There's no mistaking Michael Schmidt's favourite colour. The thirty year old Danish creative consultant and business owner (with a background in fashion and interiors) acquired his 74 sqm (796 sq ft) apartment six years ago as a student. "It had more space than I needed, but I fell completely in love with it's quirky layout and the great location - it's literally a few metres down the street from the Copenhagen lakes in the lively Nørrebro area." Michael has shared the apartment with various flatmates and partners, but today lives alone giving him a free hand on how he decorates the bedroom, dining room, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Not only is the home full of bold, yet harmonious contrast, it's also full of fascinating collector's items including art, design classics and sculptural pieces. I caught up with Michael to find out a little more about his wonderful, colourful Copenhagen home!
Rhythm & Blues Dhurrie rug, teak credenza*, Knoll diamond chair*, vase by Helle Mardahl (seen in top picture)
How did the apartment look when you first bought it?
It actually had a lot of colour in each room - but a mix of purple, red, terracotta and beige - far from my liking! So I started from scratch by renovating it and painting everything white to create a blank canvas.
When did you start adding colour?
Over the years I have added more and more colour, as I feel it can be a great way to highlight different things. My apartment is very long, with an extended view through three rooms so I decided to highlight this by painting one wall in each room in three different colours, which elongates the layout even more.
In what other ways has colours helped to create the atmosphere you were looking for?
I have a very small kitchen and it looked a bit dull in white, so I opted for a rich green to give the room a moody expression. People tend to be frightened of adding colour to small spaces but it can actually bring them to life in a totally new way.
How else have you added colour to your home?
Of course colour in the home is not only about walls, it's about furniture, accessories and art. Art especially can create a unique mix of colours in every room - I buy all my art from the heart, but I do think about how it would fit into my home, how it will work with the other colours, the light etc.
Eiermann2 table, Montana shelves, VP Globe pendant* Photo by Martin Solyst
I notice you also have some fabulous, bold textiles!
I find another great way to add colour is with rich fabrics such as curtains or cushions. I have collected a number of cushions by designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat - his eye for colour and texture is amazing.
What are your go-to colours - I guess blue...?!
Blue is one of my favourite colours, as demonstrated. by my wardrobe and home! But I try to be careful not to overdo it with one colour, so I add a lot of green, grey and some red to my interior as well. I love to create a contrast between a green wall and a red shelf, or a blue wall and yellow vases. Maybe it sounds like a loud combination, but I spend a lot of time finding the exact shades to create contrast but maintain a calm atmosphere. Most of the colours I choose have a dusty tone.
Poster from Louisiana museum, painting by Michael's great grandfather, Strøm Collection vase / jug.
Where do you find inspiration for colour combinations?
One of my biggest inspirations is the Bauhaus movement. It is known for its functional design and use of primary colours like red and blue which help to highlight function and form. When I started painting the walls in my home, I made a collage of five Vilhelm Lundstrøm paintings, which gave me ideas on how to combine contrasting colours in a harmonious way.
Kitchen by Reform, Boucherouite rug*
Recently we've been admiring the colourful Danish homes of Celine Hallas, Sofie Amalie and Trine Brunsvig. Do you think we'll see more and more colour in Danish homes? If so, what do you think is behind this movement?
I think Danish homes are much more colourful than they were ten years ago. The internet and social media provide amazing inspiration from all over the world. I also think Scandinavian countries have always created trend-forward homes, so why wouldn't they be adventurous with colour as too?
Do you think the way Scandinavians use bolder colours differs from other parts of the world?
I think the shades of colours will be tailored to our climate, our light and our way of living - so even a colourful Danish home will probably appear different from a colour-filled Spanish or French home. We use muted colours to create our famous hygge, and add bolder colours to create contrasts and personal splashes of colour in our homes.
Thank you so much for telling us more about your home Michael! It's totally inspired me to start playing around with colour contrasts, how about you?
See more pics of Michael's interior and fab style on instagram: @danskmode.
Meanwhile, I'm off to find out more about the Strøm Collection and pieces by Helle Mardahl - they look fabulous!
Is there anything that stands out to you?
We're busy packing for a half-term ski trip today (I always forget how much stuff there is to do before you go away - help! We're bound to forget something important too (we've forgotten my elder daughters' ski jacket two years in a row now, not popular! Bah!).
I'll be nipping in tomorrow as I've got some super exciting news to share with you!!!
Have a lovely evening, see you tomorrow!
Niki
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