15 Fabulous Danish Spaces That Will Brighten Up Your Day

Nothing puts a smile on your face quite like a home with a touch of colour (OK puppies, kittens etc might also do the trick - but I'm talking strictly Scandinavian interiors here!). And in my mind, no one does colour quite like the Danes. Our Nordic friends seem to have a knack of finding shades that are both bold and earthy in equal measure. Think soft pink, deep blue and mid greens applied to walls, pieces of furniture or a subtle hint in a painting or book jacket. Either way, combined with whitewashed walls and floors as well as art and books, and the overall look is fresh, vibrant, relaxed and effortlessly stylish. Another Studio, a Danish creative content and product development studio run by Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg (who's home I recently featured here) and Mikkel Dahlstrøm, has an innate ability to seek out some of Denmark's finest homes for interior magazines. Here are 15 relaxed spaces from their portfolio - that really put a smile on my face, I hope they brighten up your day too! 

1 & 2. The colourful home of Sofie S. Boisen featured in ALT Interiør.

3. The pretty studio of artist Little Detroit featured in BoligLiv

4. Why have a bare wall when you can fill it with art like Karen Emilie Skou.

5. Princess and the pea (AKA one of the world's cutest pups) in the home of Mai-Britt 

6. Books piled high on the floor (featured in ALT Interiør)

7. Colourful book jackets make a wonderful feature in the home of Freja Bak Petersen.

8. Pretty in pink in the Aarhus home of Danish fashion blogger Maria Kaas featured in Femina DK.

 9. There's so much to love about Mia's dining room starting with the dark blue wall and touches of pink and gold1 

10. Sometimes all it takes is some colourful cushions and a deep blue pouf and the room is made, as seen in the home of @toves_room and featured in BoligLiv.  

11. When you have windows like these in Mia's home, it would be rude not to sit there and enjoy the view. With a coffee. For hours. 

12. A little table, a floor lamp, art and a vase in Kristiane's home (featured in ALT Interiør). Because no space needs to be dead space, not even if it's tucked behind a door in the corner of the room! 

13. How's this spot for a quiet afternoon siesta in Hanne's dining room

14. Feeling the blue touches in Karoline's sitting room (featured in BoligLiv)

15. Balancing colour to perfection: a bright blue floor which matches a fabulous lamp! I'm so curious to see the rest of Tova's danish home, how about you? 

Are you also feeling full of inspiration? 

Seriously, this is just the tip of the iceberg from all the fabulous spaces Julie and Mikkel have styled and photographed. Hop on over to the Another Studio instagram feed for countless more spaces! 

If you're feeling the Danish style, you might also like to come and join me in the danish home archive too - it's one of my absolute favourites (warning - you can get lost in there for hours!). If this post pops up first, just scroll on past. 

In the words of the Danes - ha en dejlige dag! 

Niki

Credits: Styling and photography by Another Studio, pictures shared with kind permission. 

READ MORE...

4

Peek Inside A Family Home In The Danish Fishing Village off Dragør

Our very first sail of the year is always to Dragør, a charming fishing village on Denmark's east coast, not far from Copenhagen. The harbour, is lined with pretty golden cottages and seafood restaurants serving fish fresh off the boat and the happy sound of children crabbing echos across the water. I have often wondered what lies behind the facade of the ochre houses and today I stumbled across the home of Mille Emilie (AKA SANOMA SEVEN), Lasse and three-and-a-half year-old Frida who reside in the village. Imagine my excitement! Their house was built in 1923 and used to be made up of two properties. Today, the family of three (soon to be four - they are expecting a little girl in December) occupy the ground floor while they continue to renovate the entire house. Mille and Lasse are carrying out as much of the renovation as possible themselves while ensuring everything they do reflects the style of the house down to the last detail. Here's a sneak peek at some of the lovely rooms they've completed so far!

Although not the facade of Mille and Lasse's actual house, I couldn't resist sharing this picture of a cobbled road in Dragør which I snapped on a recent trip to the little village they live in.  

The prints in the sitting room have been picked up at Desenio, Fabrek and Hein Studio*. The sofa is from Bolia. 

"We were keen to renovate the house so that it matches the style of the period in which it was built - using good materials and attention to detail." 

A Panthella lamp* designed by Verner Panton adds a mid-century touch to the living room. 

I've seen these iconic Ljungby vases many times in the past, but never as a big a group like this - love this idea! 

The kitchen is still a work in progress - but we're already seeing some fine details - including an island crafted by Oak Studio and a faucet from Quooker Denmark (it looks a little like the brass one I have in my summer cottage kitchen - I absolutely love this slightly aged look!). 

"We are doing a lot of the renovation ourselves. We have been tiling the kitchen, renovating the bathroom - what a job with all those tiles! And we're trying to put our own personal stamp into everything we do."  

In the bathroom, the pair have opted for a sink cabinet from IKEA, traditional brass faucet and shower from AQUADOMO and opal wall lights from Nuura. 

Total side note, but this reminds me - I featured a loo on my instagram squares the other day for the first time and it's gone completely bananas - over 17000 likes so far and growing rapidly. Loo round-up to follow soon perhaps! Meanwhile, the one in this bathroom is pretty smart, don't you think? 

The trick to creating a bed which makes you want to dive under the covers and stay? Layering! Mille and Lasse have dressed their bed with a graphic throw from Danish brand Semibasic and Dromedary bedding from Swedish brand Midnatt. I also spy the iconic Flos Parentesi light* in the corner. 

I absolutely love this children's room. A lot of the items are from Ferm Living including the Katie Scott Animals wallpaper*, kilim 'borders' rug* and apple braided storage basket*. 

What's next?  One day Mille and Lasse hope to divide the house into two once again so that Mille's parents can live next door. "My Father was very sick last year and is still recovering. It would be great to have him close by" explained Mille.  In the meantime, Mille and Lasse will continue to renovate the house in preparation for their new arrival in December.

You can keep up to date with their latest renovation projects on Mille's blog SANOMA SEVEN and instagram @mille_emilie.

I can't wait to see what they do next, how about you?

Is there anything that stood out to you in particular about their home?

There's a load more Danish style to feel inspired by this weekend in the Danish Home and Danish Apartment archives. So many goodies in there!

Right. All that's left to do now is sit back and enjoy the fact that it's Friday! Woohoo! I have to say, I never really recovered from my long day to Stockholm on Monday (do you find things like that have a knock on effect?). So my family and I have agreed to have a VERY lazy morning tomorrow: hang out in our PJ's, sip coffee, eat croissants - and generally take it easy. Oh and there's also the small question of a hamster cage that needs cleaning (did I mention we caved under pressure and 'Dexter' joined the Brantmark team last weekend?! He's very sweet). Let me tell you now, cleaning his cage is definitely not my job but I know it'll end up being me! Do you have any experience from this kind of thing?

I hope you've got a lovely weekend lined up too - and most importantly, that you get a chance to chill!

See you Monday!

Niki

Photography: all photos by Mille Emilie except the second picture, which I took with my phone on a recent sailing trip to Dragør. 

READ MORE...

2

In Copenhagen, An Enchanting Home In Shades of Soft Sea-Green

Have you ever been to Copenhagen? There's something about the relaxed vibe and their love of all things hygge which makes me feel immediately at ease. It's been a while since I've been, so today I thought we'd take a peek behind a facade in the leafy area of Fredriksberg. Danish interior stylist, brand and visual storyteller, Sedsel Roug lives in a beautiful 145 m2 (1560,77 feet) ground-floor apartment with her Colombian husband Louis Carlos and three children Isabel (8), Luis (3) and Gabriel (3). The space has all the characteristics of a late 19th century apartment - including original wood floors, towering ceilings and large windows which let in soft pools of light. The harmonious feeling is accentuated by Sedsel's love for pale sea-green walls, fabulous vintage and antique finds and lots of art. I caught up with Sedsel to find out more. 

Your apartment has beautiful bones - can you tell us a little more about the history of it?

It's an old apartment dating back to 1860 with original wood floors and a ceiling height of 3.10 metres! 

How would you describe your style?

I like that my home is an experience and that one gets surprised from the blend of styles. I like to decorate with vintage pieces and art and mix all kinds of materials and shapes. I am particularly passionate about marble, brass and velour. 

"My favourite item of furniture is the Romeo Reha brass shelf from Italy, which I found at caution many years ago. It's timeless and like a work of art."

Would you say your home is typically Danish? 

My home is inspired by many different styles and countries. I have lived abroad (Brussels, Plymouth and New York for eight years) and love to travel to South Europe where I find inspiration for furniture and art. I also love to mix Danish design with wood details. 

What inspired your colour scheme? 

I'm very inspired by flowers and art. I mix all the wall colours until I feel inspired by the colour. I tend to go towards shades of green-grey / light sea green which has been made up using a blend of paint leftovers!

The tones are beautiful! Can you advise on similar colour codes?

Colour codes 3495, 4491 and 4502 from Flügger are similar to the walls in my home. 

Where do you source items for your home? 

I have bought many items at auction in Germany and Italy. Actually, most of my furniture and accessories are vintage. I also adore upcoming artists and collect ceramics and art prints. 

Any favourite artists? 

I adore Bycdesign Studio, Hein Studio, My Paradissi* and Aure Studio.

Finally, what do you love most about your home? 

I love how my home is constantly changing (I like to move furniture around!). I also love the light - there's not much natural light as it is a ground floor apartment - but the light that does come in is peaceful and enchanting. 

So lovely! There's something enchanting about Sedsel's apartment, don't you think? I particularly  love the sea green palette combined with wood furniture. 

Is there anything that stood out to you?

Wanna see a little more? Take a peek at @sedselroug! 

In case you're curious about where some of the items are from (I know I was), here's a round-up:

Get the look from Sedsel's home

1. Bycdesign Mid Collection 08*
2. Ikea STOCKHOLM 2017 Cabinet
3. Hein Studio Ostrea ROCK Glass Vase
4. Afteroom Plus dining chair City Velvet*
5. The E1027 Collection No 05
6. H&M Cotton Satin Duvet Cover*
7. Hein Studio The wise man 01*
8. Skagerak Georg dining table
9. Bolia Lady Armchair
10. New Works Kizu Table Lamp

What amazing pieces! Time to go vintage bargain hunting...

Meet you at the antique market?

Niki

Photography: Sedsel Roug, shared with kind permission. 

READ MORE...

6

Books, Art and Golden Tones in a Beautiful Copenhagen Home

Why, hello there! I'm heading over the bridge to Copenhagen this afternoon and feeling so excited.  It's been a while since I've been, and the Danish capital city is my saving grace when Malmö starts to feel a little small for this former Londoner! In honour of my trip, I thought we could peek behind the facade of one of the beautiful buildings in Frederiksberg - a leafy yet buzzing part of town. This incredible home belongs to Simone Polk Dahl, a Danish interior stylist, visual storyteller and artist. Simone's creativity shines through in the use of mix and match furniture where no two items are the same, her art which adorns the walls, her use of subtle earthy colours (loving the golden tones!) and all the other fabulous details that help to transform her apartment into a home.  Ready to take a peek? 

"I'm very drawn to the lighter scale of colours right now from beige and light earthy tones to the more brown and golden touch." - Simone 

Simone's art hangs on a wall painted in 4481 from Flügger. The armchair is from The Sofa Company and the sofa has been covered in a large natural linen fabric (source rough linen by the yard here*). 

This corner of the sitting room has everything I love in a home - books, art, ceramics and vintage furniture! "I love ceramics in special shapes," Simone tells me. 

Simone picked up the rug at a local Copenhagen store called By Fribert (this Beni Ourain* is similar).

"I seldom buy furniture, but when I do, I am not influenced by trends, but whether the piece will add value to our home. I am always inspired by well-known designers that I can't afford, and I try to find something that can give the same ambience or special wow factor." - Simone 

The dark chocolate wall adds a really cosy touch to the bedroom while a Velux skylight helps to give the room a light and airy feel. One of Simone's own art pieces fills the space on the back wall.  Beautiful! 

Art by Simone, this bench* is similar (I have a similar one in my sitting room!), Bouclé throw*. 

Aaaah, what a stunning home! 

I also couldn't resist asking Simone for a few tips ahead of my trip to the Danish capital this afternoon - perhaps you might find them useful next time you're in Copenhagen!

"I live right next to a little Parisian inspired street called Vænedamsvej, where the cafe Les Trois Cochons and Granola are the cosiest! I also love Ipsen & Co on Gammel Kongevej - the main street in Frederiksberg."

Thank you, Simone, I'll be sure to check these out! 

....a prize for anyone who can pronounce 'Vænedamsvej'!

You can see more of Simone's lovely home and make an enquiry about her art at @polkenstudio.

Other beautiful Danish homes in the capital city (can you tell I'm on a roll....):

A cosy Danish loft full off plants and vintage treasures

The timeless home of a jewellery designer

A charming Copenhagen loft with mid-century classics 

Feeling the love for Danish style today, how about you?

Copenhagen, I'm coming for you! 

Niki

Photography: Simone Polk dahl

*Affiliate links

READ MORE...

4