Swedish Country Interiors [Hardcover]

Rhonda Eleish (Author), Edie Van Breems (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Swedish Country Interiors showcases homes that have a wide spectrum of interpretations of Swedish country style-rustic, rural, urban, comfortable, family friendly, elegant, simple, complex, grand, humble, and eclectic. Also found are numerous examples of Swedish country living that the homeowners have embraced and derived inspiration from, including wall decorations, functional furnishings, natural upholstery materials, light, and indoor-outdoor living.

Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems opened the doors to Eleish van Breems Antiques in 1998, specializing in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Swedish antiques. Their company, Eleish van Breems Ltd. has expanded to become a full service Nordic design showroom and they are sought out for their interiors featuring the best hallmarks of Scandinavian design. The authors, who first published Swedish Interiors, and their antiques and interiors have been featured in many national publications, including Country Living, Victoria, and House Beautiful, and they have made appearances on Martha Stewart and HGTV Canada. Rhonda resides in Bridgewater, Connecticut with her daughter Kari and husband Buffer. Edie lives with her family in a 1760 colonial home in Fairfield, Connecticut.

As featured in Country Living! Showcases fifteen beautiful homes that highlight the stylish interpretations of Swedish country
(20100210)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Compiled with commentary by Swedish interior design experts Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems, the fifteen American country dwellings showcased in 'Swedish Country Interiors' large country estates to small cottages. Showcasing a variety of interiors, each of whom are superbly photographed, 'Swedish Country Interiors' is an ideal resource for ideas and inspirations. Of special note is a converted Connecticut antique paper factory, and a beach house in Laguna Beach, California, each of which has been crafted to an ideal Swedish country retreat. All this and more make 'Swedish Country Interiors' a 192-page compendium of commentary and images that is especially recommended for academic and community library Interior Design reference collections in general, and the supplemental reading lists for non-specialist general readers seeking interior design ideas in particular."

(Midwest Book Review )

The authors present a smorgasbord of fifteen locations. Each home expresses Swedish style in general and Swedish country style in particular. The book offers something visually appetizing for almost everyone.

(Veranda )

From the Inside Flap

Whether it's the tall, folk-painted Swedish case clocks, checked ginghams, natural wood flooring, or the allowance of an abundance of light into interior living spaces, Swedish country style draws people from all walks of life with its fresh, clean, comfortable, and well-designed look.

Authors Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems combine their many years of experience and expertise as interior designers and Swedish antiques dealers to show how you can incorporate Swedish design into your living spaces.

Ranging from a single room to an entire country retreat, from a pool house or an artist's cottage to living spaces on a grand scale, the many interpretations of Swedish country offer a multitude of design possibilities. The style values mixing the old with the new and favors functionality along with tradition. It is recognized by its bright color palette, pickled wood floors, minimal window treatments, and folk-painted clocks, trunks, and wall hangings, or bonads. Country style can be interpreted from the rustic, with dark woods and painted walls, to the elegant Gustavian style with crystal lighting and gilt wood frames. Swedish country translates very naturally in a contemporary modern setting and is perfect for family friendly living.
Swedish Country Interiors showcases fifteen homes from across the United States that are varied in scale, style, and interpretation. Among them are a neoclassical home with Swedish influence situated in Atlanta, a mill house for an old paper factory that has been converted to a beautiful weekend living space in Connecticut, and a California beach house in Laguna Beach made to be the perfect Swedish country retreat.

As a stand-alone or the perfect companion volume to Swedish Interiors, this book will put beauty and hours of inspiration into your hands and home.

Whether it's the tall, folk-painted Swedish case clocks, checked ginghams, natural wood flooring, or the allowance of an abundance of light into interior living spaces, Swedish country style draws people from all walks of life with its fresh, clean, comfortable, and well-designed look.

Authors Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems combine their many years of experience and expertise as interior designers and Swedish antiques dealers to show how you can incorporate Swedish design into your living spaces.

Ranging from a single room to an entire country retreat, from a pool house or an artist's cottage to living spaces on a grand scale, the many interpretations of Swedish country offer a multitude of design possibilities. The style values mixing the old with the new and favors functionality along with tradition. It is recognized by its bright color palette, pickled wood floors, minimal window treatments, and folk-painted clocks, trunks, and wall hangings, or bonads. Country style can be interpreted from the rustic, with dark woods and painted walls, to the elegant Gustavian style with crystal lighting and gilt wood frames. Swedish country translates very naturally in a contemporary modern setting and is perfect for family friendly living.

Swedish Country Interiors showcases fifteen homes from across the United States that are varied in scale, style, and interpretation. Among them are a neoclassical home with Swedish influence situated in Atlanta, a mill house for an old paper factory that has been converted to a beautiful weekend living space in Connecticut, and a California beach house in Laguna Beach made to be the perfect Swedish country retreat. As a stand-alone or the perfect companion volume to Swedish Interiors, this book will put beauty and hours of inspiration into your hands and home.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems opened the doors to Eleish van Breems Antiques in 1998, specializing in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Swedish antiques. Their company, Eleish van Breems Ltd. has expanded to become a full service Nordic design showroom and they are sought out for their interiors featuring the best hallmarks of Scandinavian design. The authors, who first published Swedish Interiors, and their antiques and interiors have been featured in many national publications, including Country Living, Victoria, and House Beautiful, and they have made appearances on Martha Stewart and HGTV Canada. Rhonda resides in Bridgewater, Connecticut with her daughter Kari and husband Buffer. Edie lives with her family in a 1760 colonial home in Fairfield, Connecticut.

About the Photographers
Jon E. Monson and L. Langdon "Buffer" Ergmann of Endo Graphics, Danbury, Connecticut, have a combined sixty years of experience in the prepress/print graphics industry, specializing in color, design, and digital retouching photography. Jon and Buffer have traveled both the United States and Europe for location commercial shoots as well as working extensively on in-house art and commercial projects. Both Jon and Buffer live in Bridgewater, Connecticut; Jon with his wife, Melinda, and Buffer with his wife, Rhonda Eleish, and their daughter Kari.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423604423
• ISBN-13: 978-1423604426
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swedish-Inspired Casual Interiors, November 8, 2009

By 

Classicdude (River City) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swedish Country Interiors (Hardcover)

With a slightly misleading title, SWEDISH COUNTRY INTERIORS, is a look at fourteen houses and one shop in the United States attractively furnished using some Swedish antiques, mostly from the Roccoco and Gustavian Periods. So there are no true Swedish interiors in the strict sense in the book, but a few of the houses have architectural detailing inspired by Swedish models. Among the the subjects are a new house designed by the architectural firm of Robert A.M. Stern in Seaside, FL, a rubble stone Craftsman bungalow in Atlanta, GA, a New England style house in Dallas remodeled by architect Frank Ryburn, and co-author Edie's own home in Connecticut.

Each property is given its own chapter with color photos and some text by Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems who own Scandanavian Design Center in charming Washington Depot, CT. Rhonda's husband L. Langdon Ergmann and partner Jon E. Monson were the photographers. Noted interior designer David Anthony Easton provided an Introduction and there is a limited Resource Guide. Also there is a short list of Interior Designers, so brief that it does not even include the afore-mentioned Mr. Easton! Veranda magazine editor Lisa Newsom, whose son and daughter-in-law's home appears in the book, wrote the Forward. This is an attractive coffee table book, with some interiors that might be inspirational, but do not expect more than just an approximation of the all-out charm of genuine folk Swedish interiors.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book, January 30, 2010

By 

Patricia B. Carlson "Teacher-reader" (North Kingstown, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swedish Country Interiors (Hardcover)

This book is a real stunner. Rather than focusing on interiors in Sweden, it reveals the Swedish country style adapted to a variety of American interiors. The photography is first rate as is the text, and the book reveals numerous ways that Swedish decor translates beautifully in other contexts. It makes a great addition to the collection of the designer or homeowner.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcasing a variety of interiors, each of whom are superbly photographed, January 11, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swedish Country Interiors (Hardcover)

Compiled with commentary by Swedish interior design experts Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems, the fifteen American country dwellings showcased in "Swedish Country Interiors" large country estates to small cottages. Showcasing a variety of interiors, each of whom are superbly photographed, "Swedish Country Interiors" is an ideal resource for ideas and inspirations. Of special note is a converted Connecticut antique paper factory, and a beach house in Laguna Beach, California, each of which has been crafted into an ideal Swedish country retreat. All this and more make "Swedish Country Interiors" a 192-page compendium of commentary and images that is especially recommended for academic and community library Interior Design reference collections in general, and the supplemental reading lists for non-specialist general readers seeking interior design ideas in particular.