painted furniture...

Swedish furniture pieces are delightful in color and design...if you would like your own Swedish clock, they can be purchased at Swedish Clocks.com...

from Veranda photo by Peter Vitale

Inspired by the soft hues and understated elegance of painted Swedish furniture, as well as the light shades of flooring in many European homes, Bowers found a linen with a "petit blue" undertone that dictated the colors of the interiors. "Often I'll pick one fabric, and it will determine the palette for an entire house. The wall color is also a derivative of that fabric."

Complementing the Swedish pieces are numerous French antiques that exude a similar aesthetic. "Most of the French furniture is from the Directoire period, so the lines are very clean, and those pieces work well with our Swedish furnishings."

for reference...painted cabinets...

painted cabinets from Veranda photo by PETER VITALE

Taking a cue from subtle natural colors, designer Shannon Bowers of Dallas, Texas, has transformed her once-dark, two-story Georgian house into a haven of pale European furnishings bathed in sunlight. "I'm a purist," she says. "For me, colors found in nature—like robin's egg blue, light sand and the lavender of hydrangeas—are soothing. Because this house feels so open, the indoors and outdoors are married."

painted furniture and floors...

PHOTO CREDIT: TRIA GIOVAN

The nautical these floor was painted by Adam Lowenbein. Child's boat bed with storage and pier tables, all by DBD are part of this summerhouse on the Cape decorated by William Diamond and Anthony Baratta and featured in Veranda magazine.

PHOTO CREDIT: TRIA GIOVAN

A 19th-c. Swedish antique secretary with clock with anchor stencil...

photos from Veranda