter Vega create Christmas cards and wrap gifts in the dining room.
Ylva and daughter Vega create Christmas cards and wrap gifts in the dining room.
“Sometimes we have the whole family around, but usually it’s just us. We play games and do puzzles and socialise while friends and relatives come and go. When everything is spinning at high speed on a daily basis, it is important to take it easy on Christmas,” says Ylva
“Sometimes we have the whole family around, but usually it’s just us. We play games and do puzzles and socialise while friends and relatives come and go. When everything is spinning at high speed on a daily basis, it is important to take it easy on Christmas,” says Ylva
A comfortable leather chair, candles and greenery provide a tranquil nook in the corner of the dining room.
Ylva has added her signature calligraphy to this white-washed cabinet, which is topped with a selection of bottles and art in muted shades. Fairy lights add festive detail.
The living room, once the school’s great hall, is set with sofas and tables on castor wheels in a row rather than in small groups, which creates a wonderful communal feel for family and friends, says Ylva.
The living room, once the school’s great hall, is set with sofas and tables on castor wheels in a row rather than in small groups, which creates a wonderful communal feel for family and friends, says Ylva.
The living room, once the school’s great hall, is set with sofas and tables on castor wheels in a row rather than in small groups, which creates a wonderful communal feel for family and friends, says Ylva.
A cluster of amber and green glassware becomes a Christmas feature with a string of fairy lights scattered among the bottles.
Furniture and crockery is limited to a cohesive black and white palette.
An open-plan kitchen and dining area has been created by removing an internal wall.
Daniel and Ylva have amped up the cosiness with an old wood stove and fireplace with the original chimney breast still intact. Cut-outs in the stone hold firewood.
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