Swedish Interiors [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2007

Swedish Interiors

Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems

Swedish Interiors is the first book to share the history, progression, and key elements of Swedish style and how to use it in many different styles of homes. From the white- and blue-hued images of the familiar Gustavian style to the gold accents and luxurious patterns found in the Swedish Baroque, Rococo, and Biedermeier periods, the secret to Swedish design is in having the confidence to mix old and new while maintaining a clean and simple aesthetic.

Emphasizes light, comfort and elegance.

Is found throughout the world, proving its wide appeal and the ease with which it blends with other design styles.

The authors operate Eleish Van Breems Antiques, a renowned Swedish antiques and decorating resource. Featured on Martha Stewart Living, and in Country Living, House Beautiful, Travel & Leisure, the New York Times, Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Victoria, and Yankee. Regional author tour.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

When we think of Swedish style, we often think of the familiar white- and blue-hued images of the Gustavian period. However, the range of Swedish design is vast, including the Baroque, Rococo, Karl Johan, Biedermeier, and Modernist periods. The secret to the Swedish aesthetic is having the confidence to mix old and new while maintaining a clean and simple balance.

Swedish immigrants brought to America their customs as well as the decorative and architectural arts of their homeland. In this book, you will see the homes of contemporary Swedes, and those inspired by Sweden, who have melded the very best aspects of Swedish design and sensibility into their American homes. A New York City apartment mixes contemporary art and furnishings with period antiques, a Swedish immigrant's log cabin is restored to its original splendor while incorporating elements of the American West, and a Connecticut dairy barn is transformed into a spacious and light-filled home.

Swedish Interiors represents the best of Swedish design in America. Throughout these pages, you will be inspired as well as learn how to incorporate elements of Swedish design into your own interiors. Discover how to pickle hardwood floors, introduce crystal, mirrors, and lighter interior colors to your rooms, and create window treatments that allow for the maximum amount of light. Swedish design has a strong basis in functionality; its style is clean and uncluttered while still maintaining a level of intimate comfort and elegance. Whether you prefer a house in the country or a modern, urban apartment, Swedish design is a style that can be incorporated into any home.

Authors Rhonda Eleish and Edie Bernhard van Breems are the owners of Eleish van Breems Antiques, the premier Swedish antique store in the United States. They bring to Swedish Interiors years of expertise, experience, and passion for creating the very best of Swedish-inspired interiors.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jon 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. The images in Swedish Interiors are the result of a creative partnership between Jon and Buffer, who were inspired by outstanding locations and elegant interiors. Both Jon and Buffer live in Bridgewater, Connecticut; Jon with his wife Melinda, and Buffer with his wife Rhonda Eleish and their daughter Kari.

About the Author

Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems live in Woodbury, Connecticut, and opened the doors to Eleish van Breems Antiques in 1998. They specialize in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Swedish antiques and offer compelling examples of Swedish design and lifestyle.

Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems are the founders of Eleish van Breems Ltd., a company whose approach to design stems from a modern application and interpretation of historic Scandinavian interiors and form. They are sought out for their clean, elegant, and fresh approach to interiors, all with a Scandinavian essence. Rhonda and Edie are the authors of Swedish Interiors and Swedish Country Interiors and are excited to introduce Reflections on Swedish Interiors as the third book in their best-selling Swedish Interiors series. Their design work has been featured in fine national and international publications such as House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Veranda, Glamour, Country Living, Gods & Goddar, and the New York Times, among others. The pair have made television appearances on This Old House, Martha Stewart Living and HGTV-Canada. Both Rhonda and Edie live with their families in southwest Connecticut and travel extensively in Scandinavia, calling Stockholm their home away from home.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1ST edition (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142360024X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423600244
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > History > Europe > Sweden

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The New York Times Review Written By Wendy Moonan June 21, 2007

By Rhonda S. Eleish

Format:Hardcover

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Wendy Moonan
Published: May 4, 2007 in The New York Times

Swedish Simplicity

"American interest in Swedish antiques is just exploding now," said Jill Dienst, who owns Dienst & Dotter in Sag Harbor, N.Y., a shop that specializes in Swedish antiques and accessories from the 17th through the 20th century. "What I'm selling are my best pieces, the highest quality Stockholm cabinetmakers, which to me means people are becoming more educated about the whole range of Swedish antiques."

If so, the publication of "Swedish Interiors" by Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems (Gibbs Smith, $39.95) seems timely.

The authors, both of Swedish heritage, own Eleish van Breems Antiques in Woodbury, Conn. Their coffee-table book features 14 stylistically different American houses to show that Swedish style extends beyond the familiar 18th-century Gustavian look to encompass Swedish Baroque, Rococo, Biedermeier and Modernist designs.

"There was a real need for a book like this," Ms. Dienst said. "We need to educate people how these antiques work in modern America. The book shows how Americans capture the Swedish spirit of light, simplicity, warmth and elegance in diverse ways."

There are few English-language books about Swedish antiques and interiors. The 2006 book `Classical Swedish Architecture and Interiors, 1650-1840' by Johan Cederlund (W. W. Norton), like `The Swedish House' by Lars Sjoberg and `The Swedish Room' by Mr. Sjoberg and his wife, Ursula is illustrated with only photographs of majestic palaces and stately manor houses in Sweden.

In their book Ms. Eleish and Ms. van Breems explore the American take on Swedish style: a 1795 Colonial house in Rhode Island, a log ranch in Montana, a 1923 bungalow in Los Angeles and a sleek modern apartment in Manhattan, among other examples. They even photographed interiors created by rival dealers: Lars Bolander of Palm Beach and, in Manhattan, Paul Sigenlaub of Evergreen Antiques and Lena Kaplan of White on White.

"We did the book because our clients have been asking us how to adopt Swedish style to their own homes," Ms. Eleish said. "The world has changed. We are trying to get back to simplicity. People are looking for interiors that are soothing and comfortable, not stressful."

Ms. van Breems began her career as a commercial photographer, while Ms. Eleish was with a retail clothing chain. They opened their shop in 1998 to sell 18th- and 19th-century Swedish furnishings, reproductions and Marimekko fabrics and accessories from Finland.

"We wanted to show how versatile Swedish design is (everyone thinks Swedish is white, white, white) and how eclectic it can be." Ms. Eleish said.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Book! June 22, 2007

By P. Clark

Format:Hardcover

Finally a book that shows us that Swedish interiors, and furniture do not always mean grey and white, but that Swedish can mean a variety of color, and light. The two authors Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems have searched America and have found charming homes that show us rich colors that can light up those dark days of winter, and show us Spring and Summer can come all year round. This is a beautiful book, that you can tell is well researched and written with care. The beautiful photos are wonderfully selected,and if you are interested in Swedish design, and colors this is the book to choose. You can tell the passion the authors have for this subject with the love and care they put into this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The design guide we have all been waiting for June 26, 2007

By J. Arber

Format:Hardcover

This is a monumental book for both the general public with an interest in the nuances associated with interior design and the seasoned interior design professional who is seeking a guide book to Swedish style. Not only are you rewarded with lush pictography throughout the book but the corresponding discourse is informative and inspiring on numerous levels. This book will take pride of place within my expansive collection and I am sure that I will be referring to it for years to come