A Charming Copenhagen Apartment Full Of Vintage Finds

Hej vänner! I hope you had a fantastiska weekend? Not sure where this Swenglish is coming from but I promise to stop right now. Besides, I'm whisking you off on a virtual visit to Copenhagen today and the wonderful home of Kate Imogen Wood - so it's the wrong language anyway! Originally from the Lake District, England, Kate is a stylist and creative consultant living with her husband Ben and son Damon (very cute baby alert!).  Think Danish boho meets Berlin cool in a two bedroom apartment full of unique vintage finds, beautiful Nordic pieces and personal touches. Laura and Nora of Design Tales snapped these lovely pictures the last time they were in the city. Enjoy the tour!

I love how part of the paint has been peeled away in the kitchen to reveal layers of colour from yesteryear! Vintage filing cabinets (source beautiful ones here) instead of traditional kitchen storage also adds character.

This fine specimen of a Menu Marble Wall Clock is by Norm Architects. Protea (the flower seen to the right) is an interior-lovers best friend since it looks beautiful fresh and just as pretty dried! I still have one kicking about from a photo shoot a year ago and still love it today!

The family have carved out a dining space for three in the smallest of spaces with the help of a cosy window nook, Copenhague table and zingy yellow Eames chair.

Layering rugs is a popular replacement for wall-to-wall carpets in Scandinavia - especially when you little ones like the adorable Damon crawling around / playing on the floor. These vintage Moroccan ones are particularly beautiful (source similar here). And just how fabulous is that sofa? Anyone know anything about it? If so, please put us out of our misery in the comment section below!

How charming is this vintage shelving? And such a perfect spot for books, vinyls, photos and other knick knacks. The Frama shelf library is similar (just in case you can't find a vintage one like this!).

In interviews for my lagom book, I'm often being asked about how to create a balanced, sleep-inducing bedroom and many of the factors in Kate and Ben's room are spot on. It's simple and calm with lots of natural textures (this white linen bedding and pale blue pillow case is similar) and there's a black out blind waiting to be unleashed!

Damon's room is adorable. What it lacks in square feet, it makes up for in total charm!

All photography © Design Tales.

What a wonderful home, and just how adorable is Damon?!

Is there anything that stood out to you about this home?

Thank you so much to Laura and Nora (see their home and studio) for the kind permission to share these lovely images. You can read the full interview and see more snaps here - and follow Kate's latest projects and snapshots from family life in Copenhagen here.

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

PS  More delightful Danish homes here, here and here!

PPS The Russian version of my lagom book launched this weekend and is now available here - so exciting! Who would have thought?! You can see a list of all available languages here.

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Beautiful Colour Inspiration From 'The Home', Copenhagen

Men hejsan! I hope you had a härlig weekend?! I'm slowly cranking into action - but I am feeling bouyed by the thought of 3 days of design in Copenhagen this week (of which I'm hoping to attend at least one  - let me know if you'll be there too?!). The Danish capital is full of design hot spots (as you can imagine!). One of the ones I'm most excited about right now is 'The Home' by Ferm Living. Created along the same lines as The Apartment, The Loft and Artilleriet studio, the Danish brand has transformed an apartment in a period property in Amagertorv into a beautiful living space featuring rich, sophisticated hues, understated cosiness and of course, the unique, playful yet pared-back flavour of Ferm Living! Abi from These Four Walls (who I had the pleasure of meeting in Malmö a few months ago) snapped these lovely pictures. Enjoy!

Naturally, the home is entirely furnished with items from Ferm Living's range. But it's also a great example of how to introduce rich colours into your home and create that hygge vibe the Danes are so good at! I particularly love the burgundy ceiling (it looks very similar to the Norwegian Wood tone in my home office)- who'd have thought it'd look so great with grey and blue? Food for thought indeed! And I love the way they've continued the tone throughout the space too. 

In the kitchen there are subtle touches of burgundy on the shelves.

And in the office it's present in the form of wainscoting (such a perfect workspace, don't you think?!).

Haze Vitrine, striped box. 

And the burgundy makes an appearance in the candy striped wallpaper, rug and blanket in the master bedroom. 

Side note: I'm considering using the Unfold Room Divider (seen in the corner above) to separate my bedroom from my home office - what do you think?! 

Fruiticana pineapple rug (on wall), palm cushion, double dot blanket, popcorn bolster cushion and rabbit storage box.

And finally, the burgundy is continued into the children's room (another of my favourite corners). This little space is so clever and a real masterclass in how to create a kid's room that's on trend, ties in beautifully with the rest of the home and looks as cute as pie! Love it!

Is there anything that stands out to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the colours, furniture or anything else that caught your eye!

In case you're visiting Copenhagen sometime soon, The Home is available to visit by appointment only through Ferm Living (perhaps they're worried we might not ever leave - highly possible from my side!). And you can also see more pictures of it over on Abi's blog here. Don't forget to hop of the bridge to Skåne and say hi too!

If you're in the mood for more beautiful Danish interior inspiration today, take a peek at this archive (this home tour from last week seems to have gone completely viral too, I can understand why!). 

Ha' en god dag!

Photography: Abi Dare / These Four Walls, shared with kind permission. 

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15 Small Space Hacks To Learn From a Beautiful Danish Home

Hej, hvordan har du det? I have to admit it's really hard to concentrate today - it's such a beautiful day! And when the sun shines in Scandinavia it's not something to be taken for granted! I was thinking of taking the Stand Up Paddle out at lunchtime ('thinking' being the operative word since it's still a bone-chilling 12 degrees in the water - eeeek!). While I procrastinate - I have a space to share with you which totally makes staying indoors worthwhile! This is the home of Danish model Johanne Landbo and her boyfriend.  Located high up in the eaves in the city of Århus, Denmark, what the home lacks in size and ceiling height, it makes up for in clever small space solutions and beautiful design. Velkommen!

1. A clutter-free home creates the illusion of space. Johanne has used wall mounted floor to ceiling shoe cabinets to banish shoes from the floor. 

2. Simple hooks hung over a door are really handy for everyday items (I use them in the bathroom and bedrooms in my own home) - they also don't require any drilling, making them ideal for rental spaces!

Shoe cabinet, door hook and Sinnerlig stool all IKEA. This round basket bag is similar. 

3. Raising the ceiling to it's full height and adding skylights helps to generate a loftier feel. Plus if you're lucky - you might end up with beautiful beams like these (well worth their weight in hygge!).

Green Forest poster, this pendant light is similar. Source a runner like this here.

4. I love these old warehouse windows between the bedroom and hall. Replacing an internal wall with windows (new or vintage!) allows light to filter through to darker areas and widens the look of a narrow space. Drawing across a curtain is a great way to add a little privacy and darkness at night time.

5. Multi-purpose furniture helps each item to go that bit further, for example, this Gjöra bed doubles up as a place to hang plants (or clothes).

6. Installing minimalist, bespoke wall-to-wall wardrobes helps to make the most of every inch of a room and create a clean look and feel. 

7. Johanne's home has been painted in a fresh, matt white throughout which bounces the light around.

8. Flat wall-mounted book shelves provide a less intrusive place to store magazines in a dead space between the radiator and eaves. 

9. Stackable furniture is a small space's best friend! Here, the lower nest table can be tucked under the higher table when not in use.

10. If your sofa is in the middle of the room, break up the (often cumbersome) back of it with a bench that can also be used for coffee table books and other items.

11. Make full use of ceiling height. Lesser used items can be stored higher up. 

12. Wall mounted, flexible lighting (such as the Mantis) helps to clear floor space and reduce the number of directional lights, since they can be rotated to where ever you need the light. 

13. Stackable, modular shelving like Omar from IKEA help make the most of awkward corners.

14. Opting for less bulky / more streamlined furniture like the Adam stool by FRAMA CPH will achieve a clutter-free, airy look and feel. 

15. Keeping the view clear on the balcony gives a continuation of space (and means you can enjoy it even on a rainy day). 

Aaaa, I was so happy to discover so many great ideas to steal from Johannes home! Is there anything you found particularly helpful?

I also liked Charlie Cameron's tip on Thursday: to use negative space throughout your home (I've been thinking a lot about this). 

You can see more pictures of Johanne's beautiful home over on instagram - and for more small living space inspiration today I can totally recommend these home tours too: small space that's big on cosiness, a tiny one room flat in Finland and Clever small space style in Stockholm. 

Have a great start to the week!

All Photography: Johanne Landbo

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The lovely home of a Danish artist

Why, hello there! It's miserable outside today and probably never really going to get light, but I don't mind because it's my biiiiiiiiiiirthday! Now, I know you're not really meant to make a song and dance about these things, but you know, life's short and I actually really do like to sing (not very well) and dance (even worse) each year on this day!! It kicked off beautifully with a surprise 'full english breakfast' (no easy feat in Sweden, and the man and my girls nailed it!!) so things are going exceedingly well..... Anyway, I digress, I've prepared a post featuring the most fabulous Danish apartment for you today. Owner, Anne Aarsland is exactly the same age as me (that young? I hear you say!). The only difference is that she lives and works in Copenhagen and is "an astronomer with a liberating legendary approach to painting." Anne's work is characterised by stripes, dots and triangles in all angles and constellations, using repetition and abstract pattern formations to develop and change the shapes and can be seen throughout the living space. On with the tour!

Aaaaah, what a great home! Anne's art totally makes the space, don't you think?! - and rightly so!

The high ceilings, spacious rooms and general style reminds me a little of the home of Karen Maj Kornum who's home I posted about here and here  (and also featured on the front cover of  my book The Scandinavian Home). What do you think?

Get the look: Anne's artwork and limited edition paintings, saucer pendant, AJ floor lamp, wishbone chair, Artek chair, Ligne Roset Togo sofa.

You can follow Anne's latest projects and see more shots of her home and studio over on Instagram. 

If you'd like to see more artist's homes today you'll love this relaxed, vintage style home,  an artist's studio and home in Stockholm and a former artist's studio converted into a beautiful home - makes me wish I was a little better at painting!!

Have a lovely day!!

PS - I received the best birthday surprise  - My Scandinavian Home won Best International Design Blog in the first ever Domino Design Blog Awards - weeeeeeee! Thank you so much to everyone who voted, it really means the world to me. A feature about My Scandinavian Home is now live on Domino here if you fancy a read!

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