Hello Again, Emily Slotte
For us at Gotain, Midsummer is no longer mainly associated with herring, singing or flowers under the pillow - but with a visit to Emily Slotte’s home in Norrtälje. Two summers in a row make a tradition, and this year, her beautiful old schoolhouse has been dressed in our new patterns: Cottage Stripe and Cottage Sweet Pea. Let the Midsummer celebrations begin!
Since our last visit, the kitchen has undergone a renovation. What began with a broken dishwasher quickly evolved into a bigger project, Emily tells us. The worn wooden floors have been replaced with limestone that, despite being new, feels as though it’s been there for a hundred years. Meanwhile, textiles now play an even bigger role in the space.
The previous Roman blinds have been replaced with the Soft model, named for its relaxed, gently curved bottom edge, in contrast to the more structured classic roman blind. Paired with long curtains in Cottage Sweet Pea, the mustard tones pick up on Emily’s signature shade: a warm, pale ochre that subtly guides you from room to room.
In one of the kitchen windows hangs a café curtain on rings, made from the same sheer linen as the roman blind above it. It offers a soft contrast to the more playful striped curtain that conceals storage beneath the rounded arch of the kitchen counter.
Wherever you turn, geraniums are in full bloom - and the library, which connects the dining area to the living room, is no exception. A built-in bookcase frames two windows, now dressed in Roman blinds in Cottage Stripe, of course in the mustard colourway. The two doorways leading out of the library are framed with drapes in Cottage Sweet Pea, hung on black curtain rods, creating visual anchors that draw the eye along the home’s natural sightlines.
In the living room, the bouclé curtains in the shade Sand are still going strong - now with café curtains added by the dining area, a simple but effective way to bring warmth into the room. At our feet, there’s a constant tangle of paws - twelve, to be precise. As we’ve noted before (and it’s still true): the dogs couldn’t be more colour-coordinated with Emily’s curtain choices if they tried. Intentional or not, the trio of four-legged companions bring more warmth to the house than any interior detail ever could.
When Emily and her family moved in, they opened up the upstairs ceiling all the way to the roof ridge to make space for extra height. The room is now dressed in Bouclé Sand, whose woolly texture creates a soft and cosy atmosphere, even in a space where the generous volume might otherwise feel cold or echoing.
The bedroom, together with the adjoining bathroom, forms a private retreat, with greenery outside every window. In the bathroom, the café curtain on rings has been joined by a Roman blind in Sweet Pea Olive, whose blooming pattern adds life and energy to the otherwise serene and pared-back interior.
The bedroom is all soft sandy tones, where Roman blind, curtain panels and a valance come together to create a true textile statement. A small curtain hack under the sloped ceiling became the perfect finishing touch: a simple straight valance, with one edge discreetly tacked up to follow the angle of the ceiling. We all laugh - because of course it's Emily who makes something so simple feel so effortlessly right.
It’s nearly impossible to visit Emily’s home without being drawn outside into the garden - and start dreaming of one of your own. But this isn’t a place of neat rows or perfectly planned beds. Instead, everything seems to have emerged naturally, shaped by seasons and instinct. Sweet peas, tomatoes, peonies and clematis grow side by side with a wealth of vegetables, as if they arrived on their own and decided to stay.
In the middle of it all stands the greenhouse - built by Emily herself - now a favourite spot where gardening, coffee breaks and quiet moments coexist. The garden isn’t a separate space, but rather an extension of the house. Seating areas appear where the sun falls just right, pots and furniture are moved around as needed, and every corner bears the mark of either a thought or a spontaneous idea. It’s wild and personal, but never contrived. And perhaps that’s exactly why we never want to leave - not even this time.
But of course, we’ll be back next Midsummer.
