Let’s begin with a glimpse into your world… We first discovered your beautifully layered home through Vogue Scandinavia — a space so refined yet deeply personal.
For those who may be new to your world, could you tell us a little about yourself? Your name, what you do and what influences your aesthetic?
My name is Fredrika Akande @fakander , I am a content creator from Sweden but I live on
Yugambeh land (Gold Coast) with my husband and two children. Our house was
very much influenced by natural materials and simplistic clean lines.
How would you describe your personal style in your own words?
I am very much the result of having one foot in each culture and country. I am
Scandinavian in style and heart, but heavenly influenced by the coastal lifestyle we
live here.
How did your journey on social media begin and what do you most enjoy
about sharing your world with your community?
It started very organically for me when I worked as a yoga teacher almost a decade
ago. I was just sharing when and where I was teaching and my community grew with
me through studying, moving countries, changing careers, building a family etc. I
love the digital community that has formed and I feel very lucky I get to call this my
job!
On the art of creating a home...Your home feels like a study in balance, warmth and structure, calm and character. What three words would you use to describe the atmosphere you’ve created?
Calm, natural and light
Is there a daily ritual, a moment or a corner in your home that brings you back to yourself?
Making my morning coffee in my butlers pantry. We built that ‘pantry’ with
big glass doors leading outside and just the fresh air, the morning sunlight
and peacefulness of the ritual making the coffee just makes me so happy
and grounded.
You chose Karnta Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming) a piece rich in culture,
femininity, and storytelling. What was it about this work that immediately
spoke to you?
I fell for this painting as soon as I saw it.
I looked for specific colours to
complement the room (the wall is facing directly to the lake and we wanted
to invite the colours of the lake in with shades of blue).
When I read the name, the meaning behind the shapes it all made sense to us that this was
the painting we have been looking for. We always wanted to acknowledge
the land we have moved to and decided to raise our family on so it was
very important to us that it would be by an aboriginal artist. We have lived
in this house for four years now and it has taken us as many years to start
to collect pieces, weather it is art or furniture, to make it start to feel like a
home. We did not want to rush it and started with a very blank canvas and
each piece of art has been a slow process to acquire. We wanted each
piece to have a personal connection to our family and this piece was a very
important piece of the puzzle to give thanks to the land we live on.
Now that this artwork is part of your everyday environment, how does it
shape the mood or feeling in the space?
We spend most of our time as a family and with friends in and around our
kitchen, and it is actually the largest space in the house. We really wanted
this painting to be part of our everyday life so it was important for us for it to
be situated where we spend most of our time together. The sun is setting
over the lake throwing light onto the painting beautifully in the afternoons
and in the morning it invites walking out to the front of the house, rising with
the sun. It completes the space in the most perfect way.
What would you say to someone wanting to begin their journey of collecting meaningful, soulful art?
Don’t listen to what is trendy or what other people think you should decorate your home
with. Art should be lived with, so it is important it fits in with your household, style and
environment. For us, each piece in our home needed to have a purpose and a story larger
than just ‘looking nice’. I would say surround yourself with things that make you feel
things, whether that feeling is sentimental, happy, grateful or whatever it can be. And above all, take your time!!
Your space doesn’t need to be finished right away with whatever you can find first.
The right pieces will find you.
Shop now Karnta Jukurrpa print
