Rose gardens, olive trees, a swimming pool in white stone, and the stunning view over Tuscany almost creates the illusion of being in the Bertolucci film Stealing Beauty.
However, when we enter the house and are greeted by the work of Scandinavian designers, such as Josef Frank, Bruno Mathsson and Mats Theselius, it’s not hard to guess that a Swedish family is living here.
It is in fact the house of the Friberg family, Linda and Adam Friberg, the successful couple behind Cheap Monday, Weekday and Monki.
My ground style is like “perfect weather that you don’t really feel”, it is not too hot and not too cold, it just is.
The family has been living in Florence since 2001, and is designing and producing their new clothing line AVAVAV Firenze exclusively here in Tuscany.
Part of the house is also intended as a studio atelier for fashion production. There, one finds a lovely mix of sketching tables, photo equipment and racks with pieces for the summer and autumn collections.
White pantsuits in silk, violet flowery dresses in a ‘60s style, fake fur jackets in an olive-green hue, and cotton pants and tops in coral colors are among some of the pieces that stand out.
Related: 10 Reasons to Buy Vintage
Barnebys: Linda Friberg, who are you and how would you describe your style at home?
Linda Friberg: I am a fashion designer who lives in Florence with my husband, our two children and two Spanish water dogs, Mila and Bowie.
Our style for the interior in our home is pretty Scandinavian classic, I would say. Luckily, everything that we brought from Sweden blended in really well, even though our house in Gothenburg was very different from our house here in Italy.
The only challenge is the art. Since this house is so spacious with really high ceilings, suddenly all of our paintings have the impression of being tiny!
You and your husband have been working in the fashion business for a long time. Has your interior decorating style been influenced by that?
Yes, that’s right. We started the brands Cheap Monday, Weekday and Monki with two others, so it has been nice to keep our home slightly more minimalistic, and instead be more expressive within the fashion sphere.
Do you have any piece of furniture or art at home that you could never part with?
For many years I had dreamed about a Josef Frank cabinet 2077, but it was really expensive. But, in the end, I just bought it anyway and I never regretted it. I also really like the fact that the hammer prices for this cabinet are still the same price now as when I bought it at auction.
Which is your best acquisition of art or furniture so far?
I think it is a four-meter-long cabinet for clothing from the 19th century. I bought it in an antique shop here in Florence and, since it’s not rare that pieces of furniture are this big here in Italy, they actually took it apart piece by piece and then put it together again inside the house in a phenomenal way.
I also love the Ernst Billgren bronze squirrel with wings in shape of oak leaves that my husband got for me for my birthday some years ago.
What are the key ingredients to creating a beautiful home?
With the risk of sounding clichéd, the most essential thing for me is not having many things laying around. I also like the contrast between our Tuscan home and our Scandinavian furniture. The house itself has a lot of personality so the furniture could just simply be there. It is the same in fashion when feminine and masculine meet in a good balance.
Is your interior style influenced by any specific people, time periods, hotels or other places around the world?
During the years that my husband and I have been building up our home, we have acquired a lot of ‘classics’, since it feels more long term. I, for instance, love Josef Frank’s design – his furniture blends in very easily and it has a timeless touch to it.
Different time eras often inspire me, but luckily I always pace myself and take some time to fall in love with a piece, as I know that I will grow tired of it quickly. Also, I don’t like when everything doesn’t have a unifying feeling. My ground style is like “perfect weather that you don’t really feel”, it is not too hot and not too cold, it just is.
Do you often purchase vintage and antique furniture?
It was actually more of a big interest of mine when I lived in Gothenburg, but there are a lot of great markets around Florence. There’s also a great antique fair in Parma with amazing furniture and all sorts of things. I bought two Thonet chairs there and a Thonet sofa. The vintage market is also really great here and is most fun when a lot of the smaller dealers are exhibiting together in a huge hangar.
The glasshouse dining room is perfect for late evenings with its large windows that create the illusion of sitting in the open garden. Photo © Ottavia Poli
What will your next acquisition be?
I don’t know, but I would be very happy if I could sell our gigantic Gervasoni Ghost sofas because they aren’t really me.
Related: The 10 Most Popular Furniture Designers
Do you have any specific ‘dream home’ that you have stumbled upon during your travels?
Our friends own a hotel called Borgo Santo Pietro, close to Siena and it is marvelously tasteful. It doesn’t resemble my style, but it’s magical and you can find real harmony between the interior design and the surroundings.
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Written by: Malin Ebbing
Photographer: Ottavia Poli
