Trend Alert: 5 Holly Jolly Christmas Danish Homes

Colours have been creeping into danish homes for a while now - so it makes sense that the Danish Christmas should be bursting with colour too. This is nothing new of course. Danes have been using their vibrant red and white flag as a tree decoration for hundreds of years. But there's something a little different about this Christmas - and it's all about the chintz! Think branches dripping with hand painted baubles in a riot of fuchsia, turquoise, silver and gold and green, and fun shaped ornaments featuring toadstools, snowmen, paper flowers and even avocados and skulls! Bright coloured candles with a twist (literally) and light up the darkness and there's glitter, plenty of glitter. Oh, and there's something else you should know, tinsel is back too. Naturally, the Danes carry it off beautifully with their innate sense of style, the bright colours popping against a backdrop of white, earthy pink and blue. Ready to feel inspired by a holly jolly Christmas - Danish style? Here are 5 homes that have captured my heart (snapped by Another Studio). 

1. Louise over at Mor Till Mernee is never one to shy away from colour in her home (albeit in a wonderful subtle way) - and her beautiful tree, covered in toadstools, snowman, hearts, baubles and the Danish flag, is a fine example! 

2. The Danish home of @papirkalas, purveyor of paper rosette garlands, is full of Christmas cheer. Think tinsel and alder tree branches adorned with shiny hand painted baubles, toadstools, bells and paper flowers in a riot of colours - against a serene white backdrop. 

Candle carousels have been popular in Scandinavia since World War II. Artilleriet sells a similar musical candle ornament with chiming bells! 

There's the tinsel folks. And in true Danish style, it looks fab!

Check out the finer details of her baubles and you'll spot hand painted glittery details too. 

3. In Sofie Boisen's early 20th century home it's colours a go-go with bright red candles, pastel coloured tree ornaments and a sprig of mistletoe against a dusty pink and blue backdrop. 

Whoever said all Scandinavians are minimalists?

Colourful glassware, Hay twist candles and a timeless Skultuna candleholder help the Christmas table to shine. 

4. Ida (@midtimeller) has gone for a Christmas tree with twist in her lovely danish home. These trees are not to everyone's taste, but there's something about the imperfection that intrigues me - plus they're perfect for small spaces. This one is looking resplendent with its bright coloured ornaments that catch the light. 

It wouldn't be Christmas without a wreath hanging from a glass cabinet door (see Helen's home) and I love Ida's tiny candle wreath!

5. In Tove's apartment in Frederiksborg, Copenhagen it's all about the pastels (check out her pale blue floor!) - and the tree is full of turquoise, fuchsia, yellow and pink touches. 

I love the casually draped stars too! 

Zoom in on Sofie's advent candle below and you'll spy a fabulous array of Christmas ornaments including avocado, rainbow and even a skull! 

What do you reckon? Could you imagine adding a little chintz to your home this Christmas? 

In the words of Burl Ives, it really does bring a 'holly jolly' feel, and when styled like the Danes, it doesn't need to be over the top either. 

I have to say, my kids would love it! They've got their eye on a tin of caviar, glittered unicorns, pink balloon pup and even a fun French set including a baguette, croissant and bottle of red! I quite fancy a set of the Hay twist candles (for the more daring among us, there's also these glittery candles on clips).

Looking for more Christmas decorating ideas this weekend? 

Check out the Christmas archive - it's full of 'jul' themed home tours, Christmas decorating ideas and cosy log cabins. 

Speaking of which we had a light snow fall in Malmö yesterday, you can imagine our excitement! 

It was perfectly timed with a birthday in the house on Sunday - MINE!!! I'm looking forward to cosying up with family and even doing a little cross-country skiing with friends - wish me luck, I'll need it! 

I hope you have some fun plans for the weekend too - stay warm and cosy! 

Niki  

Photography: Another Studio / @anotherstudio, shared with kind permission. 

First picture from the home of Sidsel Garsdal. 

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Georg Jensen Christmas Collectibles 2020 In Helen's Swedish Home

Sponsored*

I know Jul is approaching when I receive an exciting box of Christmas decorations from iconic Danish brand Georg Jensen. Every year, Georg Jensen collaborates with a designer to create a set of Christmas Collectibles which include candleholders, ornaments and tree toppers. You might recall last year's collection, based on Yuletide symbols of love. This year, Georg Jensen has collaborated with Danish born Sanne Lund Traberg once again to create the Christmas Collectibles 2020. Inspired by the wonder of nature in winter, Sanne took her lead from the frozen flowers in her own winter garden as well as the striking floral photographs by early 20th century photographer Karl Blossfeldt. The result is a wonderful collection of Christmas ornaments etched with delicate ice flowers, rosettes and dianthus.  

I immediately imagined the decorations in the home of Swedish interior designer and My Scandinavian Home stylist, Helen Sturesson. Helen favours a simple, rustic Scandinavian Christmas style and the Palladium plated brass ornaments added a beautiful touch to her nature-inspired creations. 

This pretty heart has to be my favourite item in the collection. Etched with a delicate ice flower, it looks so pretty in the centre of a wreath - and would look equally lovely hanging from the tree, or on Christmas wrapping! What a perfect present! 

Who doesn't love a tree lit with real candles? It's a wonderful nod to times gone by and so incredibly cosy!  My Danish friends tell me how they love to gather around the tree and appreciate it while it's all aglow (you should only ever light them for short periods of time, never leave it unattended and always have a bucket of sand nearby!). 

I love Helen's tree, which she plucked from her summer cottage garden, all lit with candles in candleholders etched with Ice Dianthus! Isn't it pretty?  

Look closely and you'll also spot delicate rosette and dianthus flower tree ornaments catching the light!

And finally, an ice flower mobile, designed to capture the delicate beauty of one of nature's most ephemeral spectacles, catches the light as it twists and turns from a fir tree sapling.  

What a pretty collection! 

I love the idea that you can keep the decorations for life - or give them to someone special as a present. 

One of my friends once gave me a 'little skier' Christmas tree ornament and I think of her every time I hang it on the tree, it holds such a special memory! I was also thinking what a lovely present this would make for a god child (or 'odd child' for the non-religious!) - each year gifting one piece from the Georg Jensen Christmas Collectibles until they have a tree full of decorations! 

FYI Helen has used string to hang these decorations, giving them more of a rustic touch, but they also come with bright red ribbon. 

See the entire Christmas Collectible 2020 collection here! 

Oh, and in preparation for our annual family trip to the Christmas tree farm this weekend, I'll be sharing a round-up of some of my favourite Danish Christmas trees tomorrow. And guess what? It will involve bright colours too, you've been warned! See you then!

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

Styling: Helen Sturesson 

*This post is brought to you as part of a paid collaboration with Georg Jensen, however all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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A Swedish Home In Soothing Shades of Blue and Green

Why hello there! We have a mid-week situation going on today and with that, I figured we could take a little break from Christmas decorations and focus on some vackert (beautiful) Swedish design. Up for that? If so, come and take a peek at this stunning Stockholm apartment. The living space is a lesson in earthy, blue, green and emerald jewel-like tones. Study the pictures carefully and you'll also spot ideas for a relaxed kitchen island, vertical bookshelves, how to arrange a small living room area, a 3D gallery wall, vignette styling and much, much more! Swedish photographer Jonas Ingerstedt was there to capture it...

Since the apartment has a dining room (which is fairly common in these turn-of-the-century Swedish homes), a raised breakfast bar in the kitchen serves as a spot to catch a quick bite to eat or simply sit and chat to the chef! The marble top transforms the simple bar (a great hack if you have an IKEA island) - and the mix and match stools help to give the kitchen a lovely, relaxed vibe. 

Many of us have rooms with multiple doors (in our landing we have no less than 5 doors plus a stairwell - gah!) - which can make furniture arranging really tricky. In the sitting room of this flat the two doors opposite each other creates a corridor that needs to be kept obstacles free. The owners have used rounded furniture, arranged in a compact, yet cosy way to carve out a lovely social area. 

A vertical bookshelf makes use of a corner (see - 11 ways to make use of an awkward corner). 

Notice how the owner has used the same tone of marble in the sitting room and kitchen, creating a 'rödtråd' (red thread) and connecting the rooms (see - 8 ways to create cohesion in your home, Danish style for more ideas). 

I love the vignette on the side table - made up of unique pieces such as art, an a-symmetric table lamp, ceramics, books and vases.  

The dining room doubles up as a formal dining setting and study. Stacks of coffee table books lay ready to be browsed, while a 3D gallery wall adds interest to the space. 

The bedroom has been painted in a soothing green - a colour symbolising nature and as sense of tranquillity.  Researchers have also found green can improve reading ability - something to think about if you're a bit of bookworm (or trying to get your children to read more!). 

Love the Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen as a home office piece! It's a favourite of mine, except I love the leather version. 

Such a lovely, calm apartment. 

I particularly love the green and blue tones and the art photography. Is there anything that stood out to you?

Are you ready for a little more festive inspiration tomorrow? Pop back to take a peek at the latest Christmas decorations from Georg Jensen (I particularly love the candleholders in Helen's little tree!). In the meantime, there's plenty of Scandinavian Jul inspiration in this archive.  

Happy lillördag (little Saturday). 

Niki

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt, shared with kind permission. Found via Nordic Design with thanks.

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A Cosy Norwegian Country Cottage At Christmas

Ready for something very cosy and a little Christmassy today? You might remember photographer Hilde Mork's beautiful rural Norwegian home from a feature I wrote about it just before midsummer. I've been dreaming about her lovely cottage ever since. Today, I thought it would be nice to revisit Hilde's home to celebrate the start of my favourite month of the year - December (birthday month!) and see how it looks in Winter time. As you can imagine, her little cottage in the small hamlet of Nesodden, near Oslo (which she shares with her two children) is as hyggeligt as can be! Surrounded by snow, the cottage is lit with the warm glow of a wood burning stove and advent candles flickering in the window. A fir tree has been chopped down in the forest and awaits outside the door and scattered stars hint that 'Jul' is near. Welcome to Hilde's cosy, sheepskin-lined home! 

How beautiful.

I can so imagine hunkering down there today by the fire, how about you?

There's evidence of what Hilde does in her spare time throughout the cottage - from the woodshed (imagine the amount of effort it took to chop up all that wood?) and dragging a Christmas tree home, to the homemade paper stars on the windowsill (see the DUY tutorial here) and knitting by the fire. Lovely hobbies - and perfect for when the snow falls gently outside! 

You can see more pictures of Hilde's lovely home here - and take a peek at how it looks in the summer here (equally beautiful, just very different!). Hilde also has an online shop where she sells her prints and other items -  and her work is also available at The Poster Club* (ships worldwide), something for Christmas perhaps?

Shall we entertain ourselves with a few more cosy homes this cold and frosty 1st December morning?

Here are some of my favourites: 

12 budget-friendly ways to transform your sitting room into a cosy winter haven

A cosy cabin deep in the Norwegian fjords

And one for those of you in the southern hemisphere: the cosy Whale Song Shack! 

Happy 1st December! 

Niki

Photography Hilde Mork - shared with kind permission

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Travel Diaries: Design Hotel Villa Copenhagen

Unpaid Press trip*: 

Living a short hop over the famous Öresund bridge from the Danish capital city, I'm used to day trips to Copenhagen - but staying the night is something of a major luxury! Especially when it involves a design hotel (you know me!). Housed in the century-old former Danish post and telegraph office, the magnificent Villa Copenhagen is a short hop from the central station - making it easily accessible from the airport - and wait for it, Malmö! Hooray! When Per and I were invited to visit on a press trip a while back, we had grand plans for the weekend, but once inside the lobby, these quickly fell by the wayside in favour of seem R&R. Think incredible architecture, drool worthy interior design and a rooftop lap pool (warmed with the excess heat from the hotel's cooling system). Read on to discover more about our stay at Denmark's latest 'conscious luxury' design hotel - maybe you'll be the next to visit?

Step inside the hotel and the frenetic sounds of the city fall away as you're transported into another world. Designed by Danish archive Eva Harlou, the former courtyard, has been transformed into a lobby under a magnificent glass dome, and serves as a reception (although there is also an option to check-in remotely which comes in handy in the current climate) and a gathering place for tourists and Danes alike. A perfect setting from which to start my stay - and await Per with a glass of Prosecco!

Unless travelling alone, I'm a little sceptical about eating in hotel restaurants - mainly because I feel I should be out discovering one of the city's many haunts. But KONTRAST, the in-house brasserie has a street entrance, giving the feel of an independent restaurant. Plus, executive chef Tore Gustafsson and his team have pulled out all the stops. The dishes take inspiration from the southern gastronomic world of Europe and North Africa and made using local ingredients (including some from the hotel's own hidden garden). True to Danish stye, the presentation, explosion of flavours and wine selection of our taster menu were absolutely impeccable - as was the 'masked' service! 

It also helped that the setting was beautiful too - combining the historic decadence of the building with the rawness of nearby neighbourhood of Vesterbro.

The interior design has been a strong talking-point since the hotel opened on 1st July, 2020 - not least because of the fabulous and sustainable Earth Suite - so I was falling over myself to get to our room (nothing to do with the Prosecco, I promise!). 

The hotel had appointed several design and architecture firms to ensure that the interior design matched the magnificent grandeur of the Neo-baroque facade. With 390 rooms to decorate, I can imagine this was no easy feat, but it quickly became clear to me, they had achieved that and more!  

With views out over Tivoli Gardens, we may have been in the heart of a vibrant city, but our room was a picture of calm and serenity - and somewhere I could imagine actually living! It was beautiful. 

The rooms are blessed with high ceilings, herringbone floors and a calming muted colour scheme. Danish decadence at its finest! 

For the design, interior design firm Universal Design Studio took inspiration from grand Copenhagen residences and the work of Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi to create spaces that combine the past and the present. Natural materials, custom-designed furniture, smooth marble surfaces and touches of brass help to bring the rooms to life - and sent my design heart a flutter! 

After a trip to the hotel lap pool and a stint in the sauna, we returned to the room to find the bathroom stocked with hand soap, hand moisturiser and shampoo and conditioner from the SKOG - calm of the boreal forest - collection by Skandinavisk. Per was especially happy - it's been his favourite ever since our weekend at a friend's cabin in the woods. And he's not even the preening type! 

We woke up - incredibly well rested - to a sunny Autumn morning in Copenhagen and after enjoying the hotel breakfast (who doesn't love an omelette bar and a strong danish coffee? - But if a buffet breakfast isn't your thing, I noticed the hotel also has a wonderful in-house bakery) we headed out for a wander through the streets of the Danish capital before making our way back to Malmö by train. 

All-in-all, a heavenly stay in Copenhagen! 

If you could also use a little 'conscious luxury' and like the idea of surrounding yourself with fabulous Danish design - Villa Copenhagen is waiting for you! 

Definitely one for the travel files, for when we're free to roam again. 

Oh, and if you feel like splashing out, everyone is talking about the Suites. Next time, perhaps! 

Niki

All photographs by me except the first one which is by Stine Christiansen

*Disclosure: Villa Copenhagen covered our hotel expenses as part of a press trip, however I was not paid to write this piece and was under no obligation to feature the hotel on any of my channels. As always, I only ever write about interiors I love and think you will too. 

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