this enchanting farmhouse belongs to caroline Lagerfelt, stage, film, and television actress of Swedish descent, who you may recognize as playing the wonderfully “manipulative and gin-sipping” cece Rhodes (mother to kelly rutherford’s character Lily van der Woodsen) on TV’s Gossip Girl. this is caroline’s summer home, located on the Swedish island of Gotland, the medieval island outside of Stockholm where Ingmar Bergman filmed many of his movies. her home was recently photographed by award-winning journalist Ulrica Wihlborg of the online magazine sweden with love. ulrica’s posting an interview with caroline on sweden with love today, and kindly invited me to share the lovely photos of caroline’s home with you here.
Caroline lives in santa monica, but bought this home 20 years ago when her two sons were young. having grown up living in her family’s 17th century castle outside of Stockholm called Sabylund, she wanted her sons to have a home in Sweden, as well. The main portion of this six-bedroom farmhouse was built in 1750, and the second floor was added around 1800. It’s got gorgeous old wooden and stone floors (not to mention the most stunning staircase railing), and an expansive garden with a hedge consisting of 12-feet tall lilacs bordering the entire property on one side. you’re definitely out in the country here, surrounded by fields with grazing sheep and birds singing and just lush beauty everywhere you look. sigh!
The house is so simple and peaceful, with an array of antique furniture, art and books collected from the attic at Sabylund (where her brother now resides), to vintage finds Caroline scored from summer auctions on Gotland. Caroline’s philosophy on decorating is to re-use, and there’s almost nothing in the house that doesn’t have a history, or a meaningful or funny story attached. She repurposed and repaired much of what she found in her childhood home so she could always be reminded of where it came from. Simply lovely! For Ulrica’s full interview with Caroline (and more photos of the home’s lush exterior), pop on over to sweden with love.
• photography by Ulrica Wihlborg of sweden with love.
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