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

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A Beautiful, Relaxed Family Home With Sky High Beams!

One of my favourite houses lately - that of Jessica Reed Kraus. Located in San Clemente, California, Jessica and her husband renovated it a few years back and have transformed it into a wonderful family home. I love the exposed beams, wood panelling, relaxed vintage touches, built-in bunkbed and all the wonderful natural light. Also, the space is proof that sometimes it doesn't need to be more complicated than white with wood. The rich variations, texture and patina in the timber add so much! Oh, and the beams and nooks are a perfect opportunity to add a playful touch for their four children (check out the swing!). Enjoy the tour! 

Every time I look through the pictures, I spot a new detail to love! So inspiring!

I hope you've enjoyed this tour and got some nice ideas for your home too! Is there anything that caught your eye in particular? 

See more of Jessica's home on her very cool instagram feed @houseinhabit. 

Fancy taking a peek inside a few other homes today? How about these fine specimens (with a 'beam theme')?

A light-filled 19th century swedish loft apartment

A  bright and beautiful light-filled loft

A cosy country home in rural Sweden

Oh, and Per and I are going to view a house her win Malmö this weekend. It looks like a total renovation job but has a lot of potential - do we take on the challenge or will it totally stress us out? I'd love to hear from anyone who has carried out a renovation or is in the midst of one! We'd need to know what we were getting ourselves in for if we go for it! 

Niki

Photography: @houseinhabit

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A Swedish home with inspiring ideas for tight spaces

Hello Friday - eeeeee! We've got that Autumn vibe going on here in Malmö and I'm thinking lie-ins, long walks, mushroom picking and blackberry pie this weekend, how about you?! But we've still got a few hours before then and I've got a lovely home tour for you! The main reason I chose this Swedish apartment (apart from the fact that it has lovely wood clad walls and exposed beams of course) is because we all have area in our homes that are pretty tight - a sloped ceiling here, a narrow hallway there. And this home shows it doesn't have to be redundant space. A bespoke narrow staircase in the hallway has meant easy access to the loft space / attic which they've converted it onto a wonderful master bedroom. And simple rods have been placed at different heights in an awkward corner of the bedroom to create open clothes storage. Such an inspiring use of space don't you think?

Credit: 55kvadrat

I'm already thinking about our loft space which is so crammed, we can't even open the door without things falling out. What on earth would Marie Kondo say?! Perhaps it's time to do something about it.
Do you have a storage space in your home like this?! 

Get the look: dining room - the lovely Voliere (bird cage) light, I like these bentwood dining chairs bedroom - pick up curtain rods that adjust to any size at IKEA, the desk lamp is also IKEA. Source a beautiful vintage mirror here.

See a full tour of the home here (they've also managed to squeeze in a neat little reading nook in the kitchen!).

And a few links I love this weekend:

8 favourite netflix picks for cosy Saturday nights (thanks Si!).

I once showed Jessica De Ruiter's fabulous LA home here - and recently discovered more lovely pictures of it here. Her little girl is just adorable!

These armchairs, though.

Tour the inspiring studio of Stephanie Stamatis (I'd love to work here!).   

5 kids rooms inspired by the sea...

....and being by the ocean.

Happy Friday!

Skål! 

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Are You The Next Owner of this Idyllic Swedish Photographer's Cabin?

Four years ago, I was leafing through the pages of Swedish country life magazine 'Lantliv' and came across this summer cottage. Bowled over, I reached out to the owner to ask if I could share it here on My Scandinavian Home. Safe to say, I've been dreaming about this beautiful cottage in the woods a couple of hours North of Stockholm ever since - and frequently turn to it for inspiration for our tiny cabin. 

The estate agent describes the cottage as an idyllic place where nothing has been left to chance. And looking through the pictures I can only agree! In the summer, Lina, Karl, daughter Charlie and their Jack Russell Terrier Kilda make the most of the great outdoors cooking, tending to the vegetable and flower patches or simply relaxing on the terrace. 

The inside is a picture of calm and feels completely clutter-free despite having everything they need for a perfect getaway. Think two tones walls in white and grey, open shelving and relaxed vintage furniture. It's with a heavy heart that the family have decided to sell this cottage. Could you be the next owner? Take the tour before you decide! 

It's not uncommon to find wood floors painted with patterned diamonds in Sweden. I love this affect - wood feels wonderful underfoot, and you get the illusion of tiles without the cost! 

The cottage has three bedrooms - one on the lower floor, a sleep loft (seen over the dining area above) and an extra bedroom in an outhouse. 

It can be hard to add storage to a sleep loft, and this solution from IKEA is great! 

The pair run the shop Noy Road, selling ethically and sustainable produced home textiles which you can see dotted about the cottage.  

Here are the plans so that you can understand the layout: 

And here's a link to the listing - just saying!! 

Sadly, it's a little too far from Malmö, or I'll have snapped it up in a flash. What a perfect little paradise, don't you think? 

Would you like to see a few more pretty Scandinavian summer cottages today? I love:

A charming danish cottage on the island of Fejø

Hannes lovely little cottage in the heart of the city

A fairytale Swedish summer cottage

And there are lots, lots more to explore in this summer cottage archive. 

Have a wonderful weekend, thank you so much for stopping by!

Niki

PS It was so interesting to read all your comments about allotments this week! 

Photography and plan courtesy of Fastighetsbyrån with thanks. 

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A Swedish Loft in a Former Shipyard Building

Hej hej! How are you today? Anyone else finding this one crazy week? It didn't help that there's also been a storm raging in Malmö these past few days (physically not metaphorically speaking!). And then all of a sudden it was gone, and in it's place: calm seas and brilliant sunshine. Things are looking up! This inspiring home is located on a former shipyard in Nacka, Stockholm. The listed building was originally a welding hall, and many of the original architectural features such as pillars, beams, high ceilings and windows have been carefully preserved and help to give the apartment an industrial New York loft feel (with a very strong Scandi twist if course!). I've been trying to figure out a little about the owners by looking at their (wonderful) possessions. I'm guessing they love to travel (potentially dividing their home between Stockholm and Hong Kong?) and also have an interest in photography, music, nature and strolling through vintage / antique markets. Let's take a peek...

Such a fantastic space - love the bones of the building. It would be so fun to live somewhere with such high ceilings too!

It is actually on the market through Fantastic Frank - so not an impossibility (!!) - could you imagine living here? 

What do you reckon about my guesses about the owner? Did you spot any clues?

Niki

Photography: Fantastic Frank - found via Pihkala with thanks

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