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Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style
Beloved designer Lotta Jansdotter's smart, organic design has earned her international acclaim. Now she shares her recipe for a stylish home: take a whole lot of Scandinavian influence, mix in a dash of flea-market finds, and then top it all off with expressive handmade touches. The result? An entirely fresh approach to home dcor and contemporary living. In this lavishly illustrated book, Lotta shares her decorating secrets, design resources, entertaining tips, and family traditions. Tucked away at the back shes included stencil pages and perforated recipe cards featuring classic Swedish dishes. Equal parts inspiration and how-to, this charming book shows readers how to create a warm home with elements of simple Scandinavian-influenced style.
172 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2010
311 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 1, 2011
A beautiful and inspiring book that makes me want to make more (with textiles--sewing, etc), have a more organized home, and take a fresh look at my own home. It can be inspiring to see the homes and work spaces of designers, and Jansdotter's book does all of this with lovely photographs and little tips and ideas. I also want to try some of the recipes she shares, from Swedish meatballs to cinnamon rolls.
March 19, 2011
While I haven't heard of Lotta Jansdotter, she seems like a pretty together woman, or, at least, her house is. The book was fun to flip through. I especially liked the bit about coffee time (Fika) and her wall cutting board hanger. Haven't tried the recipes, but yes, there's herring (she's Swedish) and cinnamon rolls.
The photos are fun to look at, the text is OK. My main quibble is that she says she didn't feel that she needed to include instructions for some of her projects because they're so straightforward. Cop out. Many of you readers aren't fabric designers with mad improv sewing skills. Apart from the recipes, the instructions include are less than detailed.
All in all, fun to flip through and worth checking out from the library, if interested.
The photos are fun to look at, the text is OK. My main quibble is that she says she didn't feel that she needed to include instructions for some of her projects because they're so straightforward. Cop out. Many of you readers aren't fabric designers with mad improv sewing skills. Apart from the recipes, the instructions include are less than detailed.
All in all, fun to flip through and worth checking out from the library, if interested.
October 6, 2011
This book is not great for DIY advice and the recipes seem a little gnarly (because I don't have a well-developed appreciation for Scandinavian cuisine?), but it is a nice meander for people interested in Scandinavian-inspired life and style. Lotta Jansdotter is designer who has a gift for big, white walls, simple stencils and repeating designs. She offers advice on personalizing your space and using small spaces wisely. The photos are nice and Lotta is adorable in her totally Swedish-born New Yorker kind of way.
January 15, 2012
I was expecting a lot more from this, as I love Lotta Jansdotter. The layout was beautiful and it was a nice book to flip while watching tv. I didn't feel like I learned anything new about her style though - this is all apparent through her design and sale items. I felt like it was very superficial in a way. It wasn't a deep conversation with her, more of a flit through her home. If you admire her design work, read it, but otherwise, not a whole lt of substance.
March 23, 2012
lovely book for the coffee table-- lots of gorgeous photos & inspiration. though it's beautiful to look at, it's a little light on content to me, so I probably won't add it to my personal library. the tear-out recipes in the back are a nice touch though!
October 28, 2013
Everything she does is cute. I love the simplicity and minimalism of her apartment. I don't think I want so many twee prints and fabrics in my home, but I like her interior aspirations of peace and minimalism. Japanese + Scandinavian influences = my favorite.
August 7, 2015
Love everything about Lotta Jansdotter and her aesthetic. It's a lovely book and I probably win the prize for number of times this book is borrowed from my local library. It's usually at my house, not on library shelf.
December 23, 2011
As a DIY book, Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style doesn't quite make the mark. But in other ways it is so much more. As the title indicates, this is a style book and Lifestyle book more than anything else. Recipes, personal annecdotes, and the occasional craft and design pattern, along side large and lovely photographs by Jenny Hallengren, make this an inspiring "biographicaphical scrapbook". Or as she calls it "a visit" into her home and work space.
From "At Home", "Entertaining", and "At Work", you too can decide what areas to infuse / transform with the designer's suggestions in decor (storage, and making use of small spaces), crafts, and recipes.
If like me your knowledge of Scandanavian style didn't go beyond Ikea catalogues - take a look and see just how bohemian, folk, and whismical can fit right along clean lines and bright colours. Even if I can't say for sure if this lifestyle is for me, I certainly feel there is something very beautiful here.
From "At Home", "Entertaining", and "At Work", you too can decide what areas to infuse / transform with the designer's suggestions in decor (storage, and making use of small spaces), crafts, and recipes.
If like me your knowledge of Scandanavian style didn't go beyond Ikea catalogues - take a look and see just how bohemian, folk, and whismical can fit right along clean lines and bright colours. Even if I can't say for sure if this lifestyle is for me, I certainly feel there is something very beautiful here.
August 11, 2016
I was really disappointed in this book. I've loved Lotta Jansdotter's textile designs since I worked in a boutique in college and first discovered them on a line of her handbags, and I was hoping this book would have some insight into her influences and (self-taught) design principles. It really doesn't. It's basically just a photo shoot of her wandering around her Brooklyn home and studio (which are nice, don't get me wrong), with inane passages about how she chooses to decorate. I almost put the book down when I came across a paragraph in which she describes how she stores trays and baskets and such on top of her fridge, since she has so little room in her kitchen. Seriously? How does that qualify as 'Scandinavian style'? If you're looking for simple, clean design inspiration, you're better off picking up the latest IKEA catalog.
June 17, 2016
This book is really useless. The same way that Martha Stewart Living magazine is basically just a personality cult disguised as " lifestyle inspiration," this book is just unapologetic Lotta Jansdotter porn. There is nothing useful in this book, outside a handful of uninspired recipes and instructions for how to make a stencil (because no one knows how to do that!). Even the photography is boring. I suspect die-hard fans would enjoy this (look at Lotta eating breakfast! look at her pajamas!), but it is otherwise a waste of time.
October 1, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, I liked that Lotta's ideas are simple and also cheap. It's nice to see decorating ideas for renters that are may not have a huge amount of money (like me!).
I think this book has some sounds ideas like using left over spaces for built-in shelving. The colours and textiles are beautiful. I really like the pages on flower arranging.
Lotta's cheerfulness and optimism come spring out of this book's pages. This is a lovely book to read.
I think this book has some sounds ideas like using left over spaces for built-in shelving. The colours and textiles are beautiful. I really like the pages on flower arranging.
Lotta's cheerfulness and optimism come spring out of this book's pages. This is a lovely book to read.
August 5, 2017
This book was as if a humble Scandinavian Martha Stewart had written it, drab color palette and all. Photography was nice, writing was often chatty, but encouraging. Not a DIY book, but a peek into how Lotta Jansdotter's personal life and work life LOOKS. Good for a quick flipping through, but not much substance.
September 4, 2012
A large-format, cleanly-designed visit to the household of Swedish artist/designer Lotta Jansdotter. I enjoyed Ms. Jansdotter's conversational tone and the recipe cards at the back. Great find for $1 at my local library booksale.
November 21, 2016
Fun but a little dated already. Scandinavian-style minimalism meets Pinterest. Gloriously feminine and probably wouldn't look as nice in real life for very long periods of time. I can't imagine white felt flowers would look pretty the day after a party.
February 9, 2011
Great inspiration for home decorating, and I love her style (the tasty Swedish recipes are a great bonus).
November 19, 2010
Beautiful photographs and lots of inspiration.
May 17, 2011
I love Lotta! A whole lotta! Couldn't resist. This is one sweet, beautiful book. A few good recipes, a few good projects and a lot of inspiration.
February 8, 2011
Apparently all I need to have lovely home is a friend who's a really good photographer.
April 25, 2011
Some very pretty stuff in here. A couple of things that I will actually try.
April 12, 2011
I was hoping for something with a little more DIY advice but this seemed to focus on Jansdotter's life. It was a neat book though.
May 9, 2011
A great book if you want to see how Lotta Jansdotter decorates her own home, but not so great as a do-it-yourself or how-to book. It was too "look at me and how great my home is" for my liking.
March 21, 2012
I have to agree with other reviewers, this is not really a DIY book. It is a style book though with a lot of great pictures.
April 11, 2012
I love her aesthetic and I look through this one again and again.
July 7, 2012
This is a decor/lifestyle/crafty book. While I love, love, love Lotta, I felt like this book lacked alot of meat. It needed more pictures, less food.
February 14, 2017
Love her style, casual, fresh, and simple.
December 26, 2017
Gorgeous books like this reinforce that I spend way too much time consuming and not enough time creating.
March 25, 2018
Pretty, but forgettable.
October 14, 2018
Fun to thumb through but I was hoping for more crafts, projects, and tips - instead, it was mainly just a tour of her beautiful home!
July 10, 2019
I love all of the photos, but wish more project ideas were shown, and that the book was longer.
June 2, 2020
Brings inspiration every time I open it's covers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews