The OE holds a special place in our cultural narrative here in Aotearoa. A rite of passage that offers more than just travel, it’s an opportunity that shapes personal identity and broadens perspectives on life beyond the land of the long white cloud. For Sarah Otley, her desire to travel was design-driven, so she set her sights on Stockholm. “I barely knew my Sweden from my Switzerland, but was curious to try a city other than London, and had heard about the design scene there,” she says. “After a stint travelling around Europe with school mates, I slipped on a banana skin into a dream job — a role within H&M Group designing fantastical storytelling retail-brand experiences and offices all over the world.”
Sweden’s capital soon won her over with its culture and business opportunities. “The calendar of social and culinary activities through the year is so well matched with the seasons here,” says Sarah. “There is a constant momentum towards the next cosy way to appreciate life in connection to nature.”
Working with a deeply inspiring team, Sarah stayed with the company for 14 years, with roles in customer experience, brand, strategy, expansion, concept development and design-team leadership. During that time, she met her husband, Mikael Ahlinder, and together they made a home for themselves in a compact three-storey townhouse in the city. With two kids, and a third on the way, they realised they were outgrowing their urban setting, so began the hunt for somewhere with more space and a family-friendly layout. “I also had a bucket-list wish to do my own renovation, and was naïve enough to take it on in my third trimester,” says Sarah.
Looking outside the central city, the couple stumbled across a ‘sugar cube’ house — one of 88 in a 1960s development, positioned around a series of cul-de-sacs bordering a forest. It ticked almost all their boxes, with a perfectly functional four-bedroom floorplan and the opportunity for a superficial renovation that would enhance the original character of the space while making it more practical for modern family life.
“We have an expression here in Sweden, ‘cookie on cookie’ which describes adding more and more good things over time until the result is a bit much,” says Sarah. “Buying the house from the original owner gave us the ability to optimise and strip back the various ’80s and ’90s interventions with fresh eyes for how we live today.”
Built in 1967, classic details such as the Scandi staircase were retained, but the mishmash 1990s additions in the kitchen and bathrooms were stripped back and rebuilt. “Renovating these in one go created an opportunity for continuity through materials,” says Sarah. “I love colour, but chose timeless materials for fixed elements.” Removing a laundry allowed the kitchen footprint to expand, incorporating dining. Limestone benchtops meet ash and beige cabinetry, a scheme repeated in the bathroom.
Reworking outdated spaces to add a mudroom and a 30-square-metre living area has given Sarah and her family all the room they need for “dance shows and dino Lego world building”. The neutral backdrop has been injected with hits of colour through the couple’s collection of art, as well as furniture and soft furnishings picked up during travels around Europe.
Sarah describes her decorating style as democratic. “I’m not really won over by brands; great design can be found anywhere,” she says. “I have a large collection of trinkets, mementoes and tchotchkes which trigger memories of people, places and adventures. Over the years, the kids and I have created lots of paintings — it’s like living in a supersized sketchbook.”
Lou also likes to take his friends inside, close the doors and build dinosaur worlds. ABOVE Two giant pines shade the picturesque deck where many snacky summer dinners, with wine, take place.
Upstairs, Sarah’s love of colour comes into its own, with bedrooms for each of the children — Lou (7), Ruby (4) and Grace (3) — drenched in dusky hues and dotted with even more artwork. What inspired the palette? “I fudged it all,” says Sarah. “My process is intuitive and complementary colour pairings light me up — the red details in Lou’s blue room, Ruby’s ochre flowerpot lamps against dirty rose, and the lilac-on-spearmint in Grace’s space. These combinations make their rooms come to life.”
Since leaving her role at H&M, Sarah divides her time between design consultancy and painting. “I use my art practice to blurt out an idea in a way I have control of. I want it to be a trifecta of wit, good vibes and a meaningful story,” says Sarah. “I see it as a complementary practice to my work in design where I’m problem-solving, interacting with macro trends and creating potential for impact.”
The garage has been taken over as a studio, and Sarah makes the most of every chance to pop out and paint, flinging open the door to welcome the sun in. Music on and she’s off.
Connection to the landscape is something they’ve come to appreciate since moving in, and the garden has become a favourite feature. “It was beautifully developed, but overgrown in parts,” says Sarah. “This meant we could take a curatorial approach, creating flat play areas among the lush established elements.”
A glasshouse intended for growing has become central to entertaining and a menagerie of creatures — deer, foxes and ‘their’ squirrel — use their section as a thoroughfare.
While all this sounds idyllic, there’s another connection which Sarah is craving — a return to Aotearoa. As their time in the Northern Hemisphere draws to a close, Sarah reflects on her most personal spatial project to date. “Updating this place has helped me realise that my job was about taking an imperfect existing space and interrogating the potential of smart, cost-efficient actions to give the most inspirational experience. That’s also what a good home renovation should be.”
As for now, she’s preparing for the move to New Zealand. While the paints might be packed away, it’s a sure thing this creative
will be at it again soon.
Words Alice Lines
Photography Mikael Ahlinder