Book review: Scandinavian Country by Magnus Englund and Chrystina Schmidt

This week started with posts about Scandinavians, so I continue with this book that I got last month. I bought it online. I was excited about the content and let me tell you that Scandinavian Country fulfills my expectations.

Magnus Englund and Chrystina Schmidt are not at their first experience as authors. They wrote together Scandinavian Modern which sold 80,000 copies in hardcover. Scandinavian Modern is available in paperback since April 2007.

The pair is back with a book about the rural holiday homes in Scandinavia. The regional differences in style, the choices of materials, the lifestyles, the traditions and the vision of the new waves of architects are well summarized in this book.

Magnus Englund and Chrystina Schmidt made us understand the essence of Scandinavian rural holiday houses, cottages and cabins. Wherever you live, you will be able to reuse the ideas in this book.

The photos in Scandinavian Country are inspirational. Each rural retreat is beautifully photographed by Paul Ryan. And you got a lot of pictures in this 144-page book. Scandinavian Country is a keeper.

About the authors (excerpt taken on Amazon.com):

Magnus Englund, who wrote the text, is a co-founder and director of Skandium, a chain of stores specializing in modern Scandinavian furniture and homeware. His company also set up Britain’s first-ever Marimekko shop. Born in Sweden, Magnus used to live in Stockholm, where he owned a men’s fashion store while collecting 1960s pop and soul records. His current passion is Finnish glass. Scandinavian Living is his first book.
 
Chrystina Schmidt, who sourced the locations for the book, is a co-founder and director of Skandium. Finnish by nationality, she grew up in Germany and Finland and has lived most of her adult life in Sweden. Chrystina worked as a fashion photographer in Stockholm for ten years before moving to London, where she contributed to Arena and other magazines. She is a strong believer in creating spaces for living in, not looking at. Her current passion is Swedish textiles.

Note: I got a different book cover for Scandinavian Country than the photo I shown you here but either shot is a rural holiday house shown on the book. So, do not be worry.

SOURCING:
+ Scandinavian Country by Magnus Englund and Chrystina Schmidt
+ Scandinavian Modern by Magnus Englund and Chrystina Schmidt