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

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A Soothing Colour Palette of Blues and Greys in a Swedish Home

Tjena! Lately Per and I have been thinking about moving house - mainly to get a bigger garden (from my side), I think he said something about a tool shed....(maybe he's resigned to the fact that he's the My Scandinavian Home DIY main man!). But, having taken a few months to look around the ruthless housing market that is Malmö right now, we're getting major cold feet and considering making changes to our house instead - have you been through this thought process too?! If we stay put, one of the first things I'd update is our kitchen and open plan living area (potential mood boards to follow!). I think this is why this Swedish apartment appealed so much to me this morning. Look at that blue / brown combination! I also love how they've painted the underside of the dining table to match. The rest of the apartment has been painted in subtle nuances of grey which complement the blue in a beautiful way and help bring the entire look together. All in all, a truly inspiring palette! 

The kitchen cabinets and brass knobs are both IKEA.

This soothing colour palette from Jotun Lady is similar to the one in the kitchen:

On trend brown and amber tones compliment the greys and blues and add warmth. 

The Little Petra armchair looks like a big bear hug! I could totally do with a cup of tea in that very spot right now, fancy joining me?!

The same tones are carried through to the bedroom.

This cushion is very similar to the one seen (it appears slightly darker in the picture but I have the same one on my sofa and it's actually lighter in real life). Source a pretty ruffled bed skirt here*.

We were at the summer cottage this weekend and every other person at the 'morgonbrygga' (morning swimming bridge) was wearing an old dressing gown and pair of clogs like the ones in this hallway. Another observation: if you truly want to fit in the next time you're in Sweden you're going to need a fairly battered pair! Sadly I don't have any either - but a quick search uncovered a treasure trove of vintage clogs and even a pair of wood and leather Scholls*! 

Vintage Swedish footwear aside (!), is there anything you love about this home? Could you imagine going for a colour scheme like this? 

Pull up a chair and drool over a load more Swedish homes in this archive! 

Have a wonderful start to the week! 

Niki

Credits: Entrance

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Peek Behind The Facade of a Beautiful Red Danish house From The 1920s

FREEEEEDAG! (FRIIIIIDAY!) people, WOOP! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? I'm currently waiting to feel my mouth again after a visit to the dentist (don't you hate it when they give you an injection?!). I'm praying it'll wear off in time for tonight! Since I can't talk, I've been able to spend even more time than usual hunting for home tours and that's how I stumbled across this one (via Nordic Design). You can kind of guess that the owners of Danish brand Skagerak would have a beautiful home and a peek behind the facade of Jesper and Vibeke Panduro's red house in Aalborg is a real feast for the eyes! Think spacious rooms, walls painted in soft pastel hues, Danish design and beautiful original details from the 1920s. Let's go inside! 

The wishbone chairs around the dining table are over 50 years old and will continue to be a favourite for many generations to come. The terracotta bowls are from the Skagerak Edge collection. 

Swooning over that 1920s floor! Isn't it lovely?

The all-time classic Flag halyard armchair has been given a cosy touch with a simple brown sheepskin*. Check out the 1920s radiator and ceiling too! 

Loving the simplicity of the Massai bench - it was inspired by old stair handrails and industrial machinery. 

This giant cork board (made up of smaller cork boards) is awesome. I'd love something like this in my kitchen, how about you? (This cork board* is similar). The beautifully crafted Hven chair is from Skagerak. 

There's a load more about Jesper and Vibeke's home here. And look out for my post on pastels next week.... it'll sure to include some tips on the prettiest pastel paint shades. 

In the meantime, the Danish home archive is always worth a scroll (warning: you can get lost in that one for hours!). 

Right folks, it's time for the weekend. If only my mouth would feel like normal again (the drool is not a good look either!). 

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Skagerak

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A Bargain Hunter's Fabulous Antwerp Home

Feeling super excited about today's home tour, it's a real beauty! Allow me to introduce you to Paulien Riemis. Paulien describes herself as "a 27-year-old full time internet adventurer, part time model and eternal literature graduate based in Antwerp, Belgium." Looking at her home, I would add interior decorator extraordinaire and bargain hunter to the list too. Paulien's Antwerp apartment (which she shares with her boyfriend Dan and their very cute and very fluffy cat) has the most fabulous bones. But extraordinarily high 3.5 metre ceilings can present challenges too and mean you need to work extra hard to create a cosy vibe. Paulien has played with the vertical space to turn the loftiness into her advantage and sourced furniture with rounded edges to balance the look. Her love of rugs, vases, ceramics, plants, polaroids and books has also helped to add a relaxed feel. Welcome to Pualien's cosy and truly personal world! 

After a long search, Paulien picked up the Travertine dining table for a song online. The chairs were also a bargain  - €2 each from a second hand shop! The perspex chairs are from IKEA. 

Paulien describes her fridge as 'a badass, American-style design object'! 

The sustainable IKEA Kungsbacka kitchen cabinets in anthracite make full use of the height. I am guessing there's a ladder lurking somewhere to reach some of the higher cabinets too.  

In the living room, a second hand marble coffee table rests on a white kilim rug*. I'm thinking a big round mirror would look lovely over that fireplace - but since Paulien describes her home as a permanent work in progress, I've little doubt there's already something fabulous in place. 

The brass Faye floor lamp looks great next to the blue velvet Harper sofa.

The bedroom floor has been painted in Levis white floor paint which makes the room feel even bigger and brighter. The bed was salvaged from Dan's old house and spray painted in gold paint. 

Pick up a set of Binga baskets here*. 

Step inside Paulien's dressing room and you're quickly reminded that she works as a model - imagine playing dress-up in here?! All those colours and patterns! 

What a fabulous home! 

Is the your kind of vibe too?  Is there anything that stood out to you in particular?

In case you're curious, you can see before pictures from her home over on her blog - Polienne. I also love her outfits and travel tips. Oh, and don't miss Paulien's instagram feed here. 

Only just getting started with the interior inspiration today? You might also love: 

The relaxed Antwerp home of a creative duo

An Antwerp home with a beautiful flow of light

I'm starting to think a trip to Belgium might be in order, how about you?! 

Kram!

Niki

Photography courtesy of www.polienne.com and shared with kind permission

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