Cecilia Blankens
60s charm at Cecilia Blankens' home.Fashion journalist, entrepreneur, and founder of the shoe brand Blankens, has spent the last two years carefully renovating the 60s house that the family bought after returning home to Stockholm, after some time in Los Angeles.
One of the Blanken family's bathrooms is now equipped with an Orbital Shower, as part of the sustainable mindset in the entire renovation.
- We have not torn down entire rooms, but worked with what we have. For example, we have taken down wooden panels and reused them in other places in the house. We have tried to reuse a lot of material and modernize without making too many interventions. The kitchen had not been changed in 50 years, so it was absolutely necessary to put in a new one. Otherwise, we buy most things second-hand, everything from toasters to - everything! It's really unnecessary to only buy new things.
- I read about Orbital Shower for the first time several years ago. I lived in California at the time, and there was such a drought and had been for many years. I didn't know then that it was a Swedish invention. My first thought was that it sounded so obvious and cool. Couldn't let go of that thought, says Cecilia.
Cecilia's best tip before a renovation involves thinking about how much money you can save by buying materials and furniture second-hand.
- I think I paid SEK 50 a square for the bathroom tile. Always look for second-hand on the market first, it's amazing how much is on offer out there! Then you can use the saved money to treat yourself to a luxurious dream shower like this. You get an incredibly cool, modern bathroom and can recoup the costs through other furnishings, says Cecilia.
The Blankens family is already looking ahead to several new sustainable projects. The next step is solar panels on the house. One of their goals is to become self-sufficient in energy.