Lisen & Gösta

Lisen & Gösta

A tapestry of fleur-de-lis motifs unfolds across the surface, arranged in a tight rhythm where no shape repeats exactly. The stencil work carries the imprint of the hand—slightly irregular, richly human, recalling traditional techniques reminiscent of early Swedish wall painting. A deep brown base gives the design a warm, earthy gravity.

Fits in

• Suitable for rooms seeking warmth
• History
• And intimacy—hallways
• Libraries
• Guest rooms
• Or nostalgic cafés.

Color palette

The background is a deep and muted brown with reddish undertones—somewhere between rose ebony and burnt umber—paired with a soft ivory cream in the stencil. The colors lend the pattern an enveloping, historical warmth.

Complementing colors

rose ebony, burnt umber, ivory cream

The surface emulates the soft grain of handmade paper, where fibers shift gently under light and ink subtly pools along the stencil edges. The tactile quality is enhanced by the minor fluctuations in line weight, further anchoring the design in a handcrafted sensibility reminiscent of traditional wall finishes.

Gustav, Jan & Astrid

With Gustav, Jan & Astrid, we revisit a distinctly Swedish design tradition—where gustavian ornament, folkloric elements, and stencil printing coexisted across both class and countryside. From manor house parlours to rural cabins, walls carried a visual language shaped by repetition, handcraft, and subtle variation.

We take our starting point in gustaviansk simplicity—the restrained Swedish neoclassicism of the late 18th century—but allow it to dissolve gently into folk memory. Think Madicken’s bedroom wallpaper, or something glimpsed in a hallway in Bullerbyn. Each pattern carries traces of nobility—and of how that nobility was interpreted by the common hand.

What binds the collection together is our use of stencil logic—but with a Linlava intervention: variation i varje våd. Each form is repeated, but never identical.

We treat the stencil not as an end, but as a starting point.

We ask: what if each ornament were applied again and again by hand, with shifts in angle, paint load, or even interpretation?

At Linlava, we’re not imitating tradition—we’re extending it. Through layered textures, imperfect repetition, and historically grounded forms, Gustav, Jan & Astrid becomes a study in how memory, hand, and ornament can shape a new kind of room.