Oskar and Amanda renovate and build for a life in the countryside

A bit outside Gothenburg, Amanda and Oskar have found their place in the countryside – an old farm with both charm and major renovation needs. Here awaits extensive work with both conversions and new constructions. Oskar, who works as a sheet metal worker, has a great interest and solid knowledge in construction, something that really comes in handy when the old house is to grow and get new life.

The renovation includes everything – from roof, facade, and windows to the interior layout. Amanda does not hesitate to get involved and learns new skills along the way. It is a project that requires time, patience, and commitment – and all free time is spent on the farm. It takes many months before the house is ready for moving in, but the vision of a warm and personal home keeps the motivation up.

A kitchen takes shape.

When we visit Amanda and Oskar, the house is beginning to take its final shape, and above all – the kitchen is finished. They tell how they together sketched, planned, and discussed their way to their dream kitchen: a country kitchen with space for cooking, socializing, and long dinners with friends.

 

Kitchen planning

Since there was the possibility to raise the ceiling, install new windows, and build an enclosed dining area, Amanda and Oskar could really shape the kitchen from the ground up. The vision was clear – a country kitchen with character and personality, with kitchen doors in a warm green tone.

The choice fell on Color+ with frame, a painted kitchen door in ash where the wood's natural texture brings life and enhances the overall feeling. The kitchen was designed using Ikea's planning tool – an easy way to test different solutions and settle on what works best, Amanda explains.

Finding the right green tone

A great advantage of the door Color+ is that it can be painted in any NCS color. Initially, Amanda and Oskar considered a muted gray-green tone, but after gathering inspiration, the courage grew to choose a clearer and warmer shade.

With sample cans and brush in hand, different shades were painted on site – and the final color became NCS S4020-G30Y. A green tone that feels both natural and lively, and harmonizes nicely with the bright environment.

Tailored details

Amanda's father, who is an engineer, helped to design the built-in pantry, clad with paneling and designed to blend naturally into the room. The pantry door was made by a carpentry workshop and received the same type of glass framing as the beautiful windows in the dining room – a detail that ties the whole together in a discreet but thoughtful way.

A kitchen with both function and soul

The generous light from the new windows together with light walls creates an airy and harmonious atmosphere. For the kitchen, appliances from SMEG were chosen, including a large freestanding fridge and freezer with so-called french doors and practical drawers for frozen goods. 

Ibuilt-in oven Victoria, inspired by Smeg's very first stove Elisabeth from 1948.

Oscar, who also likes to cook, chose a induction hob with integrated fan, 70 cm wide from SMEG.

Notice the charming antique spice shelf, cleverly built into the wall towards the pantry – both practical and personal.

The porcelain sink comes from IKEA and the Integrated dishwasher was placed next to it for a functional work zone.

Here on the farm also lives the dog Thor who gladly hangs out with his friend Messi.

Thoughtful storage and everyday luxury

At the end of the kitchen, there was an idea for a glass cabinet, but the solution instead became low storage adapted to the space, giving an airy feeling towards the room. An elegant transition from the taller cabinets – and a nice finish to the kitchen.

Life on the farm grows along with the house. More and more animals move in, and the hens with their rooster already deliver the finest eggs. After months of planning, test painting, and building, the kitchen is finally ready. Amanda and Oskar can now enjoy the result – a room that reflects both the soul of the farm and their own ideas.

A chat with Amanda and Oskar

When the kitchen is finished, of course we want to know more about the journey there. We asked Amanda and Oskar to tell us about the thoughts behind the planning,
the color choices and details that make their country kitchen so personal.

What were your first thoughts when you started planning the kitchen – what did you want the room to feel like?
It was important for us that it felt open and inviting; we removed the walls that separated the kitchen, living room, and extra room so that it is one large room where you can socialize when you have guests. 

What inspired you to choose a green tone for the kitchen doors?
We wanted a color that matched the house and its location, a green color was obvious since we had already decided on the green diamond on our windows in the veranda, front door, and pantry door. 

How did you go about arriving at the final color and material choices?

We test-painted several green shades and compared them in different lights in what would become our kitchen. It turned out to be a challenge to find the perfect tone, but we were drawn to shades in the range between British racing green and forest green, somewhere there we found our green vision, NCS S4020-G30Y. Choosing a kitchen in real wood also felt obvious. We were inspired by the timeless shaker style and wanted to create a built-in feeling that harmonizes with the house's character from around 1896.

The wooden countertop made us keep the warm feeling in the kitchen and we are very happy about that today. 

Which detail in the kitchen means the most to you – something you think sets the style or feels especially thoughtful?
That we chose to make room for the pantry; it was previously a smaller pantry against one of the walls we tore down. It was important for both of us to have space for it because it does a lot for the feeling of the kitchen. 

How did you think when planning the function of the kitchen – what was most important to achieve in everyday life?
For Amanda, it was important that the oven be placed at standing height since she does most of the cooking. We chose to have extra deep countertops to get more space and work surface, which we are very happy with.

You designed the kitchen yourselves – how was that process? Anything you learned or were surprised by?
We redrew the kitchen several times and asked for advice from our family and Helena and Marina at Bucks and Spurs. Every time we drew the kitchen, we started with what we considered most important and based it on that. We had some challenges because we wanted to fit several of our important parts into a small space, but the final result was exactly as good as we had imagined. We learned that kitchens take up more space than you think and it is allowed to take time and marinate in an important decision. 

Now that you are standing here and everything is finished – what is the best thing about your new kitchen?
The color of our ash doors! They are so beautiful in the wood grain and feel so alive. 

It is clear that Amanda and Oskar have put both heart and time into every decision. The result is a kitchen that feels thoughtful, lively, and full of personality – a room to gather in, every day.