Sarah Hartmann: A Splash of Scandi Chic & Mid-Century
Our first interview is with Sarah Hartmann, who has totally deserved the rapid growth her Instagram account is having. “Mostly me doing stuff at home” is the description of an amazing feed with a beautiful aesthetic - which immediately caught our eye.
For this SCANDIBOOM interview, we asked her about her best tips about upcycling furniture, the next projects in her apartment - and the best interior shopping tips in Berlin, the city she lives in.
Dear Sarah, the most difficult question comes first: Do you have some favorite corners in your home that you especially like?
“Starting off with a tricky one, but I think it has to be my sitting area with my beloved mid-century table. It once was a small coffee table that my mom thrifted years ago and we put new legs on it so you can sit on it comfortably.
Also, my squiggly lamp makes this corner super fun, together with my huge pastel rug in pink and green, this corner brings everything together that I love in my space.“
What would you like to change next and why?
“Hm, in my mind I’m constantly changing things up in here but my space is only 32 square meters small, so it’s always a hustle to move things around.
Everyday something small has changed, but I’m definitely planning on painting the walls if I decide on staying in this apartment for a longer time.
But I also wouldn’t mind to change everything up and move to a bigger apartment in the next months where I can start all over again and can paint as many walls as I would like.“
Where do you start when you go about decorating a new room?
“When I first moved here about six months ago, I just had my kitchen table, two chairs and a plant to begin with and they’re still one of my favorite things here.
I didn’t have a plan where to start and when to end decorating this place. I would pick a few key pieces that mean a lot to you and go with the flow and pick up things on the way.
But also a moodboard could help you when you have absolutely no clue where to go. It did help me at the beginning with the color palette I wanted my decoration to be, I never sticked to it but it did give me a direction where I wanted to go.“
Any easy upcyling tip that you have for newbies?
“I do get this question a lot online and in real life and I love to inspire people to get their hands dirty!
First thing I would tell you is that you need time, more time that you would expect. And even more patience!
When you finally found a piece that you want to make over, put a podcast on and get to work.
If you want to paint something, NEVER forget a base coat! There were a couple of times when I sat in my bathtub rubbing off all the paint again and starting from the beginning because I didn’t think I would need a base coat.
So my general tip would be, take your time & don’t save money on material.“
Can you share some of your favorite accounts on Instagram?
“There are so many super inspiring ones to discover but here are the ones I could think of:“
Soléne from @thisisolene makes beautiful diys and up cycling projects in her Parisian place
Cheryl-Lynn from @thuisaandemaas knows how to combine modern wall art and vintage pieces in Rotterdam
Absolutely jealous of how the sunlight hits in @si.len.cio place in Switzerland
@pastelperlen lives with the most beautiful pastel color combos in Denmark
Konnis wardrobe from @kxnn1 fits perfectly to her Pinterest aesthetic apartment in Hamburg
Bethany from @bbrill makes me want to get a mint tiled bathroom
I have to mention Frauke from @f.schyroki from Berlin, I got all my wall art from her and she also lives in the most beautiful apartment around town
And you can’t miss the one and only @gustafwestman, he inspired a lot of my color choices for my projects.
Do you have some favorite spots in Berlin to shop?
“I discovered NochMall (Auguste-Viktoria-Allee 99, 13403 Berlin) recently and completely fell in love with it! Very well curated second hand stuff, you’ll find everything there from glassware to clothes and furniture for a super good price.
Due to the pandemic and no open shops, I got everything from Ebay Kleinanzeigen around my neighborhood and it’s still my favorite place to get anything interior related.
But you’ll also find me on flea markets around town that are just opened up again.“
Where do you like to shop online for interior accessories?
“Number 1 place for me is Ebay Kleinanzeigen for sure. That's where I found all my upcycling pieces.
Other than that I would say Made.com, that’s where I got my bed frame and absolutely love it!
Also bought some little things like door knobs and candles from Etsy, but you can also find a lot of vintage furniture there.
Bolia makes also a lot of well designed pieces, they also do crazy sales where you can save a lot of money on some eye-catcher decor.“
Do you have an unusual source of inspiration, a fun anecdote, or anything interesting topic-related that you could tell us?
“Special thanks to my mum, she was the one that introduced me to all things mid century style and Scandinavian design.
My mum still sends my second hand furniture pieces she found in her area, which is super cool and makes this place so unique.
Every single piece tells a story in here, that makes it way more exciting than living in a white Ikea home.“
Thanks so much, Sarah!
👉 If you want to learn more about Sarah’s work, check out her beautiful Instagram account. ✨
