A Cozy Household House in Copenhagen

When Kate Imogen Wooden and her husband first checked out this home on the outskirts of Copenhagen, it wasn’t precisely charming. Regardless of courting to the 1800s, the home had been stripped of all the unique particulars. Suppose: a black-and-lime-green coloration scheme, low-cost laminate flooring, and plastic doorways. However that they had 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 funds beneath management.” Curtains: made by Kate and hung from an aged brass pole for a extra charming, cottage-style really feel,” comparable. Kitchen island countertop: Corian in “Sand.” Bar stools (in earlier photograph): Trævarefabrikernes, comparable. Grasscloth panel on wall (in earlier photograph): Biri Tapet, comparable.

On intergenerational dwelling: Our neighborhood has a whole lot of older individuals. Our youngsters truly 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 feel it helps that they know us so effectively. They’ve adopted the youngsters as they’ve grown up, so when there may be 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 truly 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, comparable. Excessive chairs: Stokke. Chairs: Hans Wegner. Pendant mild: Atelier Vime, comparable. Polka dot vase: Klay Copenhagen. Wall coloration: “Faculty Home White” by Farrow & Ball.

On printed pictures: There are corporations that print your pictures so that they appear to be Polaroids. Yearly, my husband prints a great deal of pictures 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 coloration palette: I discover true white too harsh. So, we painted our partitions with off whites and gentle tones. The flooring are cement downstairs and wooden upstairs, however we used a stain on the wooden in order that it’d be the same coloration to the cement. It helps create a way of circulate. 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 effectively. My son’s toys are down there, however you may shut it off with a little bit curtain and conceal the mess. Our youngsters’ 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. Youngsters in Denmark are usually not rushed to develop up. They don’t begin college till age six, so it’s pure play from age one, once 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 de facto into this Danish recreation referred to as stick ball, which is like dodgeball. Our youthful son, three, is massively into ambulances, hearth engines, and buses. One in every of his daycare academics 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 house 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, comparable.

On household traditions: On the weekends, we wish to have a carpet picnic and watch a film with the boys. They’ll get of their pajamas and keep up late — they adore it.

On upping the heat issue: Once we do house swaps, individuals usually say our home may 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 vegetation! 

Armchair: classic, comparable. 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, comparable.

On house swapping: Once we journey, we use Behomm, which is for house 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 comparable 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 a neighborhood carpenter.” Faculty chair used as nightstand: classic, comparable. Rug: classic, comparable.

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 tough to cope with. Residing with no door, we favored the sunshine coming by means of 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, but it surely’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 little bit 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. Ground tiles: Fired Earth.

On a beloved function: Often flats in Denmark have such tiny bogs, nearly like a little bit closet. We lived like that for a number of years in varied locations. However after we noticed this home, we realized we may 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 house, Kate.

P.S. Many extra home excursions, and what it’s wish to dad or mum in Denmark.

(Photographs by Nana Hagel.)