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- World of Byon
- Bubbles with Erik Josefsson
- Start
- World of Byon
- Bubbles with Erik Josefsson
Bubbles with Erik Josefsson
Bubbles with Erik Josefsson
Are you also dreaming about a colourful, bubbling and welcoming home? Read this interview. We have met stylist Erik, who literally lives for interior decorating, at home and at work. With heart and engagement he has transformed his flat in a locally typical “landshövdingehus” (one brick and two wooden storeys) into a delicious sweet. The apartment with beautifully kept details is located in Bagaregården in Gothenburg, Sweden. You’ll find colourful details everywhere, surprises, wacky objects and figurines. All chosen with care and with a special meaning to Erik and his partner. Here old and new are mixed, design and vintage. If you ask Erik he doesn’t think when he’s decorating – he just does. A winning concept for sure. Come on in!
Who lives here? Erik Josefsson and André Danielsson
Instagram? @erinterior
Works with? Stylist and runs the interior decorating agency JosefssonLjung Interiör
Eriks living room
To mix old and new I think is the most important factor in order to create a home that feels lovely and inviting.
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Which are the most momentous tangibles you own? Please tell us their story and why they are special.
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In our home there are several things I like extra much, usually they are bargains from flea markets, vintage shops or auctions that catch my eye a little extra. I’m also extra proud of the tangibles I have created myself, like the coffee table I built or the ceramic things I have knocked together with mixed success.
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When do you enjoy the party the most – before, during or after. And why?
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Oh, difficult question, but perhaps before the party. It’s really fun to prepare and fix things when you’re looking forward to a great evening you’ve been waiting a long time for. But the preparations are not worth much if the party never happens. Afterwards is probably when I enjoy myself the least …
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What do you suggest for getting more shimmering moments on a boring rainy day in the middle of the week?
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Don’t get affected by things you cannot do anything about. If it rains there are plenty of cozy things to do indoors, or why not go outdoors and jump in water puddles with some neighbourhood kids. You should also remember that a week has seven days you can use for enjoyable things. Sometimes we only look forward to the weekend, make sure you have some fun during weekdays as well! Me and my partner have for example a dating concept where once a month we invite each other to a date on a weekday evening. The date itself doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive, the fun part is to be invited to an evening your partner has planned.
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Which combination do you love the most when decorating?
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To mix old and new I think is the most important factor in order to create a home that feels lovely and inviting. Collect wacky things and dare to be personal, that’s what makes your home interesting. Things that have a personal connection like something inherited or a memory from a trip or special occasion are the very best things to have in a home. Obviously, I’m also inspired a lot by trends, but my tip is not to follow them to the letter. Choose certain parts and do your own thing.
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When you look at the interior decorating in your own home, how would you describe it? What does it make you feel?
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Playful and personal. Me and my partner have a preference for slightly odd tangibles which make us happy. Lots of the things in our home are handicrafts and stuff bought on various trips and excursions. It feels very warm and lovely to build your home that way around great memories.
Eriks kitchen
Collect wacky things and dare to be personal, that’s what makes your home interesting.
"Add accent colours making details stand out"
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How do you think when decorating?
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Honestly, I don’t think very much, I just do. That is often the case with creative professions, it’s in the blood somehow, you see what works well and what doesn’t fit together. It is however important to start with the basics. When the colouring and the furnishing are finished you can carry on adding details. What’s easy to forget is to think of also decorating in an airy way. If things are placed in evenly flowing rows, the eye doesn’t know where to focus, and they can easily feel messy and disconnected. To group things together and to leave air in carefully chosen places is what creates balance and harmony.
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Tips, thoughts, tangibles or persons which make you bubble?
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Oh, that’s hard, friends and family are what’s most important in life. They give me the most energy. A bad habit I have, is that I love watching TV. I can become unreasonably bubbly and happy about other people’s feelings on TV. And this can be high and low, cool sport achievements during the Olympics, when someone gets standing ovations in a talent show or when awkward moments appear in one of the many dating programs.
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How do you play with colour when decorating?
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I think you should choose one or a couple of colours as a foundation and let them dominate. Later you can add accent colours making details stand out. Another trick is to let one colour be repeated at least twice in a room to form a whole which isn’t scattered too much.
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You work with decorating other people’s homes? How does work differ from your own home?
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What I foremost work with is styling before a property sale and that’s a business which has developed a lot over the seven years I have been working with it. When I started my career it was mostly about neutralizing and attracting an as broad as possible target group. Today the main focus is instead on creating an attractive advertisement which feels and looks inspiring. So, in many ways my profession is similar to what I’m doing in my home today. When decorating customers’ homes, where they should live, it’s a totally different thing. Then it’s about familiarizing myself with what they need and like and then put forward a suggestion which suits them.
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Related or not to decorating, is there an accomplishment in life you are extra proud of?
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There is a lot I am proud of, but it’s hard to put one achievement over another. I’m very rarely worried about things but think that the worst that can happen is that you cannot do it, or that you have to rethink. You must dare to test and with that mentality I have made it through university studies, started a company and crossed the finishing line in the obstacle races Toughest and Tough Viking.
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Favourite -emoji?
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Can I choose two? In that case I pick💁🏼♂️🐒
Another trick is to let one colour be repeated at least twice in a room to form a whole which isn’t scattered too much.