In Denmark, A Cosy And Eclectic Home Full of Art

A few moments ago, about a month's worth of rain came down in five minutes. I kid you not. Luckily, I'm working from home, all cosy and dry - and wondering if I've left a window open somewhere. In Denmark, another home was getting a soaking: det lille grå hus (the little grey house). Despite the weather and (pretty) grey facade, Helle's living space in Silkeborg is far from grey. The Dane is driven by "a love for beautiful things and fine materials" rather than designer pieces. Despite this, some classics have snuck in by way of flea market finds, family heirlooms "or simply because a chair is so beautiful it's hard to resist, despite being by Børge Mogensen". The eclectic interior also includes pieces from IKEA and Ilva as well as DIY solutions and lots and lots of wonderful art. Welcome inside the cosy Danish home of Helle, husband Kurt and their children Eve and Herman! 

Pink stairs print, kitchen from IKEA, tiles from Bauhaus

Sulten Geisha print 

PH 5-4 pendant light* & LC Shutters pendant* both Louis Poulsen

Pouf from Sofa Company

Hang-it-all hooks*

What a pretty home! 

I love how Helle has simply followed her heart and chosen pieces for their aesthetics rather than who they're made by, it's given the space so much soul.

Is there anything you love in particular about this home?

You can see more of Helle's home on her homepage and instagram @detlillegraahus and a load of other beautiful Danish homes in this archive. 

Got to love Danish style! 

Niki

Photography: Det Lille Grå Hus shared with kind permission 

*affiliate links

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The Genius App Every Parent & Grandparent Needs (25% off!)

Paid partnership with Doodlespot:

Are you a parent / aunt / uncle/ grandparent / someone who just happens to know a child who loves to draw?! My daughters have always loved to paint. In fact, not a day goes by without some kind of creativity. At one point, when Liv was at nursery, she was so prolific, she'd run through the door clasping 10 "masterpieces". As lovely as it is to see, le't face it, it can be hard to know what on earth to do with them all, don't you think?! At worst there might be one line per page but even the beautiful ones are on poor quality paper that's become a little scrunched and ripped in their school bag! 

And then I discovered the app Doodlespot. I'm the first to admit that I'm terrified of anything techy (seriously!) - but this app is GENIUS and sooooo simple! Available (almost) worldwide on Google Play and iTunes, Doodlespot allows you to capture your child's artwork on your phone. You can then have a play around with the design tools and templates before ordering the framed print straight to your door. I asked the crazies to choose their favourite paintings so we could put the app to the test!

LIV

My ten year old daughter chose 'Lazy River' (seen above and below) which she painted in art class a few weeks ago. She went for a classic portrait template with her name and age underneath so it would look super pro (just like her wonderful piece!). I think she's proudly shown the print to every single person who's walked through the door! 

ALLIE

My younger daughter chose a painting she did of our house and was as pleased as punch when it arrived. Even though the painting was drawn in landscape, she chose the 'portrait' format and had a little play around with the colours - and since she's the artist, who am I to disagree?! 

Doodlespot co-founder Stefan Persson tells me: "Our driving force is child creativity. It is all about helping children to explore and experiment, then we enable you to transform their creations into art you can display on your walls. Filling your home with your own child's art is such a beautiful thing."

The girls and I are so pleased, we've already started thinking about which artwork to get done next! It would make such a great present too, don't you think? 

Oh, and another thing - part of the proceeds are donated to 'War Child', a non-profit organisation helping children traumatised by war. Such a worthwhile cause. 

If you'd love to give Doodlespot a try*, make the most of a 25% discount with the code follow25 until 10th June, 2019! 

Niki

PS I think the last time I showed my crazies together in a post was in their room reveal back in 2014 - with the risk of sounding like a great aunt.... haven't they grown?!! 

*This post is a paid partnership with Doodlespot. All words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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10 Ways To Transform a Room With A Single Painting!

I love reading your comments - it adds so much to the post and more often than not someone will point out something I haven't noticed and I'll look a the home tour from a new perspective. Yesterday,  for example, someone pointed out that there was no art on the walls - and it was in no means meant as a negative - more an observation that a home without art can also be interesting.  So today, I thought I would go to the opposite extreme and take a look at how a single painting can transform a space. When I was writing my first book, Modern Pastoral, the photographer James Gardiner and I captured a beautiful home in the Hudson Valley designed by Jersey Ice-cream Company. One of the things I noticed about the work of Tara Mangini & Percy Bright is how they apply art (mainly portraits, but also landscapes and still life) to bring the look together. Here are ten fine examples:

I found this fascinating, how about you?

Did you have a favourite?

It has totally spurred me on to look out for more original art for my walls. These are often good sources: 

Flea markets

Charity shops

Etsy*

Ebay

Do you have any other suggestions on where to source original portrait paintings? Perhaps some wonderful, modern artists?

I'm going to need to be careful though - there was a painting in my childhood home of my great, great, great grandfather who was an Admiral. My Mother used to have to cover it up with a sheet at night because my sisters and I were so afraid of it! There was something about the way his eyes followed you around the room. Did you have any paintings like that in your home? 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Jersey Ice-cream Company  / some credited to Beth Kirby

Affiliate links marked with *

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My Gallery Wall Updated In Blues + 15% Off At Posterlounge!

Sponsored* - Last Friday I chatted to the Danish girls behind kunstsalonen - curating public art exhibitions in private homes. One of their best tips for arranging art is to choose pieces you love and group them according to colour. I took this to heart this week when I updated the wall behind my sofa with four prints from Posterlounge. Inspired by this Norwegian home in beautiful shades of blue, my new gallery wall combines art inspired by nature (Mountains and Flow) as well as a beautiful illustration by Sophie Schultz and abstract art resembling glass architect. My daughters' faces lit up when she came home from school to discover the transformation! I hope you like the update too!

I love using art to update my home (as you know!) and Posterlounge has an absolutely huge collection of around 80,000 artworks in different sizes. You can also choose which material to print on!

Great news too - they're offering My Scandinavian Home readers 15% off with the code MYSCANDI15 until 31st March, 2019.

In case you're curious about the ones I picked, here's a little more information:

1. Mountains
2. Flow by Laura Marshall
3. Standing by Sophie Schultz
4. Construction (glass architecture) by László Moholy-Nagy

Do you have a favourite?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Niki

*This post is sponsored by Posterlounge, however all words and photos are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home blog possible.

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An Art Exhibition In Your Home? Meet the Danish Women Behind the Concept!

In celebration of International Women's Day, I thought I'd shine a light on two inspiring women from the Scandinavian art and design scene who I've been following for a while! Meet Mette Helena Rasmussen, a graduate from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and Anne Aarsland, an art history and Visual artist graduate from the University of Copenhagen. The pair met through a mutual client in 2017 and founded KUNSTSALONEN through which they curate public exhibitions in private homes across Denmark. To date, they've held five successful exhibitions (FREDERIKSBERG SALONEN, AMAGER SALONEN, AARHUS SALONEN, ØSTERBRO SALONEN and KØBENHAVN K SALONEN (featured above) showcasing the work of over 35 artists at a time. I caught up with the pair to find out more about how the 'nomadic platform' works and their best tips for creating an incredible gallery wall!

A gallery wall in KØBENHAVN K SALONEN in the home of artist Lis McDonald (complete list of artists featured here). 

How did you meet?

We had been following each other on instagram for a while and met on a styling project for Artemide Lighting. The press event was held in Anne's apartment. 

A mother and daughter enjoy the exhibition in a private home in central Copenhagen last weekend. 

When did you decide to collaborate?

The press event turned out to be a cool experience and Anne enjoyed the guests, the talks and how her home was part of something different for a short period of time. We had a glass of wine (or two!) and talked about how we could do something together. We didn't really know what exactly, but came up with ideas for something like networking, exhibitions, social events, parties etc. 

Artists featured above all tagged here. 

How did you come up with the idea?

We wanted to contribute to the Danish art scene and somehow arrived at the idea of holding a curated art exhibition in Anne's private home. 

Work by Carsten Crone Caroc, Sarah Schönbeck, Mie Olise Kjærgaard, Martha Kramer, and Line Busch at last week's exhibition captured by Tia Borgsmidt.

What inspired the name?

Our first exhibition was called FREDERIKSBERG SALONEN inspired by the salons in Paris and the tendency to use homes for literature gatherings, music and poetry events. We were also inspired by the fact that people are starting to rent personal spaces through Airbnb and Gomore.dk. 

Eye-catching art by Kunstsalonen co-founder Anne Aarsland (left) in the KÖBENHAVN K SALONEN exhibition. 

How did you organise your first event?

We invited several contemporary artists and all of them accepted. We installed the art in Anne's home (seen in the last two pictures in this post) and invited everyone we knew. It was a huge success and gave us confidence to develop this active, nomadic platform for showing art and arrange exhibitions in other private homes across Denmark. 

Making final touches to the AARHUS SALONEN exhibition

How does it work?

We curate and invite selected artists to showcase their work in a private home for a weekend. The generous hosts (who are passionate about contemporary art) invite us to use their homes for a week. People visit the exhibition and buy the artwork. It's a true pleasure to work on this project! 

A drool-worthy gallery wall in the home of Mette Helena Rasmussen.

How do you select the artists?
We mostly show Danish artists, but we have featured work by Swedish artist Johan Furåker, Norwegian artists Jeanette Sættre and Arne-Marius Skogås as well as Iranian artist Frank Shoi and Brit Nicholas Imms.

And finally, what are your best tips for creating a perfect gallery wall?
Our best tip is to collect great art! Organise your artwork in tones and colours that work well together. Combine large scale works with minor works and bring in three dimensional pieces to give the wall a vivid expression.



What a truly inspiring idea! Thank you for sharing this with us Mette and Anne!

If you're heading to Denmark, you might like to time your visit with their forthcoming exhibitions:

FUGLEBAKKE SALONEN, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen 10 - 12 May
MORS SALONEN, Jutland in August

Keep an eye out for more information here (and follow along on instagram here).

In case you're feeling inspired to create your own gallery wall this weekend - this guide might come in handy! Or perhaps, if you live in Denmark, your home might just be the location for their next exhibition! Would you be keen? I have a feeling I'd want to keep all the artwork!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend friends!

Niki

PS Stuck on a room and could use a little help? We're offering 20% off a new room design through My Scandinavian Home Studio online interior design service with the code MYNEWROOM until 7th May, 2019. We'd love to help you!

Photographs 1 to 6 by Tia Borgsmidt 

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Danish Design: City Prints By Martin Schwartz

Sponsored*
Do you have a happy place in your home?! Mine is this corner which is always bathed in sunshine and sooooo snuggly. Sadly I never get there first (my children are like cats - they always curl up in the warmest spot in the house before I get there - and then you don't have the heart to move them!). Anyhow, our happy corner of my home has just got a whole lot happier with the help of a new print by local danish designer Martin Schwartz. Martin has a special gift to capture the soul of a city in a single print. Each drawing takes months to create and the buildings are carefully selected and illustrated down to the finest detail - "only then can it depict the true DNA of the city". There are currently 13 cites available with the recent addition of Stockholm!

 The level of detail is just incredible!

I also picked out the London city print to add a little piece of 'home' to our Malmö house! It'll serve as a perfect backdrop for when I ask my husband to play 'streets of London' on his guitar (you can imagine his eyes rolling!). But he does love this print at least! It's the small wins, right?!

Take a peek in Martin Schwart's online shop for the full range of city prints. Martin ships throughout Europe! 

Do you have a favourite? 

Niki

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Martin Schwartz. All words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the small Scandinavian businesses and local artists who make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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7 Gallery Walls For Every Room - And A Fail-Safe Way To Hang Art!

Are you a fan of gallery walls? They've been rocking the interior world for a while now and it looks like they are here to stay! The great news is, as long as you have the wall space, they can go just about anywhere and make a great feature! I've rounded up some of my favourites from around the web for a room by room guide:

In the sitting room
The Danes are masters of gallery walls. The one below has been circulating the web for a while now, but I'll never tire of it! Made up of exhibition posters from Louisiana Museum of Modern Art as well as pieces by other Danish artists, it adds a whole load of personality to the sitting room!

In the dining room
A selection of prints (including Portrait J*)  trail all the way from the ground up in Theo-bert Pot's dining room against a millennial pink backdrop. See the rest of Theo-bert's creative home here!

Theo-bert Pot

In the Stairway
The stairs is an ideal space for art and photography. In Louise's home, a gallery wall adds a wonderful splash of colour to an otherwise white space. Think about mixing up a series of thin frames* to add interest. FYI - Louise's homes is one of my favourites! Hop over to take the full tour!

Louise / Mor till Mernee

In the bedroom
Who says a gallery wall needs to be perfectly aligned? These pictures arranged above a bedside table have been placed at different heights by Avenue Design Studio for a charming and relaxed look.

In the home office / studio
In this creative studio, artist Edith Rewa's own pretty illustrations have been combined with other work for an entire wall of inspiration.  Not an artist? You can always collect  pictures you love from magazines, cards and other places and create a giant moodboard!

Edith Rewa / The Design Files

In the bathroom
Honestly WTF has ditched the frames to create a gallery wall using prints from Society 6 in the downstairs loo!

Honestly WTF

In the entrance / hallway
What to do with a long, narrow entrance way without eating into the space? Add a gallery wall like Johanna Landbo's to brighten up your entry and exit each day (don't miss the full tour of her Danish home along with a few small space hacks here).

Got the art, but not sure where to start? (I'm a poet, but I just didn't know it!). Here's a guide I created a while ago. It's my fail-safe method for picture hanging (ever since my husband went a bit nuts over all the unnecessary holes in the wall!):

1. Take a large roll of paper and draw around each of the pictures you intend to hang. Cut out the template.
2. Stick them on the wall with blu-tac - and play around with the templates until you have a composition you're happy with. Quick tip I learned: artwork looks best if it's around two thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it (of course rules are there to be broken and this is definitely not an instruction - more a guide if you're feeling stuck!).
3. Measure the distance of the hook on the back of the picture (both vertically and horizontally)
4. Mark out the same spot on your template on the wall.
5. Hammer a nail through the marked out spot
6. Tear away the template leaving the nail in place and you're ready to rock!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on gallery walls. Do you have a favourite from the above round-up? Do you have one in your own home?
Have a lovely day friends!

Niki

//affiliate links marked with *

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