1. Lilla Hyttnäs (Little Cabin), Sweden (1889-1912) by Carl and Karin Larsson
It all started with a little cabin. “Carl and Karin Larsson could be described as two of the late 19th and early 20th Century’s greatest influencers and taste-makers, as seen in their home, Lilla Hyttnås, and their landmark lifestyle guide, Ett Hem or At Home,” Bradbury says. Originally published in 1899, the book helped make Lilla Hyttnäs world-famous. Carl said of his home: “No fancy furniture fits there… It is simple but harmonious, straightforward.”
Colourful and multi-layered, the house is a combination of the Swedish vernacular, the Arts & Crafts movement and early modernism. On every surface is a colour or pattern, courtesy of artist Carl – who painted family portraits on door panels and decorated the furniture – and Karin, who designed the textiles. As well as using custom pieces of their own design, like lamp shades, they adapted and painted antique and salvaged furniture.
“The Larssons not only tied their home and their art to nature, but were also among the first to explicitly express a lifestyle philosophy that was truly Scandinavian and Nordic,” according to Bradbury. “It took account of the landscape, the changing seasons and the importance of family and friends, yet also placed the idea of ‘home’ at the centre of all these themes.”