When Kate Imogen Wooden and her husband first checked out this home on the outskirts of Copenhagen, it wasn’t precisely charming. Regardless of relationship to the 1800s, the home had been stripped of all the unique particulars. Suppose: a black-and-lime-green colour scheme, low cost laminate flooring, and plastic doorways. However they’d a imaginative and prescient and managed to repair it up for his or her rising household. Right here’s a take a look at the house they share with their two cute boys…
KITCHEN
Ask og Eng, which “combines their very own cupboard and drawer fronts with Ikea carcasses to maintain the finances below management.” Curtains: made by Kate and hung from an aged brass pole for a extra charming, cottage-style really feel,” related. Kitchen island countertop: Corian in “Sand.” Bar stools (in earlier photograph): Trævarefabrikernes, related. Grasscloth panel on wall (in earlier photograph): Biri Tapet, related.
On intergenerational dwelling: Our neighborhood has quite a lot of older folks. Our children really thought that our downstairs neighbors had been associated to us as a result of they really feel a lot like grandparents. We meet within the backyard and have a espresso collectively. I do know that there’s a little bit of noise from our youngsters, however they’ve by no means complained. I believe it helps that they know us so properly. They’ve adopted the youngsters as they’ve grown up, so when there’s noise, they know precisely who’s making it.
Kitchen: Ask og Eng.
On the renovation: The home has been modified many instances with actually low cost supplies and within the eighties, it was really derelict, with boarded up home windows. We moved in whereas our renovation was nonetheless underway. There wasn’t even a staircase; we had a ladder to get upstairs.
Eating desk: handmade, related. Excessive chairs: Stokke. Chairs: Hans Wegner. Pendant mild: Atelier Vime, related. Polka dot vase: Klay Copenhagen. Wall colour: “College Home White” by Farrow & Ball.
On printed images: There are firms that print your images so that they seem like Polaroids. Yearly, my husband prints a great deal of images and updates the bulletin board. It’s very nice to have the recollections from the earlier yr to have a look at.
On a cohesive colour palette: I discover true white too harsh. So, we painted our partitions with off whites and smooth tones. The flooring are cement downstairs and wooden upstairs, however we used a stain on the wooden in order that it’d be an analogous colour to the cement. It helps create a way of stream. We needed all of the rooms to mix seamlessly, which helps make the area really feel bigger.
OLDER SON’S BEDROOM
Moon mild: Smallable. Lofted mattress: Oliver Furnishings.
On a kid-friendly room: The lofted mattress with the play space beneath works so properly. My son’s toys are down there, however you possibly can shut it off with a bit of curtain and conceal the mess. Our children’ rooms are proper off the eating space, so that they’re all the time seen; we needed them to really feel like youngsters’ rooms, however nonetheless work with the home.
Lofted mattress: Oliver Furnishings. Paper overhead mild: Hay.
On elevating youngsters in Copenhagen: We love elevating our youngsters right here. Children in Denmark usually are not rushed to develop up. They don’t begin college till age six, so it’s pure play from age one, after they enter daycare, till they start college. [Ed. note: Here’s a post on raising kids in Copenhagen.]
YOUNGER SON’S BEDROOM
Crib: StokkeBaby. Dresser: Oliver Furnishings. Banner: Etsy.
On kids’s pursuits: Our oldest is six and is actually into this Danish sport known as stick ball, which is like dodgeball. Our youthful son, three, is massively into ambulances, hearth engines, and buses. One in all his daycare lecturers is married to an ambulance driver, so that they introduced within the ambulance and the youngsters acquired to climb in. It was the perfect day of his life.
Crib: StokkeBaby. Dresser: Oliver Furnishings.
On multilingual youngsters: My husband and I are each English and from the identical city. We’re glad they really feel so at residence in Denmark, however we would like them to really feel English, too. So, they go to a college the place they’ll research each English and Danish.
UPSTAIRS LIVING SPACE
Rug: classic hand-stitched Moroccan rug, which “brings a contact of purple.” Sectional: Ikea, with Bemz linen covers. Armchair: classic, related.
On household traditions: On the weekends, we wish to have a carpet picnic and watch a film with the boys. They will get of their pajamas and keep up late — they adore it.
On upping the heat issue: Once we do residence swaps, folks typically say our home could be very cozy. Right here’s what we do: a number of lamps with low wattage bulbs and dimmers. I usher in textures with textiles — like wall hangings or carpets — and that softens issues. For bedding, I keep away from something that feels too pristine. Then, lastly, add crops!
Armchair: classic, related. Wall-mounted unit: “I made it with a curtain to cover all of the muddle and brass handles for a classic contact.” Rug: classic hand-stitched Moroccan rug, related.
On residence swapping: Once we journey, we use Behomm, which is for residence swapping amongst creatives and design lovers. We’ve been doing it for years and we’ve had nice experiences. Everyone seems to be so cautious and thoughtful. We attempt to discover individuals who have related aged youngsters so that they’ll have toys — our youngsters are all the time tremendous excited to see what’s there.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Mattress: Customized, “it was hand-crafted, to my design, by an area carpenter.” College chair used as nightstand: classic, related. Rug: classic, related.
On not having a bed room door: Once we moved in, the bed room door was so poorly made, we ripped it out, pondering we’d put in a a lot nicer one finally. However with the sloping ceiling it’s a bit difficult to take care of. Residing and not using a door, we preferred the sunshine coming via and the sensation of area. Now, we don’t need to add one.
Dresser: Frama.
On moments of respite: We don’t spend a lot time upstairs throughout daytime, however it’s pretty and calm to come back up right here on the finish of the day as soon as we’ve put the youngsters to mattress. We even have a bit of balcony, so in the summertime we sit on the market with the youngsters and watch the airplanes or take a look at the celebrities.
BATHROOM
Bathtub: Copenhagen Tub. Flooring tiles: Fired Earth.
On a beloved function: Normally residences in Denmark have such tiny loos, virtually like a bit of closet. We lived like that for a number of years in numerous locations. However once we noticed this home, we realized we might match a tub! It’s fairly uncommon to get a bath in Copenhagen. So, we invested in that and in addition put in sub-floor heating. It’s so good throughout lengthy, Danish winters.
Thanks a lot for sharing your lovely residence, Kate.
P.S. Many extra home excursions, and what it’s wish to dad or mum in Denmark.
(Pictures by Nana Hagel.)
