Colour tips and Inspiration from a Danish Interior Stylist's Home

A new dawn, a new day... and a whole new month! Let's kick off with some colour! What struck me most about the Danish home of Charlotte Kruse is her home office - a hot topic these days, and this one is very inspiring indeed! But there are some other corners of her home I love too - not least because they include some wonderful pastel hues. I caught up with the interior stylist in Herning, central Denmark, to find out more about her home, sources of inspiration and favourite online stores. 

What do you do for a living? 

I have my own company Studio Decor where I style and take pictures for interior and lifestyle companies. And I also teach small business owners and instagrammers how to style beautiful pictures. 

Who do you live with? 

I live with my boyfriend and our two dogs (Pomeranians) in a small house. 

The arch was added last week - what a lovely addition, I love the soft feel it adds to the space. The white opal glass pendant* is by Louis Poulsen. 

Your house has lovely high ceilings, when was it built, and can you tell us more about the size and layout? 

Our house is from 1926. It's 87 m2 (935 f2) and we also have a workshop that's 27 m2 (290 f2). It consists of a kitchen, living room, dining room, a master bedroom and a second bedroom which I use as a study - it's where I run my business from. 

I love that your home is so colourful, can you tell us more about the tones in your home?

I absolutely love colour and use it as much as I can in my home. Colours make me happy and give the room a special feeling. I really like pastel colours, rose and other warm tones. I love to play around with colour, mix my own (the colour in the kitchen is a mix of leftover paint) and see how the rooms turn out. For the most part, I love the result - if I don't, I'll just try again!

Would you say it's unusual for a Dane to have lots of colour in their home? 

Over the past few years, colourful homes have become more and more popular in Denmark, especially on instagram! We want our homes to be as full of life and personality as we are! 

What colours have you applied to the walls in your home? 

Bedroom: Green Harmony from Jotun Lady

Kitchen: a home-made blend of NCS s2010-Y50R and NCS S3020-Y70R (I used a little more of the latter). 

Living room: Hummus from Jotun Lady

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to apply more colour to their home?

If you'd like to add more colour to your home, opt for toned down hues. They are softer and add a pleasant feeling to the room.

 

You have lots of art in your home, where do you. buy your prints? 

Most of my prints are from instagram collaborations - they are from Desenio and Juniqe. I also have bought some from Permild-Rosengreen and Little Detroit. 

Can you share three styling tips? 

1. Give your home a whole new feel by adding colour

2. Always be on the lookout for cool inter items in thrift stores or Facebook marketplace. You can buy a lot of unique items for a little less! 

3. Use plants and fresh flowers in your home. They bring joy to the room and create a nice atmosphere. 

The patchwork curtains seen above are taking the Danish interior world by storm right now. They are made in Denmark by Arvestykke. I also spy a little wooden stool* just like the ones I have by my bed and vases by Ljungby. 

What are your three favourite online shops? 

Luxo Living, Fabrek and Sakura Copenhagen. 

Where do you do you find inspiration?

I like these instagram, including these Danish accounts: @mariaharmuth, @christinedelmar, @trinesblend and @danicachloedk - but also look a lot on Pinterest! 

Thank you so much for telling us more about your home and sharing all your styling tips, shops and sources of inspiration! 

***

If you'd like to see more snapshots of Charlotte's home and find out about her courses, hop on over to @decorstudiodk or Decor Studio. 

For a total colour fest today, you might also like: 

A fabulous Danish home in a plethora of colours

Home tour: how to add colour the Danish way

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

Do you use lots off colour in your home, or do you prefer neutral tones? I'd love to know!

I'll be back tomorrow with a tour of a wonderful home in Finland, watch this space! 

Niki

Styling and photography: Charlotte Kruse / Decor Studio

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Vintage inspired office spaces

Imagine these office spaces on a daily basis? (oooo that rhymes - I'm a poet and I just don't know it :). Swap flourescent strip lights and withering plants with vintage pendent lamps and beautiful things to look at all day.

Picture: Stylizimo.  

What a collection of wonderful vintage things! Source similar at flea markets in your area, or try online at The Old Cinema. You can find shabby chic garden chairs at Petersham Nursery, London or Green Square in Copenhagen. 

Picture: found on Lotta Agaton blog. Photographer: Bjarni B Jacobsen. 

The pic above and the following two are taken from Oliver Gustav's home shown on Lotta Agaton's lovely design blog. Oliver Gustav lives above his eponymous shop in Copenhagen. His apartment / home office is very rough and ready with a tremendous mix of old and new and certainly beats an open plan office or what?!

I have seen this fantastic large numbered calendar in the design shop at Lousiana, Denmark, does anyone know the name of it? I would love one in my home office, it would be hard to forget the date!

Buy vintage pendent lamps at Lauritz. Source a wired basket from Granit. Buy an orange Wesco bin like this one from Amazon.

And finally,  I love this light and airy office space shown on the Adore Vintage blog.

Roll on Monday morning!

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Angela's Inspiring Light-Filled Munich Home (With The Cutest Snoozing Pup!)

You'd be forgiven for thinking the beautiful home of Angela Giovanna is in Sweden. There's something about the light and airy, pared back feel, gallery walls and designer pieces that give it a distinct Scandinavian vibe. And then there's those wonderful towering ceilings, huge windows and double conjoining doors that flood the space with light. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly, but there was still something about the architecture that gave the game away and I figured the building had to be in Germany. Angela shares her wonderful home in the old section of Munich with husband Tommi and their furry friend Juno (the pair are expecting their first child in September (a baby boy!).  The duo have decorated look their apartment using a  strictly monochrome theme with vintage furniture nestled beside a multitude of New Nordic design pieces, books and art. I reached out to find out more. Meine Damen und Herren, allow me to present Angela's inspiring home!

An Ivar cabinet from IKEA has been painted to match the colour of the wall - a simple, clever way to add storage without drawing attention to it. 

What drew you to the apartment in the first place? 

We love the typical style of the old buildings in this area and were so happy to finally find our dream home last winter. Since then we have been slowly filling it with a lot of good memories and creating an interior we love. 

A series of decorative objects including an echasse bowl*, David fragment sculpture and decorative coral have been arranged beside design books, magazines art and a lamp (from Westwing) in the sitting room. 

How would you describe your style?

I would define our style as a mix of design classics, vintage pieces and trend influences.  

Was a monochrome palette a deliberate choice, or has it evolved organically?

I love colours, but since I change my mind so often, I decided to go with a more monochrome scheme. It's timeless. 

Marshall bluetooth speakers* rest atop a vintage cabinet. Above, a series of decorative objects and design books have been displayed on Swedish String Pocket shelves. 

Do you have any favourite pieces? 

The pieces I love the most in our home are the ones that tell a story. We have a strong emotional attachment to some - like a vintage picture frame that my father gave me almost 20 years ago - and the glass cabinet in our home office (seen above). We also love to upcycle old flea market finds to create something new. 

There are many great German interior bloggers / instagrammers out there to follow for inspiration. Do you have any favourites? 

Yes, I love to follow @Sarah-cocolapine, @svenja_traumzuhause and @oursweetliving. 

Nothing like a snoozing dog! Being a non-dog owner, I'm curious, I heard something from training 101 that allowing a dog on the sofa is a complete no-no - is this true? 

Haha! Very good question! Before we got Juno, I was super convinced that I would be strict and not allow her on the sofa or bed. But when she was a puppy, she cried a lot during the night - so we allowed her to sleep in our bed. That was a big mistake - haha! She still completely owns them! 

On a different note, I noticed on your instagram @tasselsandfringes that you recently re-painted her dining room wall from dark to light. It looks fab (I couldn't resist sharing a couple of snapshots below) what made you decide to do this? 

Thank you! I really loved it in the dark colour, it gave the dining room a 'restaurant feeling' and was super cosy when lit with candles. But with coronavirus, the dining area became my home office and was simply too dark. In order to sit there eight hours a day, I needed to brighten it up. I love the light beige tone, it made a huge difference to the space. 

Such a lovely home! 

I can't wait to see what you do next - especially with a nursery to create - exciting times! 

***

You can see more of Angela's home and follow her future projects over at @tasselsandfringes. 

I've shared quite a few other lovely homes from Munich in the past (there must be a real creative hub over there!) - check out these if you're curious:

A delightful light-filled home in the rooftops of Munich

Irina's white, light-filled family home

Igor's happy, plant-filled home

I've had Munich on my list of places I could live one day thanks to its proximity to the Alps - in the winter, you can hit the slopes whenever you like - luxury! Lake Garda in Italy is only 6 hours away too, just saying!

Wishing you a great day friends! I'll be back tomorrow with a beeeeautiful danish home, so make sure you stop by! 

Niki

Photography: Angela Giovanna 

Affiliate links marked with *

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The Secret to Creating a Calm & Organised Home, Scandi Style

Paid partnership with Elfa, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love. 

Minimalist, practical, calm, organised. These are just some of the words that people frequently use to describe a Scandinavian home. And they'd be right! Having lived in Sweden for over 18 years I am constantly amazed at just how neat and tidy people's homes are (with the rare exception, of course!). Life is messy, children are messy, so, just how do they do it? Simply acquiring less stuff - or having a good old declutter certainly helps. But there is something more at play. 

I put a lot down to excellent storage. 

Simply put - I've been told that by creating a perfect home for everything - no matter how big or small, keeping your home tidy, neat and organised will be way easier. 

The problem 

Now, I'm going to fess up. The Brantmark family home is messy. It's shamefully messy. Organisation is neither Per nor my strong point. Someone is always tearing around the house looking for something they've lost (is it just me or are children particularly bad at finding things?). And it's embarrassing. Is there anyone out there who feels the same? 

The solution

This year everything's going to change! Why? Because I approached global Swedish storage experts Elfa - who happen to be based locally here in Malmö - and asked them to help me organise my home, room by room! And I hope, by sharing the knowledge and various solutions with you - you'll also pick up some great tips and tricks too. Unless of course, you've already got a wonderfully organised home - in which case, please do share your tips along the way! 

Who is Elfa? 

If you've been following My Scandinavian Home for a while, you'll most likely be familiar with Elfa already. Their fab storage systems pop up in homes I feature time and time again (take this, this, this and this!).  The Swedish company was founded in 1948 and prides itself on providing a sustainable, functional and high-quality storage system and doors for just about anything and anywhere in your home including the bedroom, children's room, living room, kitchen, garage, attic, hobby rooms, home office and laundry space. Think flexible shelving, drawers, hooks, baskets, dividers and more which will give even the tiniest and most awkward items a home. 

And they also offer planning help and great online tools. 

Most importantly, I love the Elfa ethos: it's not only about providing a perfect place for everything in your home, but also about creating more space for you, and making your home a better place to be. 

That's me sold! But where to start? 

Home Edit

The best way to get started, I learned,is to take stock of existing storage and 'problem areas' in the house. Have you noticed; some parts of the home feel way easier to keep tidy than others? It might be a load of small items collecting on a side table in the hallway, heaps of clothes in a corner or a cupboard stuffed to the brim with clobber.  

I pinpointed four areas in my home: my wardrobe (still in one of my girls rooms), Allie's bedroom (going from tween to teen!),  the laundry room (enter at your own peril), and the attic (don't get me started!). I'm looking forward to sharing my room by room plans, and all the details (including before and afters - no matter how embarrassing!) over the coming months. 

Do you have any specific places in your home? If so, I hope you'll enjoy the forthcoming series. 

Right, time to get planning, I've got a house to organise! Watch this space! 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Elfa. 

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The home of a Swedish Fashion designer

I started to work from home this year. It certainly has its merits - pretty much everything in the house is whirring around me - the washing machine, dishwasher...and I'm sitting here, no make-up, big socks etc. But the true freedom comes with managing my own time (I'm planning on diving into town in a moment to run a few errands) and control of how my workspace looks. And it's the latter which inspired today's post. I love the light-filled home office in the Stockholm pad of Åsa Stenerhag,  fashion designer at Swedish brand Filippa K. The space, which has been beautifully captured by Jonas Ingerstedt, is home to her art,  images which inspire her, artifacts collected on travels and vintage finds. The rest of Åsa's home with it's warm, earthy tones and ethnic textiles is pretty lovely too, don't you think? Oh yes, I could work and live here.

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Sweden

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt with permission. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Se

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt with permission. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Se

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt with permission. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Se

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt with permission. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Se

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt with permission. Home-owner: Åsa Stenerhag. Featured in Elle Decoration Se

I think what I love most about this home is how it reflects Åsa Stenerhag's personal style. Is there anything that stands out to you?

Other fab office spaces here.

And more beautiful Stockholm apartments here, here and here.

One of the greatest things about Sweden's capital city is how it's surrounded by water. A short boat ride can take you to one of thousands of islands with lovely homes such as this one.  Have you been? We're heading up in a few weeks time to visit my brother-in-law - tips welcome!

Have a lovely day!

PS - thank you to La Maison D'Anna G for today's post tip. 

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The beautiful workspace of an interior designer

The beauty of blogging is that it often takes me to new and wonderful places. Last week I found myself in the home office of interior designer Genevieve Jorn (see her previous apartment here). Originally from Canada, Gen lives with her Danish husband Kasper and cute little daughter Olivia in an old apartment in the centre of Malmö, Sweden. As you can imagine, the space was so inspiring with high ceilings, a dark green accent wall and double french doors leading out to a roof terrace (imagine?!).  Gen agreed it would be the perfect room to add some pieces from Nordal - a wonderful Danish online shop offering a unique range of furniture and decor 'with attitude' (remember this feature from my own dining room?). Here's the result....

Credits: Photos- Niki Brantmark (My Scandinavian Home) / Home-owner- styling- Genevieve Jorn. 

Oh how I'd love to work here, how about you?

Get the look from Gen's office:

1. Chest of 9 drawers 2. Candle holder  3. Downtown chair  4. Canvas carpet 5. Old school table lamp

For more work space inspiration you might want to check out the creative studio of Katrin Bååth, Holly Marder's workspace and the Brooklyn home and studio of a creative duo. Yes, people work in spaces like these! Guh! 

Do you have a beautiful home office too? If so, you must get in touch! 


Have a lovely day!

Sponsored post: This post was made possible by Nordal. All words, thoughts and content are my own. I only ever work with products and services I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the brands that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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