Home tour | A Scandinavian-inspired house in Salisbury

It’s time for another home tour and today I have a stunning house from the cathedral city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, southwest England, to show you. It’s owned by Irene and Sammy, the duo behind Instagram feed @nordicllar, and it blends pared-back Scandinavian style with influences from their Catalan and British roots (llar, by the way, is the Catalan word for ‘home’). It’s also a great example of slow, sustainable decorating, as Irene and Sammy have taken time to create carefully considered spaces that work for them and their lifestyle, with a wonderful mix of investment pieces and more affordable items.

The results really are beautiful, so I caught up with the couple to find out more about their approach, where they find inspiration and their top interior-design tips…

Hi Irene and Sammy! Please can you start by telling us a bit about yourselves? 

Irene: “We’ve been together for just over eight years. We come from different backgrounds but met at university, where we both studied film production. I’m originally from Barcelona while Sammy’s home town is a lovely little place called Romsey in Hampshire, so we feel very lucky that our paths crossed and we ended up where we are now! Sammy now works in marketing and graphic design for a health-supplement company, and I’m a wedding videographer.”

Where’s home, and how long have you lived there?

Irene: “Home is a two-bedroom terraced house in Salisbury, which was built in the 1920s. We bought it just over two years ago, but it definitely feels like we’ve been there a lot longer than that!”

How would you describe your interiors style?

Irene: “Before buying we rented a few places around Salisbury and our style was very eclectic. I’m a keen DIY-er and I used to make all sorts of decorations and bits of furniture, always opting for strong colours. Our current style couldn’t be further from that, though! We aim for a clean, bright aesthetic and we love keeping things as simple as possible – we like to think of it as minimal, but with a cosy and ‘lived-in’ touch. Minimalism has become such a buzz word and I don’t think it would be fair to call our style truly minimal, as there’s way too much stuff in our home! But we love to plan and arrange rooms with functionality and design in mind.”

Irene and Sammy’s bedroom is simple and uncluttered, with soothing shades and relaxed linens. The wall lamp is from IKEA and the shelf is by Muuto. 

Where do you find inspiration for your home?

Irene: “Instagram has become a big source of inspiration for us. I occasionally scroll through Pinterest if we’re working on a specific project (like when we renovated our bathroom), but magazines are also important. Some of our favourites are Cereal, Kinfolk, Drift and Rum – not just for home and design inspiration, but also for lifestyle and travel.”

What’s your favourite part of your home and why?

Sammy: “My favourite space tends to shift between a few rooms, partly depending on whether they’re tidy or not. I’m a bit of a neat freak, whereas Irene seems to unintentionally leave a trail of mess behind her! However, she has a clear vision and knows what she wants, whereas I can be a little indecisive at times, so we complement each other very well. I particularly love our bathroom, which we renovated last year – the monochrome colour palette makes it such a calming space to relax in after a long day.”

Irene: “At the moment I’m loving our home office, which has become such a lovely space since we shifted a few things around, although our open-plan living and dining area will always be my favourite part of the house. When we rented, these two spaces were always separate, so we would spend time in one of them and the other room would be empty all the time. Things like that really make you think about design and the way the structure of a house can affect your lifestyle, so having that little bit of open-plan living makes me very happy!”

The couple have recently renovated their bathroom, creating a sophisticated monochrome scheme. They made the wooden bath tray from a section of old floorboard, and the rustic texture provides a wonderful element of contrast. 

And your favourite piece of furniture?

Sammy: “I can’t pick one so I’ll pick two. The first is our sofa from Made.com. It was one of the first things we invested in when we bought the house, and I love the tones and button detailing. From a practicality point of view, it’s so comfy and the perfect shape. The second is our ‘Airy’ coffee table from Muuto. I love that it was handmade to order, and that it’s very simple but equally effective in its form and functionality.”

Irene: “I treated myself to the ‘WM String’ lounge chair from Menu for my birthday last year and it’s my absolute favourite. I love the fact that it’s understated and very stylish. Plus it works indoors and out!”

The living room is open-plan yet cosy and contains many of the couple’s favourite pieces, including the ‘VM String’ lounge chair and ‘Airy’ coffee table. The beautiful vase on the dining table is from Swedish brand Lindform. 

Where do you like to source items for your home – any favourite brands or shops?

Sammy: “Our favourite brands include HAY, Muuto, Meraki, House Doctor, Menu, Cooee Design, Aesop, H&M Home, Made.com, Ikea, Lindform, The Organic company and Arket. Shop-wise, we source a lot of items from Scandinavian Design Centre, Trouva and Nunido.”

Do you have any future plans for your home? 

Sammy: “We’re always thinking of ways we can change and improve things. Two big projects that we eventually want to undertake are the living-room floorboards and the kitchen. The floorboards are lovely and have a lot of sentimental value for us, as they were the first thing we did when we moved in. Irene was adamant that she wanted exposed floorboards and we’re so glad we took the plunge and pulled up the old carpet. However, the warm tones don’t really sit with the colour palette we’ve since created, and we can’t decide whether to re-treat the wood or lay down new flooring entirely.

“As for the kitchen, it’s well made and works from a functionality point of view, but it’s not really in keeping with our aesthetic. One can dream!”

Irene and Sammy have just rejigged their home office, creating a calm and organised workspace. The metal and glass sideboard sits downstairs and provides the perfect spot for displaying flowers and favourite magazines. 

Finally, what’s your top interior-design tip?

Irene: “Try not to get carried away by trends. We used to find new trends exciting and felt like we had to keep up with what was ‘in’ at the time, but I think that’s something that tends to happen when you’re still trying to find your own style. Now we’re less impulsive when we buy anything and always ask “will we still love this in five years’ time?”. It means most of the items we now own are things that are useful and that we love aesthetically. Owning a home is such a learning curve – we’re still getting rid of ‘trendy’ items we bought two years ago and investing in long-lasting pieces instead. Most importantly, choose items and furniture that are likely to evolve with you and (without meaning to sound too Marie Kondo!) serve a purpose but also bring you joy.”

Thanks Irene and Sammy!

See more of Irene and Sammy’s beautiful home on Instagram. 

All photography by Irene Piera