OUR FIRST HOME IN OSLO

I still can’t believe we have been living back in Oslo for 9 months now. It really feels like the time has just flown by, and we’re only just starting to feel settled here. I grew up in the city suburbs, only 10 minutes outside of Oslo, but we both agreed we wanted to move into the city upon our return, and it’s been the best decision. I personally feel like moving away from such a vibrant city such as London, would be too much of a contrast, if we settled straight into suburbia here in little Norway, however beautiful it is. Prior to living in London for nearly 11 years, I lived in Barcelona and Sydney for 4 years combined – so I have always been a city girl. When that said, one of the main reasons for moving back to my home country, is because we now have a family, and we were both seeking a quieter, safer and more stabile place to raise Rio, as well as better quality of life. For us, we were no longer using London the way we used to, and I also wanted to be closer to my family, whom of which I have lived away from since I was 19 years old. So it was time to move, and Oslo was the destination.

I was very settled and determined on the area I wanted to live in, and fortunately we found this beautiful place in the heart of the west side of the city, called Frogner. It’s central, yet so incredibly quiet and leafy. For us, the best of both worlds.

It’s a 3 bedroom apartment with a garden, and lots of high windows and natural light. As well as having so many original and classic features, such as cornicing and ceiling roses, high ceilings, herringbone flooring and wall panelling. The apartment is just under 140 sqm, and the size has been perfect for us; even though we moved from a 5 bedroom house over 3 floors, we have really enjoyed the feeling of lateral living again. As you know, we have recently purchased a new apartment (I was itching to renovate another property) which we’re starting work on in January (don’t forget to follow my new Instagram account @homebybush, for all the latest updates). We will no doubt miss our first home here in Oslo, which will always hold a special and memorable place in all of our hearts – and here are some of my favourite rooms and corners of the apartment.

The lounge is the most used, and loved room in the flat, hence why it’s one of the spaces I decided to share the most of in this blog post. With shades of dark blue and pale grey, combined with tones of white, pink and tan, it’s a warm, yet light and airy space. The corner sofa is the focal point of the room, which faces out towards the bay window and dining table and chairs.

You might recognise some pieces from our London house, many of which fortunately slotted perfectly into this new space. In particular the pink velvet pouffe from Made, as well as the custom-made painting print from Parima Studio; both of which combined, really elevate and enhance the overall room.

The Bolia sofa was a new purchase, and both the corner shape and colour could not work more perfectly. A mix of dark navy and cream coloured cushions (a selection from Bolia, Etsy and West Elm), bring warmth and depth to the living room, and the West Elm rug (also from our London house), slotted in like a dream.

The white square coffee tables from HAY also came back with us, and I love the contrast of metal, together with the apartment’s many classic features.

One of the other things I love about this room, is the stunning fireplace, which seamlessly blends into the space, yet is a stand-out feature in itself. We only wish it was placed somewhere else, in order for us to enjoy it from the sofa, however it’s a lovely feeling having it on, when we dine by the table in this room.

The zebra paper maché head is one of my favourite home accessories, and we’ve had him for nearly 5 years now. We got it from Anthropologie, which is now sold out, but I managed to find similar ones here. It adds a quirky and playful element to any space, and with it’s neutral monochrome colour palette, it blends in perfectly too.

Behind the dining table, is fitted shelves and cupboards, which I decorated with various hanging plants, and all my favourite accessories and mementos. The dining chairs were a vintage find, from a traditional Norwegian chair maker, of which we painted and re-upholstered to fit into the space.

I adore this bay window space with all the windows and natural light streaming in. We decided to create Rio’s play area here, as it’s ample enough space for him to store all of his toys, many of which can strategically be hidden behind the wall (a win win for us). I placed my old nursing chair from Sofa Workshop, on the left side of the bay, so the space can also be a reading chair/chill out spot for Sam and I (when Rio’s gone to bed).

We brought some of his favourite things with us, such as the ball pit from Scandiborn, play mat from Skip Hop and this ride on car from My 1st Years.

The middle room is a multi functional room – which both serves as a second lounge, as well as our guest bedroom (we sourced the chicest sofa bed we could find). We decided to have crittall doors in this room, to both showcase the floor to ceiling window in this room, and subsequently draw light into the hallway.

I always love a mixture of old and new…

Colour coded book shelves brings happiness to my soul!

The bedroom is light and airy, with lots of floor to ceiling wardrobe space. I was lucky enough to have a walk-in-wardrobe in our last house, and although this isn’t the same amount of space, it has actually done me good to have to edit and work out what I really love and wear. You might have noticed we also brought our beloved bed back us from Feather & Black, which is one of our favourite (and most comfortable) pieces of furniture. It’s a timeless and classic headboard which I know will work in any bedroom we ever have.

Moving onto Rio’s room, my second favourite space in this apartment; a calm and light sanctuary, with lots of warm textures, all of his favourite books, hard and soft toys. There is definitely no mistaking who’s room this is! I might have gone overboard with his name and initial, but I personally love anything personalised. This gorgeous wooden sign was a custom order from Roscoe Rules.

I love all of these prints, individually and together. Starting from the left: KID Interiors, the 2nd and 4th one is from Roscoe Rules, and the 3rd one is from Rachel Gale.

Rio loves both books and soft toys. I keep his books tidy and organised in this wall storage hanger, and his two giant friends, are from H&M (the zebra) and My 1st Years (the rabbit).

The apartment also has a separate kitchen and dining space, two bathrooms, and large hallway. As much as I love this apartment, I don’t feel like I have had the proper time to make it feel 100% me, hence the reason I decided to rather share snippets and corners of my favourite rooms. I do however promise to do a full home tour on our next apartment – with all the renovation progress, as well as before and after photos. Remember to follow my new home Instagram account @homebybush, for all the latest updates. 

NOTE: this apartment was already painted when we moved in, and the painting brands were local Norwegian ones.