SHARE
COPY LINK
HOMES

HOMES

In pictures: Decorate your tiny apartment the Swedish way

Do you find it difficult to make the most of a small apartment? Houzz.se's Amanda Strömberg finds seven perfect examples of clever tricks in Sweden.

In pictures: Decorate your tiny apartment the Swedish way
Swedish blogger Josefin Dahlberg's apartment. Photo: Nadja Endler

Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of people looking for inspiration on how to furnish their small apartments in Sweden. It can be quite tricky to decorate a home where you are limited in terms of space. Here, we have collected seven small homes, all which have two things in common – they are smaller than 40 square metres and filled with clever tricks, of various kinds.

1. When this 29-square-metre apartment was refurbished, it got filled with smart solutions that make great use of every single centimetre. One of the major changes they made was that they built a practical loft with a four-square-metre closet underneath – but because of the low ceiling, they had to compromise somehow on the construction. “The client had to choose between being able to sit up in bed and then crouch when using the closet, or crawling up to bed and go headlong in the closet,” says project manager Daniel.

Kök och vardagsrum
Photo: Moodhouse InteriörSök designinspiration för heminredning

Klädkammare under sovloftet

2. Maria Paulsson Rönnbäck’s apartment is only 35 square metres, but by making the best use of white colour, the space feels much bigger than that. “The cupboards in the kitchen had a dull, dark brown fake chestnut colour, that I covered quickly. I also painted the pine floors white.” Did she never think about the fact that it could be difficult to clean? “Yes, I did, and moreover, I have long, dark curly hair. A lot. So I simply have to clean more often, and I make sure that the guests always take off their shoes in the hallway.”

Idungatan 10
Photo: Erik Olsson FastighetsförmedlingSök inredningsidéer för rustika kök

Idungatan 10
 

3. The enchanting high ceilings and large industrial windows are traces of the building's past as an old piano factory, letting in lots of light in the small 38-square-metre apartment. Where these pictures were taken, gadget-loving Josefin Dahlberg lived here. She took advantage of the space available by using the height of the ceiling: “Since my job largely is about blogging about style, and wearing different outfits to inspire others, I've got quite a lot of clothes… I have a lot of basement storage and built some extra storage in the hallway since there is so much spare headroom… “

Josefin D

4. On 28 square metres, architect Sofia Kanje created this deluxe compact living space. Among other things, the kitchen was moved into what was previously the walk-in closet and a bed recess with built-in storage was built to separate the bed from the living room area. Next to the bed, and in the hall, she has put brass hooks perpendicularly on the wall. “It is important to maximize all surfaces. By hanging the hangers this way, they take up much less space,” says Sofia.

Sofia
Photo: Nadja Endler | PhotographyBläddra igenom foton av moderna allrum

Sofia

5. Once again we see a small home that, thanks to its high ceilings of almost four metres, feels much bigger than it is. “The volume of this place makes it easy to accommodate 15 people, with no problems,” said Andreas Wijk, who lives here. In addition, Andreas has himself created some multi-functional solutions that utilize the surface perfectly, and live up to his needs – the spray painted coffee table is one of those designs: “I went to a workshop and asked if I could get two of the tires that were outside, 'take what you want', I was told. The top is made of a round plate of wood, and inside of the tires I store games for game nights.”

Andreas Wijk
Photo: Nadja Endler | PhotographyHitta bilder av moderna matplatser

Andreas Wijk
 

6. In this small flat of 34 square metres lives Swedish blogger Emelie Ekman. “My tip when you live in a small space is to think in cubic metres instead of square metres. Storage is usually a big problem. Put up shelves up to the ceiling and plan for storage under the furnitures where possible. Another thing is to try to decorate with light colours – you can add colour in the details instead.”

Emelie
Photo: Nadja Endler | PhotographyBläddra igenom foton av klassiska vardagsrum

Emelie
 
7. When Ulrika Jacobson bought this 33-square-metre apartment it was a studio, but with some changes and careful planning, it was turned into a mini one bedroom. “I opened up the small kitchen and divided the large room to create a sleeping area. I measured and tried different things to get a small couch to fit along one of the bedroom walls so that it would feel like different rooms,” she says.
 
 
Drejargatan 1

Get more inspiration in The Local's Homes section

Come see more Nordic lifestyle, design and architecture over at houzz.dk and houzz.se.

For members

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.

SHOW COMMENTS