Home visit with Katarina Matsson @ettrumtill

ELLE Sweden’s Content Director, Katarina Matsson, is a bad sleeper. Despite that she is quick in the morning. And if the sun is shining, so is she. She lives in an apartment at Södermalm in Stockholm with her husband Jakub and their son Milo.

Tuesday evenings ends:
Around 9 pm with me falling asleep next to my son after reading Örnis bilar three times – oh, how I hate that book! My goal nowadays is to stay awake to watch Netflix, but it’s tough!

Before turning off the lights:
I check Instagram one last time. Or actually, I do that with the lights out. Since I used to be a bookworm I would like to say that I read, but I don’t. I’m always promising myself to read more – maybe if I spell it out here it’ll finally become reality!

I sleep in:
My birthday suit.

I share the bed with:
My husband Jakub and some of the time (ok, more like always) my son Milo.

On my nightstand:
Ten children’s books (Milo still only wants to read Örnis bilar). Two books that I’m slowly getting through myself. Hand cream. A flower or two when I can bother and more often than not a half empty nursing bottle. My Baby is an addict.

On my husband’s nightstand:
His phone and a book. He’s a much more avid reader than I am nowadays. It’s awe-inspiring.

My goal nowadays is to stay awake to watch Netflix, but it’s tough!
– Katarina Matsson

My best tip for a good night’s sleep:
Oh man, if I knew! I’m a bad sleeper who tends to wake up around 4 am (here in Sweden we call it the wolf’s hour) and have trouble going back to sleep. I always sleep well in the countryside, so I’d say: silence, complete darkness and a cool (as in chilly) room.

Keeps me awake:
Stress. The meaning of life. And the fact that I think my natural sleep cycle isn’t made for modern life with 8 hour portions for work, life and sleep.

My version of counting sheep:
I actually DO count sheep sometimes! But mostly I try to think about nothing. Other times I’ll just give up and start reading something on my phone (I know it’s probably the worst thing to do, but hey, better than wasting hours doing nothing.)

My best midnight snack:
I actually don’t snack at night. But sometimes I’ll have a glass of Ramlösa (I’m ashamed of the amount of bottled water we go through in our house) or milk.

I last dreamt about:
I tend to only remember nightmares. The last one was a fight with my boss.

My evening beauty routine:
Washing my face and moisturizing. I like Kiehl’s products from when I lived in New York.

Favourite bedroom feature:
How dark it becomes with the blinds down! The feng shui isn’t awesome right now since we had to fit the bookshelf somewhere when turning our second bedroom into Milo’s room.

Wednesday morning:
Starts at 6 am if it’s my turn to pick up at kindergarten. Otherwise at 7–7.30. I’m really quick in the morning!

My alarm sounds like:
The ordinary iPhone alarm. I can’t even remember it now?

The first thing I see:
My nightstand, because that’s where my phone with the alarm is. It’s a small cabinet that used to be placed in our summer house in Hälsingland, next to the bunk bed that I shared with my sister.

My morning mood:
Tired. But if the sun is shining, so am I!

Everyday breakfast:
Yoghurt and cereal. Or a couple of sandwiches. I drink my morning coffee at work.

Birthday breakfast:
Prinsesstårta, sandwiches and champagne!

A dreamy weekend morning:
Waking up without the alarm, normally at 9–9.30ish. I make breakfast – delicious bread with avocado and other veggies, homemade smoothies, coffee with lots of milk and maybe some chia (this fall I’m going to learn how to make overnight oats!). If it’s summer we’ll eat on the balcony, it’s my favorite part of the week!

Morning beauty routine:
Mascara, foundation and blush (at least in winter time). If I’m biking and my hair is wet I’ll normally dry it – no one wants a hat head! (Yes, I wear a helmet).

My do’s and don’ts when making the bed:
I think I was 24 when I started making my bed everyday (late bloomer!). Now I feel like everything is falling apart if the bed doesn’t look nice. I like a ton of fluffy pillows (but I only sleep with one), a fluffy cover and nice sheets. Right now I only use the bedspread on half the bed. My husband likes to cover the whole bed, a constant source of annoyance, but if that’s your biggest problem, I guess you’re quite all right!

Text by Josephine Blix

Photo by Mikael Lundblad