Small Space Living: A Delightful Danish Apartment In Calm, Earthy Tones

We've woken up to wonderful sunshine here in Malmö today. But I won't be fooled into thinking it's spring, there's a vicious wind out there I can tell you! So instead, my mind is turning indoors - and I'm kicking off the week with a virtual tour of Sarah's delightful 46 square metre (495 square foot) 'lejighed' (apartment) in Copenhagen. Sarah's home is located in a salmon-coloured building dating back to 1884 in the beautiful, leafy district of Frederiksberg. The relatively compact, yet stylish and calm living space has been minimally decorated with a strong focus on recycled and sustainable furniture. Think earthy, neutral tones, a blend of open and closed storage solutions and lots of art. Oh, and don't miss the music corner! 

Sarah has recently installed the lovely rack in the kitchen, by sustainable Danish furniture makers We Do Wood. This unit is particularly great for making extra use of vertical wall space (I bet it feels lovely to touch too!). 

How great are these rails? A quick search led me to danish brand Ferm Living - available here. They provide extra kitchen storage while adding character. Love these! 

You'll often see these beautiful radiator covers in older Scandinavian houses (seen here in the corner). They're great - not only do they cover unsightlier, or even wonkily installed radiators, they also provide an extra surface for display.

Note - always check with an expert before covering a radiator obvs (speaking from experience, since the ones in our summer cottage would be lethal if they were covered!). 

These cube-shaped wall mounted shelves from Montana are extremely popular in Denmark for good reason! If you have a wall that can hold it, wall mounted furniture creates a wonderful illusion of space and helps to give a light and airy feel. These shelves in particular are a perfect height for displaying decorative items like the iconic Stoff Nagel candleholder*.  

Special nod to the gallery wall. Is it just me, or are Danes great at these? Try Curated Copenhagen (including one-of-a-kind art) or The Poster Club* for similar prints. 

Every home should have a music corner like this, don't you think? I'm imaging the sweet sound of music gently floating out of the open window and filling the street with life. There's something so wonderful about summer in the city, don't you think? Or maybe that's just the Londoner in me! 

Glass tables with a built-in shelf are brilliant. My parents have one too and they are perfect for storing your favourite coffee table books while keeping them in sight, close to hand and dust free! I'm a big fan! Maybe not so practical in a family home though with kids around (those little handprints!).

Originally, many of these Frederiksberg apartments were built without a bathroom, so the owners have had to make use of tiny closet spaces to recreate them. Bags on hooks equal instant extra storage in a bathroom that's feels like a bit of a squash and a squeeze and has limited storage.  

The iconic 'Hang it all' are great for small hallways since they don't take up much room and yet have a load of hooks in one place. 

So many lovely ideas here - for big and small homes alike! Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Feel inspired by other small spaces in this archive. 

On a separate note - in honour of International Women's Day, I'll be sharing a feature in my instagram stories this evening which includes some of the Scandinavian women I truly admire in the design world. I hope they'll inspire you too! In the meantime, here's to all the strong woman out there - may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. 

Wishing you a wonderful start to the week! 

Niki

Photography: Sarah / @detlaksefarvedehus - shared with kind permission

*This post contains affiliate links

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My Spring Table With Danish Recycled Glassware

Collaboration*

Hej vänner! Everyone ready for the weekend? Before we shoot off, I'm really excited to share some recent pictures I took in my dining room in collaboration with Pernille Bülow. You'll likely recognise the name. I am a huge fan of Pernille Bülow - an atelier on the Danish island of Bornholm, and I am always excited to see their latest collections. And this one is really exceptional! Pernille Bülow prides itself on producing handmade items from glass and other raw materials in their workshop in the small village of Nexø. The new ReUse glassware consists of a drinking glass (in two different sizes), bowl, vase, oil lamp and jar, all of which have been individually mouth blown using waste glass from the pharmaceutical industry. And every single piece is unique. Read on for more! 

I used this little bench in the kitchen for all the 'props' for the shoot, and they looked so pretty I couldn't resist taking some snapshots before the items even made it to the table! 

When you experience the pieces from the ReUse Collection firsthand, it's hard to imagine that it's made from waste glass. Every year, Novo Nordisk has large amounts of excess borosilicate glass from their diabetes drug production, which is then disposed of. And now, Pernille Bülow has found a way to remelt the glass and shape it into beautiful objects. Look closely and you'll see small bubbles - a result of the production and a hallmark of the ReUse Collection. 

The ReUse drinking glasses come in a small and large size. For the table, I used the smaller size because I felt they were a perfect fit with the bowls. People are often cautious about putting handmade glassware in the dishwasher but fear not - these are heat and dishwasher resistant!  

The pretty ReUse jars with cork lid can be used for just about anything, anywhere in the home - but I have to say they do look lovely in the kitchen filled with oil and salt!

The ReUse vases all vary slightly in size (a sign of mouth blown design!) and look equally beautiful alone as they do on the table in a set of three. I used a single stem - which is all it needs! 

For our spring table I combined the ReUse Collection with a white linen tablecloth, striped linen napkins, and simple ceramic plates - for a relaxed, yet formal rustic setting. 

Let's hope the Brantmark table manners can live up to the setting (there's work to be done, I can tell you *rolls eyes*!). Having said that, there is a relaxed feel to the setting too - which gives way to chatting and laughter into the small hours - hygge style!). 

I love antique silverware, how about you? It always reminds me of lunch at my Grandmother's house as a child.  There was something about the slightly tainted, unpolished appearance of this silverware which made it a perfect fit with the ReUse collection (at least that's my excuse for not polishing it! That obvious?). 

The ReUse glass bowl is great for soup, cereal or just about anything really and it matches the drinking glasses perfectly. 

My favourite item in the collection has to be the ReUse oil lamp.  I'm a big fan of oil lamps in general - they've been slowly replacing candles in my home since they're a bit Moore convenient! I particularly the simplicity of this one. It's also SUPER easy to refill and light (as an oil lamp expert, this isn't always the case!). I now have three of these beauties dotted around - because they work absolutely anywhere in the house - on a coffee table, windowsill (well away from the curtains of course), on my desk (in Sweden it's perfectly normal to have a lit candle on your desk on a dark day - something I've been quick to embrace!) - anywhere! 

I showed this beauty to my sister Cas last night over a Zoom call, and she actually paused the call to buy one! Let's hope those mouth blowers can work quickly, I have a feeling these are going to be a big hit! 

It feels like we're all set for Easter now! One month early too! t  

In the meantime, I'll be burning the oil lamps to warm up these chilly Scandinavian evenings and enjoying my granola even more from my glass bowl!

I hope there's something in this collection that has caught your eye too. Pernille Bülow ships worldwide (more info here). 

Would you like to see more from their collection? Take a peek at the SKY Lamp here, here and here in my home and the Pernille Bülow Odin glassware captured at my summer cottage (I have such great memories from that day!), and also the ReUse outdoor light chain in my little back garden. So many lovely things in one place! 

If you have any questions about anything else you see in these pictures please do give me a shout in the comment section below, I'll be happy to help. 

Right friends, I think that's it for the week! 

Wishing you all a wonderful couple of days and see you Monday!

Niki

*This post is a paid partnership with Pernille Bülow. However, all words and images are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the small Nordic businesses and ateliers that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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