A well-designed Swedish room, whether an antique-filled country home or a contemporary industrial loft space, has a calm and feel-good quality that literally permeates the atmosphere. See how some of the most authentic advocates of Swedish design are using these ideas in their own homes, places of pure beauty and simplicity. The fundamental concepts of Swedish design are in full play at each location featured and are important qualities to incorporate into a home-those of functionality, quality of materials, light, preservation, art, eclecticism, color, sense of place and a deep reverence for nature.

Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems live in Woodbury, Connecticut, and opened the doors to Eleish van Breems Antiques in 1998. They specialize in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Swedish antiques and offer compelling examples of Swedish design and lifestyle.