Swedish Windows

This could be rather a long blog, photo-wise, as I saw so many beautiful things in Sweden. As I mentioned before, everyone, and I mean everyone, puts lights in their windows at Christmas. Even shops, offices, you name it, if there's a window they put either a star or an advent light in it. Sometimes one or the other and sometimes both. If this sounds a bit uniform, then I hope these photos will show how individual they can be. I also wanted to show the lovely colour combinations of traditional houses and they way the old houses are painted, I hope this inspires you to do a Swedish window in your house, it cheers up a rather dull and grey time of year, if only everyone in the UK would do it too, lets start the fashion eh?

My first outing was to the cute little town of Sigtuna, there was a Christmas market in the town centre, a separate post will have to cover that so I can go into more details. This little city is the oldest in Sweden, founded in 980, and a prettier place you could not imagine. It has a Medieval town centre with a gorgeous shopping street full of cosy cafes and also a place where you can get big knitted pants !

So onto the lights, here are some pics taken around the area where I was staying just outside of Stockholm. 

apologies to this lady who was watching tv but here windows were fabulous

We had a photo shoot at our favourite backdrop, the hotel called Gorvalns Slott near Stockholm. If you want to treat yourself it is superb, every room decorated in different styles. They had opted for just the star decoration for their windows, very classy.

And yes, it snowed, the first snow of winter for Sweden, so with their winter tyres fitted, their cars plugged into a heater and their snow boots purchased (from Canada funnily enough), the Swedes are set for the white blanket to follow. Yes, that will also have to be a separate post. 

I found and always do, many wonderful things in the charity shops, so I brought back some crochet snowflakes, a cute crochet window valence and some vintage candle lights. Most houses not only put the lights in the windows but drape the inside frame with Christmas curtains and a little valence along the top. Here is my Swedish window. 

In the meantime, off you go and get your windows lit up, you know it makes sense.