The home of Magda & Alexander

Magda Marnell’s, 41, country home is a log house from the 18th century, located in a centuries-old village in the middle of the woods of the eastern Uppland, Sweden. The house once belonged to the iron smiths of an old iron factory from the 17th century that still surrounds the house.

• Living area approx. 220 m²
• Open living space, kitchen, family bedroom, guest room/office, kids room, library room, bathroom and porch
• Uppland, Sweden

Magda and her family bought the house amidst the pandemic and have been renovating it by opening up the divisions, extending the house with natural building techniques, and equipping it with modern facilities, a well, and an ecological sewage system. Magda wanted to listen to the house while remodeling it, gently adding on their layer while preserving and maintaining as much as possible. They only used natural materials in the renovation, such as wood, clay, linseed oil paint, and natural isolation materials.

When decorating, Magda loves to mix old with new, combining locally thrifted furniture with modern design and historical pieces dating back to when the house was built. Respecting the history of the house, she has included many wrought iron details like door handles, candlesticks, and candelabras in the decor.

The aesthetic of Magda’s country home is a dialogue between the house and the story of its current inhabitants. It’s also why she likes to create an interesting and personal vibe with meaningful objects, be it a piece of art or furniture made by a friend or a fun and weird fleamarket find. She is sensitive to aesthetics, wanting to surround her family with beautiful and harmonious things and sometimes bringing the surrounding nature into the home in the shape of a branch, a flower, or a stone.

The library room’s mural reflects Magda’s decoration style well: it’s an abstract family portrait made with 18th-century paint, and egg oil tempera, by the Czech contemporary artist and the family’s friend Lucie Jindra Skrivankova.

Who lives here?

Magda’s family consists of her partner Alexander, 38, who works as a scriptwriter, their kids Dasha (soon 7), Milada (soon 4) and Lev (9 months), and their cat Václav.

Magda is a Fashion and Furniture Designer by profession and the founder of recently launched design studio Matsson Marnell.

Why Woodio?

When Magda and her family expanded the old house with a newly built bathroom, they wanted to keep the combination of natural, authentic and modern: the bathroom is made of wood and covered with a clay layer in an old isolation technique called wattle and daub. The bathroom is equipped with a huge old iron bathtub, a traditional porcelain toilet, and a modern washbasin from Woodio.

“I love the material the Woodio washbasin is made of, wood chips. It’s a natural product with a minimal carbon footprint and creates a fun contrast to the traditional elements”, Magda says.

Woodio Soft60 washbasin

Were you enchanted by this atmospheric country home?

Order your own Woodio Soft60 table top washbasin and the multipurpose Hooks in colour Polar from our website or find the nearest retailer.