Sten & Signe

Sten & Signe

A delicate interplay of soft, stenciled flourishes and structured borders, Sten & Signe captures the essence of folk-inspired Gustavian ornamentation. The powdery blue details sit gently on a warm, chalky off-white background, evoking the faded beauty of hand-painted interiors. The contrast between the rigid symmetry and organic imperfections enhances its historical charm.

Fits in

• Historic homes
• Scandinavian interiors
• Country houses
• Gustavian-inspired spaces
• Traditional kitchens
• Vintage-style bedrooms

Color palette

The motif details are rendered in a soft, chalky sky blue, with a powdery, slightly desaturated character that suggests a naturally faded patina. The background is a warm, off-white shade, resembling aged plaster or handmade paper, adding depth and authenticity to the composition.

Complementing colors

chalky sky blue, powdered blue, muted cornflower, warm off-white, aged plaster, soft parchment

The surface has a tactile, slightly uneven quality, mimicking the texture of handmade paper or aged plaster. The stenciled motifs have a soft diffusion at the edges, enhancing the illusion of a hand-painted finish. The light absorption is gentle, lending a subtle depth to the pattern, particularly where the powdery blue meets the warm off-white.

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.