Swedish Details

A home isn't simply the sum of its rooms and furniture, but also a number of larger or smaller details. To prove this, illustrator Annika Huett and photographer Ulf Huett Nilsson went on a journey from the north to the south of Sweden, peeking into people's homes. What they found was an inspiring myriad of personal details--from cramped shelves of kitchen cupboards, to toilet-paper holders, plants, outlets and coat hangers. The pair organized their book by rooms--kitchens, bedrooms, children's rooms, bathrooms and entryways--so it's easy to flip to a section to glean inspiration for one's own home decoration scheme. With a range of photos, from large landscapes capturing entire rooms, to small close-ups of the little knickknacks one might normally overlook, the volume establishes an aesthetic uniquely Swedish and welcoming in its personality and warmth. The details captured are neither new nor expensive, nor are they the fashion-inspired, cutting-edge design that has come to characterize some corners of Scandinavia. Instead, they are personal, homey and almost impossible to replicate--and it is these qualities that make this compilation such a quirky delight. In Swedish Details, Huett and Huett Nilsson not only shine a light on the smaller things, but also document the details that create the difference between a space and a home.