Kristina Murray

”Stuffed noses mean no daycare so you just have to do the best of the situation. That, my friends, spells kids TV.”

Peculiar circumstances call for peculiar measures. In the name of social distancing, we excluded our original photo team from our home visits and equipped ourselves with charged phones and selfie sticks instead.

Digital genius and Midnatt’s web manager Kristina Murray is truly a vital key player in our handpicked team. This site would be nothing without her! While inviting our selves over for an afternoon bbq in her garden in the picturesque suburb of Bromma, we learned all about Italian silk uniforms and the importance of deck chairs, cheese doodles and future e-commerce strategies. In the meantime, her designer-used-to-be-chef husband was preparing turbot on the grill while their kids played happily by themselves (!). Yes, parenting life hacks will be shared below, just keep reading.

Then Corona came
This is me working from the sofa, with Midnatt’s site. As their web and digital strategy manager, I’ve been a part of the team since the beginning and it’s such a great journey. 2020 was supposed to be our year in so many ways, then Corona happened and we all just have to be patient and sit still in the boat for a while. Is that just a Swedish saying? I see so much potential in this ambitious little company that already achieved so much in such a short time. Hopefully, the future is ours and we can accomplish all the great things I have in mind. An urban company like Midnatt should always be at the forefront when it comes to e-commerce experiences and digital solutions. 

Appletrees
My husband Charlie runs the brand Appletrees that is mostly known for their long unisex shirts and printed silk products. So naturally, we have Italian silk and Egyptian cotton shirts all around the apartment. All the time. A mess I can definitely cope with. I mean he could have worked with a more non- esthetic product that’s for sure. 

Tiny sizes
When you have kids and your own clothing business with production in Italy I guess it’s impossible not to add some really small sizes to the collection. When Cornelia wears this silk shirt “she’s daddy on his way to work”.

Life hack
A while ago we decided to utilize the fact that our apartment actually has this weird planning to it with a really big kids room that used to be my husband’s office before the girls got in to the picture. We bought a tv for their room and created their own cozy corner in front of it. The best thing we ever did. They obviously want to hang out in there all the time and if we have friends over we always know where the kids are. I mean, if they are to choose they don’t want to be with the boring grownups. Our youngest, Cornelia, literary tells us to go away and “let her be” if we intrude them. So we kind of changed the game plan around here. They don’t disturb us, we disturb them. 

• 

• 

• 

Inside climbing frame
So another thing that we did lately was to let this bunk bed into our lives. Yes, the kids love to sleep in it but it also plays a huge role as an inside climbing frame entertaining them for hours. I would say 90 % of their play contains this climbing. 

Weekend mood
A classic weekend situation in this household. Us avoiding making plans all week because we want to be free but then some kind of spontaneous hang out with friends spontaneously arises. Charlie, who was a chef for many years, cooks something that smells really really good while we are hanging out at the bar, having aperitivo for hours. The only bad thing about this arrangement is that I never meet my friends who like to plan things in advance. 

Best food in the world
This is no exaggeration. No one in the world makes better food than Charlie. I think. Lots of cream. Lots of butter. What’s not to like? When we first met I ’ve never had polenta. Now it’s my number one thing. The secret is a lot of parmesan. Of course! Sometimes Charlie just leaves us with a bowl of sauce and some small spoons. Not Corona friendly though, so we skip that for now!

Life lately
As an experienced freelancer, I’m pretty skilled when it comes to working from home. I have everything I need on my computer. But the fact that I haven’t been at the office or seen my colleagues IRL since March has gotten to me more than I thought it would. Don’t get me wrong I’m very aware of my privileges in these (sorry my language) shitty times but, to be honest, I’m also really bored. My husband runs his own business so at times the entire family has been home at the same time which could have been great if we didn’t have to get things done (!). Stuffed noses mean no daycare so you just have to do the best of the situation. That, my friends, spells kids TV.

Do (not) disturb
I also have a superpower inherited from my father which means that I can switch off basically all the disturbing sounds around me if I focus on something technical. For my surroundings I seem incredibly distracted, I do not hear what you say although you are right next to me. In fact, I am deadly focused on what I do. A trait that is not so charming but which is well suited for a cumbersome programming brain like mine.

Colorful memories
My kids love play dough. And the thing is I actually enjoy it too. Love to see them hang out in my grandmother’s old chairs. It’s something about that color that brings back so many memories of her.

• 

• 

You need a basket!
If I can give one good advice this summer. Go get this cute and durable basket for yourself or as a gift to someone. I use it all the time, so much smarter than a tray if you run the stairs a million times. 

Just married!
We’ve been planning our wedding for such a long time and we were so lucky it took place JUST BEFORE the virus broke out. So thankful for that! Now we have thousands of photos to go through and lots of thank you cards to be written. 

Bear with me!
This is an old house and I just love how pretty the front door is. However, I recently decided to destroy the impression by getting a really cheap and ugly doorbell. But please bear with me. My phone was ringing all the time before that bell came up since it was the only way of letting us know you were at the door. 

Bring this, get that
Only family is living in this house so we are lucky that we can hang out in the garden without annoying anyone with our loud and sometimes extended family. This table is placed under the balcony so we are shouting to each other all the time – bring this, get that, help me out!!! 

• 

• 

Turbot
If Charlie sees a pretty Turbot there’s nothing that can keep him from it, haha! Good thing that we have an amazing place for fish and seafood just where we live, Ålstens fisk. I think they are Charlies’ best friends… Or maybe they are my best friends too! I mean look at this.

In the same pic
The two of us in the same picture not doing weird faces or moving around, that is rare I am telling you. The summer must have gotten to us!

Goals!
This is exactly the picture I had in front of me when we got the big trampoline for the garden (that we for understandable reasons) left out from the photo. Me in this exact chair, having cheese doodles and a cold glass of rosé wine while the kids are having a blast. Some goals right there! 

• 

• 

• 

In our element
Me and my oldest, Nicole, in our favorite shirts; “All the time” and “all over the world.“ We were supposed to build a huge closet here, but after realizing how complicated it was with all the oblique walls in the bedroom we just solved it with linen textile instead. So flowy! I want to do the same thing in the kitchen now.

• 

• 

Fluffy duvets and loving gifts
I love our bedroom! And we recently got those fluffy duvets that made the experience of it complete. I also love that table lamp that we got as a wedding gift from our best friends. It makes me happy every time I go to bed. 

Words and images by Kristina Murray/Josephine Blix

Shop the look