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HOMES

Posh playtime: Inspiration from Swedish kids’ rooms

Swedes are crazy about interior design – even the kids have incredible rooms! Are you expecting a baby and in need of some interior inspiration for the nursery? Amanda Strömberg presents the most-liked Swedish children's rooms from houzz.se.

Posh playtime: Inspiration from Swedish kids’ rooms

There’s a lot to consider when expecting a baby – decorating the nursery is just another box to tick on a very, very long list.

So it can be helpful to get some inspiration along the way! From a soft Moroccan haven to a more playful abode, all eight children's rooms below have one thing in common: they’re favourites among Houzz readers in Sweden.

Scroll down for a little inspiration for these amazing children’s rooms.

1. Mild Moroccan

Find inspiration from this beautiful room, that Lori Gentile from Lori Gentile Interior Design has decorated. She chose a soft, muted Moroccan theme, balancing the bold paisley-patterned wallpaper with delicate pale pink and ivory hues. The sheer bed canopy is the icing on the cake.

2. Adventure awaits

At first, the couple who live here wanted to have a minimalist children's room, but changed their mind after a few weeks. They then asked the painter Carolyn from the company Roll Her Sleeves to paint the playful details on the wall, which set the mood of the room. If you are looking for a unique and playful kids’ room this is absolutely the way to go.

3. Dulce decadence

The interior designers from Merigo Design created this magnificent home in the United States. The baby room, where sorbet pink is matched with deep, dark grey, stands out from all the other rooms in the house. Usually we think nurseries should be just like any other room, or at least with the same colour scheme and style, but the fact is that it will be just as pretty if the baby room stands out. So be bold and play with colours and patterns – there are no rules here. Bring on the stripes and butterflies!

4. Classic and clean

White is always a good foundation, and a children’s room decorated in purist white is a dream for many minimalist Swedish parents. And no matter what style you want – modern, industrial or perhaps rural – white is always a solid choice. The decorators from KYD – Killingyourdarlings – are behind this particular project.

5. Dainty dreams

Amy Sklar, interior designer at Amy Sklar Design Inc, had dreams in mind when she was decorating this baby room in Los Angeles. On the perfect sky-blue colour (Parma Gray from Farrow & Ball), which is visible on both the walls and the ceiling, she chose to paint white, whispy clouds – dreamy and cool all at once!

6. Wild things

If your child likes animals, take a close look at this place. Taking inspiration from the animal kingdom doesn’t mean it has to over-the-top. This room is discreetly but playfully decorated with animal-inspired prints from The Animal Print Shop. Look closely and you will see all the small, fun details that are hiding here.

7. Discrete patterns

Thinking about putting up some wallpaper in the nursery but don’t want anything too crazy? Then you should go for a wallpaper in a muted colour scheme, like the one pictured here. Then if you would like to add some colour afterwards, you can easily do so with the help of textiles and furniture.

8. Make it personal

When Lindsay Espinoza heard that her customers planned to call their newborn boy Noah, she decided to display the name with the help of some light on the wall. When she did so, the room got a more personal feeling, which is much appreciated for such special little people.

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MONEY

How you can lower the monthly cost of your Swedish mortgage

It’s no secret that mortgages in Sweden have become more expensive over the last year or so, as interest rates have risen following high inflation. But did you know there’s a way you can lower your monthly mortgage cost?

How you can lower the monthly cost of your Swedish mortgage

Essentially, when you take out a loan in Sweden, the government gives you a discount on the interest you pay, in the form of a tax rebate.

This doesn’t include interest paid on all types of loans – for example, student loans are not included – but it does include your mortgage.

In order to qualify for the discount, referred to as ränteavdrag (interest deduction) or skatteavdrag (tax deduction), you need to fulfil some requirements: 

  • You’ve paid income tax and at least 1,000 kronor in interest in the last taxation year
  • You have a capital deficit (meaning that your interest costs must be greater than any capital income you’ve earned through interest or dividends)
  • You are either partly or wholly responsible for the loan or mortgage in question

If there are two of you who are both named on the mortgage who fulfil these requirements, you’ll each receive 50 percent of the total tax rebate.

The interest deduction is automatically subtracted from your yearly tax and listed in your yearly declaration, if you fulfil the requirements, meaning you’re likely to get it back as a lump sum when tax season rolls around in April.

How much do I get?

The actual sum you get back varies depending on how much tax and interest you’ve paid during the year, but there are some general calculations which can give you a guideline of what you might get.

You’ll get 30 percent of your interest costs back on the first 100,000 kronor you pay in interest over a year, and 21 percent on anything over 100,000 kronor. 

If there are two of you, you each have your own individual tax deduction, even if you’re paying the same loan, so as a pair you’ll get back 30 percent on the first 200,000 kronor, as well as 21 percent on anything over this figure.

To figure out how much you’ll get, you need to first find out how much interest you’ve paid during the year your declaration covers and subtract this figure from your capital income earned through interest or dividends.

If your figure is negative, that means you can subtract this figure from your tax paid during the year. Bear in mind that if you owe tax, then your interest deduction amount will be used to pay it back first, lowering the total amount you receive.

You can also change the proportion of the deduction applied to each partner if you share a mortgage, dividing it 60/40 or 70/30, for example, if you don’t share the mortgage 50/50. You can do this through your bank or by manually changing the figures in your tax declaration.

I don’t understand. How does this make my monthly mortgage payments cheaper?

Here’s where something called skattejämkning comes in. This literally translates as “tax equalisation”, and it’s a way you can spread your tax rebate for interest costs out over a year, lowering your mortgage costs each month rather than of getting a lump sum in the form of a tax rebate during tax declaration season.

In order to equalise your tax, you’ll need to contact the Tax Agency directly, filling out a form with the catchy title of SKV 4302 – Jämkning (ändring av preliminär A-skatt) or using their Jämkning online service.

To do this, you’ll need to have in-depth figures on things like your salary, pension payments, sick pay and any other income like unemployment benefit or maternity or paternity payments, as well as capital income and any business income for the tax year you’re applying for, as well as your expected income for the rest of the year.

If your application is accepted, the Tax Agency will tell your employer to subtract less tax from your payslip each month, effectively meaning that you get your tax rebate for interest costs back in your monthly pay instead of getting it paid out all at once.

Bear in mind that if you do go down this route it’s important that your calculations are correct. If you accidentally overestimate your interest payments or underestimate your tax owed, you could end up being hit with a hefty tax bill once your declaration comes through.

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