One of the two things I wanted to achieve in 2024 was learning to sew properly, so I could make real progress instead of starting multiple projects and never truly finishing them due to a lack of knowledge. For example, how do I finish the thread correctly? To tackle this, I followed each step carefully, wrote down everything I did, and improved my notes with each new project.
My other goal was to understand and participate in auctions, starting with online auctions, but who knows, maybe I’ll attend some in person in the future. I created accounts with several auction houses, including Metropol, which is only a ten-minute walk from home, making it easy to collect any purchases. Their collection changes weekly and all auctions end on Monday evenings at different times. From Friday to Monday visitors can explore their showroom to view the items in person.
I observed their website for a few weeks until I came across a painting that I felt drawn to. Together with Casper, my boyfriend, I went to the viewing. Their showroom has a magical atmosphere, everything is second-hand from very expensive objects to affordable items. Everything is for sale, yet nothing can be taken home immediately and no one can predict the final price. We liked the painting and it seemed like the perfect way to begin my auction journey.
I’ve read hundreds of websites and blogs to fully understand the auction world and the most important rule is to set a price in your mind. During the excitement of bidding, emotions can take over, making it easy to exceed your budget. So, it’s crucial to be firm and clear with yourself about your final price.


The artwork is by the Swedish artist Peter Dahl and was listed at 700 SEK, which is the auction house’s valuation. You always pay an additional 25% of your winning bid to the auction house, something to keep in mind.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who liked the painting and the bids kept rising. I took the opportunity to test the automatic bidding system, where you enter your maximum price and the system automatically places a new bid whenever yours is outbid. My maximum bid was 700 SEK and suddenly time was up and I had won my very first auction!
It was a bit disappointing not to get a congratulatory screen, just an email with a link to pay, but I was speechless and proud. We poured ourselves a glass of cognac to toast our new artwork.


You have a few days to collect your treasure before a fee applies. As soon as I could, I went to pick up the painting and bring it home. Luckily, it was a sunny day as they didn’t wrap the painting in any way and the bag I brought was slightly on the small side. It now looks stunning on our hallway wall.
Over the past few months, I’ve been following several auctions to see how the bidding moves. Sometimes prices went up much higher than expected and watching the last minutes on Monday evening became one of my favourite things to do. For example, these two pieces of art: the portrait painting by David Tägström had a starting price of 1,500 SEK and was sold for 22,500 SEK. The painting by Alexandre Fassianos started at 15,000 SEK and was sold for 25,500 SEK.


I joined another auction at Metropol for a small wooden cabinet, but it was sold for more than I wanted to pay. I’m still on the hunt for the right cabinet. Searching this way can take months or even years, but I have faith that I will eventually find the perfect one to place between our kitchen and dining table.

Then my mum’s 60th birthday was coming up, and I had the idea of buying her a piece of art, something special to remember this big birthday. Weeks passed without finding anything, but then I finally saw something I liked. By chance, my parents visited the weekend of the showing, so we tricked my mum into going to the store. My dad knew about the plan and we asked him to see if my mum would notice the painting. He pointed at the one next to it, looking unsure. My mum said, “no, that’s not for me, but this one is nice!” She was standing right in front of the painting I had chosen for her. We placed a bid and since there were no other bidders, the artwork was ours. As you can imagine, my mum was completely surprised on her birthday!



Art is one of my favourite categories and lamps and furniture quickly follow. Here’s another remarkable auction I’ve been following over the past few months. It was for a cabinet that looks like a kakelugn, a Swedish fireplace. The starting price was 8,000 SEK, and it was sold for 20,000 SEK.
Every week something new might come up, and I’m curious to see how this new ‘hobby’ will develop.