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HOMES

Inspiration: 8 of Sweden’s most colourful homes

Are you getting tired of all the monochrome interiors in Sweden? Amanda Strömberg checks out eight refreshing homes drenched in colour.

Published: 21 April 2016 10:48 CEST
Inspiration: 8 of Sweden's most colourful homes

There are many of us who do not really dare to decorate with bright shades – but at the same time we dream of a home filled with bright, colourful walls and furniture. How have others managed to balance bright hues with good taste? Here we have collected 8 inspiring homes that take you one step closer to your rainbow dream.

Exciting wallpaper

The interior designer Isabelle McAllister likes to experiment with colours and patterns in both television programs such as Äntligen Hemma and in her own home. Her previous apartment on Södermalm in Stockholm, that we catch a glimpse of in this picture, is filled with beautiful colours and patterns – all the way from the children's room to the living room.

Yellow is mellow

In Drottningholm in Stockholm we find this spectacular villa filled with colours like yellow, blue and red. The home itself is a heritage treasure that is carefully restored and cared for. Original details such as tiled stoves from Rörstrand, wide plank floors, ornate woodwork and beautiful salons characterise the home.

Bring colour into your kitchen

Your home does not have to be filled to the brim with different colours and patterns. A colourful eye-catching statement piece can be more than enough. Just look at this cottage from the 1960s, where the residents have chosen to have sky-blue shutters in the kitchen along with a light floor and white tiles.

Furnish with coloured details

One interior designer who loves to use colour is Myrica Bergqvist. She has decorated her small apartment of 44 square meters with playful and personal details.

White walls as a basis

White walls are perfect to have as a backdrop if you like to change the decor at home often. Get inspired by this family home on Telefonplan in Stockholm, where colourful furniture spices things up.

Colour is just right in the children's room

Kids like colour, so it can be fun to let the imagination flow freely in their room. “As a natural part of children's appetite for discovery they choose colour over white. And if the older kids get to decide, the rooms will be very colourful,” says Samuel West in the literature study ‘Children's creativity and colour preferences’.

Complement all areas

Bright colours work well in both large and small spaces. Just look at this little apartment of only 28 square meters. Here, the light base is complemented by orange and yellow accents, creating a beautiful contrast.

Lookdown

Colourful floors are increasing in popularity, mainly in the bathroom. Be inspired by this beautiful room where the floor has become the crowned jewel.

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PROPERTY

INTERVIEW: ‘Most foreigners in Sweden don’t know they can get back excess rent’

In Sweden, people subletting apartments are not allowed to charge more in rent than they themselves pay. But foreign subtenants don't always know this. We asked Roland Sjölin, lawyer at the Swedish Tenants' Association, about how to get back excess rent.

Published: 18 April 2024 15:19 CEST
Updated: 21 April 2024 08:12 CEST
INTERVIEW: 'Most foreigners in Sweden don't know they can get back excess rent'

More and more of the people asking the Swedish Tenants’ Association, Hyresgästföreningen in Swedish, for help with excess rent are foreigners, Sjölin told The Local in an interview.

“The problem is that if you’re coming from another country, and you’re subletting an apartment, you’re probably not familiar with the rules in Sweden, because in other countries, it might be okay to overcharge your tenants.” 

He said that clients from India in particular seeking help from the association were now “very common”. 

“Many people come here to work as engineers in the IT sector and then have to rent somewhere,” he said, adding that as a group Indians appeared to be “very aware of their rights.”

Sweden’s rental sector is heavily regulated, with first hand contracts negotiated between landlords and the Tenants’ Association, and the rent that can be charged for second-hand contracts limited to only a small fraction above what the first-hand renter pays. 

“You’re not allowed to make any profit subletting an apartment in Sweden,” Sjölin explains. “You can only charge the subletting tenant the same rent as you [the first-hand tenant] are paying to your landlord, and then you can add the costs for internet and electricity, and perhaps a parking lot, if that is included.” 

Tenants’ Association lawyer Roland Sjölin. Photo: supplied.

You can also add a påslag or “markup”, if you are renting out the apartment fully furnished, but this cannot exceed more than 15 percent of the rent. 

That doesn’t mean that most landlords follow the law. The competition for rental apartments, especially in Stockholm, is so intense, that unscrupulous sublet landlords often try to get away with charging well over the legal amount, charging what is known in Sweden as ockerhyra, or “excess rent” and hoping that their tenants are too desperate to complain.  

What many foreigners do not realise is that even after the rental period is over, they can still get back any excess rent they have paid by applying to the Rental Board or Hyresnämnden, which functions like a court judging rental disputes. 

“If you have the evidence then it’s fairly easy,” Sjölin said. “I get a new case every second week on repayment of unfair rent, and I think that I win most of them.” 

“Nowadays, you can get paid back excess rent up to 24 months back in time, so people tend to get more money,” he added. “In some cases, they can get 200,000 kronor. In other cases, perhaps it’s only 30,000 kronor or 60,000 kronor. It depends on how long you have rented the apartment, and how excessive the rent you’ve been paying has been.”

The first step is to establish what would have been a fair rent, either by asking your landlord what they themselves pay directly or by checking with the Tenants’ Association.

“Because we negotiate most rents in Sweden, we normally know what the firsthand rent is,” Sjölin explained.

Then you need to collect together your evidence.

“It’s a good thing to have a written contract and also papers from your bank showing that you paid rent every month, and perhaps photographs of the apartment, so the rental board can get an idea of the apartment you were renting and what would be a fair rent, and also the termination for the contract so you can show the court how long you’ve been living in the apartment.” 

But Sjölin underlined that since Sweden has free burden of evidence, none of this is essential. 

“Even if you’ve been paying in cash, if you have witnesses who can testify what you were paying each month, you still have a chance of getting your money back. It’s a bit more tricky, but I’ve won two cases like that this year.” 

People in Sweden, he explained, tend to wait until the rental period is over before seeking to get paid back excess rent rather than challenging their landlord while they are still living in the apartment. 

“You don’t have any legal protection for your home for the first two years, so if you bring the matter up with the person you’re renting the apartment from you risk losing your contract and having to move out, so most people wait until they’re supposed to move anyway,” he said.

If you apply to the rental board for a refund close to the day you move out, you can then make your landlord pay back all excess rent paid in the 24 months leading up to the date you contacted the rental board.

If you are a member of the Tenants’ Association, you can contact them and ask for help with your application, but there are also specialist companies, like Orimlig Hyra AB who will buy your case off you and give you a refund within 48 hours, saving you a long wait in exchange for a cut of the money reclaimed. 

Sjölin said that the rental board normally took about 8 months to come to a judgement, but that if the person with the first hand contract appeals, that could extend the waiting time by between six months and a year.

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