Utility Follows : Ida Thun

A chat with the Swedish photographer whose Dublin based home is a nod to her Scandi roots.

The joy of interior design is being able to create spaces that make us happy, comfortable, inspired and above all, make us feel at home.

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking Ida's home is based in Scandinavia, what with her penchant for creating comfortable yet minimal spaces and her use of a limited but beautiful colour palette. However, this Nordic style sanctuary actually sits in Ireland's capital city Dublin, and we love it!

We caught up with Ida to chat interior design tips, personal style and shopping habits. You can read the transcript below.

Utility: Hello Ida. We’re so happy to finally meet you! It’d be great if you could get the ball rolling by a little bit about yourself and your personal style?

Ida: I’m a 28-year-old Swede living in Dublin Ireland. I’m working as a freelance photographer and Social media manager. I would say my style is pretty simple, I like to keep it minimalistic with calm colours and no distracting patterns. I can get easily stressed so I need my home to be my calm space.

Utility: First off, your home is absolutely stunning. We were so inspired to learn that it’s a Dublin-based home. I’m from Tyrone myself and I must admit, I’ve not seen many homes on our little island dressed in such a contemporary, Scandi-inspired way. Does it feel in some way, that with your interior, you’ve brought a little bit of Sweden to Ireland with you?

Ida: Thank you! Yes, it definitely does, we had a bit of a challenge to find a rental in the style that we wanted and with the look and style that we’re used to home in Sweden. The typical Irish-style is quite the opposite of the Scandinavian so it was important for me to make our apartment feel like home and to make it “ours”.

Utility: With your choice of earth tones against white walls and cabinetry, you seem to have found the perfect balance of bright & airy meets warm & cosy. Do you have any tips for someone trying to create that same balance in their home?

Ida: Oh, I don’t know, I have a three colour palette as a base (white, beige and black), it can seem a bit bland but by adding different shades of these colours and different textures makes the space come alive. I also try to keep it to a minimal, which can be a bit difficult sometimes when I have so many beautiful details that I want to show, haha.

Utility: With so many gorgeous designs, both new and old, available these days, how do you go about choosing what you add to your home? Do you purchase a piece you love and then try to find somewhere for it to live in your home, or do you actively seek out designs that will work with the interior spaces you’ve developed?

Ida: Over the years I’ve made many mistakes where I bought things without a defined purpose for our home. It can look great online or in-store but then when it enters your home it doesn't work with the rest of your interior. So I try to always have a plan for the things that I’m buying to make sure it works with the rest of our home.

Utility: Speaking of designs. Is there one that’s currency at the top of your wishlist?

Ida: Oh, what’s not on my list? There’s always something I’ve been eying and I have a thing for lamps. The Flowerpot VP9 from &Tradition is on top of my wishlist at the moment, I have a corner that needs to lighten up and this lamp would be perfect for it since it’s portable.

Utility: Where do you go for interior inspiration? Are there particular websites, publications or Instagram accounts that influence your style?

Ida: Instagram is definitely my biggest inspiration source and of course Pinterest.

Utility: This one isn’t so much a question but rather a thank you. Your DIY story highlight is fantastic - the white painted print you made is incredible and we’re feeling inspired to try something similar this year!

Ida: Thank you! I’m so glad to be able to inspire!