The striking, eclectic home of Malene Birger

When you go shopping do you find you have a handful of 'go to' brands / shops which you can almost guarantee will have something you'll love? One of mine is Danish brand By Malene Birger. Founder, Malene Birger sold her share in 2010, and left By Malene Birger in 2014. And now the designer and artist is relaunching her Interior and Design brand BIRGER1962 in January at Maison et Objet in Paris - oh yassss! To celebrate, Malene opened the doors of her flat in South Kensington, London to Danish photographer Birgitta Wolfgang and stylist Pernilla Vest. And what a treat! The space is decorated with finds from all over the world and expresses her unique and eclectic style beside her own art work. I remember reading once that Malene loves to move home often - and yet seeing this space tells me that she truly goes all out to make each house a home. Here's a peek inside her office and sitting room!

Photography Birgitta Wolfgang / Sisters Agency. Stylist Pernille Vest.

Such a striking apartment! I love that it has an entirely unique look and feel. It's the kind of place you could potter around for hours, studying all the objects. It makes me so excited to see what's in store for BIRGER 1962 - how about you?

Word on the street is that she's also opening a showroom in Copenhagen in April 2018 which will feature both her interior and design brand as well as her small clothing brand A JOURNEY London (designed, created and based on the idea of packing a suitcase and presenting two small collection per year just before the holiday season begins). A trip over the Öresund bridge is so on the cards for me April '18!!

If you'd like to get more inspiration from Malene, you might want to check out her interior books Life and Work 2010 and Move and Work 2014 published by teNeues as well as her instagram feeds - @malenebirgers_world and @ajourney_london.

Have a great day!

PS see more striking monochrome homes here.

A dream Danish house by the sea

Hej, hvad så? Do you have a dream house out there? One that you drive pass every now and again and think 'oh, how I'd love to live there one day'?! Sometimes these dreams do come true. And today's home tour is proof! Åsa Olofsson (owner of Smuk beauty salon in Copenhagen) and husband Peter (a partner at Bech-Bruun) returned from holiday to find their dream house, a mere 300 metres from their own, had gone on the market. And despite being completely derelict with no bathroom or kitchen and a waterlogged basement, they snapped it up in an instant. It's easy to see why. Not only is the house full of character, with old beams and large, light-filled rooms, it's also right on the beach. The pair drafted in the help of an architect and slowly but surely restored the house into a fantastic family home, which they enjoy today with their two children Maja and Carl.

 Photography / copyright: Jesper Ray  - found via Style Files and Bolig magasinet with thanks. 

I think I might just have found my dream house too! I've always dreamed of living on the beach like this - and the house itself is just beeeautiful! Could you imagine living here?!

Get the look:

Ground floor flooring: Epoxy 

dining area - wishbone chairs, Eames DSW chair, Hemnes glass cabinet from IKEA, fluffy grey sheepskin, a selection of Marble lights by & Tradition hang over the table.

sitting room - FLY chair by & Tradition, RANARP Floor/reading lamp, I like this wall hanging.

Landing: a cluster of MASS light in dark marble by & Tradition hang above the stairs, wooden stag head.

Bedroom: Muuto pendant light, soft green linen throw, E27 pendant light.

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Thank you so much for the kind permission to share these lovely pictures Jesper Ray - if you have the time, do check out Jesper's beautiful photography / prints!

If it's Danish home tours you're after, you're in luck - there's tonnnes of beautiful ones in the Danish apartments and Danish home archives! *siiiigh* there goes an entire afternoon / evening.... ah well, who needs to work anyway...?!

Have a lovely day!

Warm and Inviting Danish home with Beautiful Textiles

Hej hej! I'm always inspired by makers spaces. There's always something unique and personal about them, don't you find? The Danish home of Eline Engen is a fine example! Eline lives in a beautiful 200 year old house on the North coast of Funen, Denmark with her husband Brian and children Gustav (14) and Clara (12). Eline works part time in an interior shop and spends the rest of her working hours creating and selling beautiful cushions and clutches made from vintage fabric and textile remnants. Eline describes her home as "very relaxed with lots of textiles, plants and treasures which have been collected over time." She has a passion for all things vintage, soft colours, and beautiful patterns which she combines with modern pieces in her home. Enjoy the tour!

Photography Eline Engen

What a charming, warm and inviting home, don't you think? There are so many treasures, but Elin tells me her favourite is the old cabinet where she stores all her vintage textiles before turning them into cushions and clutches.

When it comes to decorating, Elin advises to "stay true to yourself. It's a cliché but true. Surround yourself with items that mean something to you. Do not buy just to buy. A home is a real home when it reflects the people that live there and when everything is not perfect." Wise words indeed!

You can pick up Elin's pretty cushions and clutches over on instagram. 

If you're looking for other items seen in Elin's home, here's a quick guide:

Sitting room area: poster to the left from Stilleben and to the right Retro Villa (pretty shop alert!), cushions handmade by Eline, Klong halo candle holder (love this), Scarlet Kimono from Lulu's Drawer (another 'love' from me!), Lampe Gras.

Dining room: Era armchair with cane seat, cushion on chair handmade by Eline.  Office: William Morris wallpaper, Sinnerlig desk from IKEA.

Thank you so much for the kind permission to show the pictures of your home Eline!

On a completely seperate note, I'm having so much fun in Paris for the launch of my Lagom Book in French. Last night HaperCollins France planned a wonderful cocktail party and I met the  English to French translator and Aude, the designer behind the pretty front cover, among lots of other inspiring people, what a great evening! Merci beaucoup! The man is arriving this evening and we're going to spend the weekend here - yaaaaay! Hopefully see you tomorrow at Galeries Lafayette for the book signing and DIY session if you're in town (4 - 6 pm)! 

I hope you've got some nice plans?

Have a wonderful couple of days and see you Monday!

A Striking Mid-Century Inspired Danish Home

Wow - I can't believe it's actually the end of the week. It's been getting darker by the day in Sweden which makes it almost impossible to get out of bed (and we're bad at the best of times - guh!). When I was doing research for my Lagom book (see also the US and French version), I discovered only 10% of us are natural early risers - are you one of them? If not I feel your pain - at least we have two days of lie-ins ahead - yasss! Anyway. On with today's tour. And I've got the most lovely, relaxed, Danish home to share with you. Birgit (also known as Fraubitte) has an expert eye at discovering all things mid-century and retro. Her home is full of treasures, set against a  striking backdrop of black and blue-green accents. Birgit loves to share snapshots of her home on her delightful instagram feed which is also peppered with pictures  of the Danish landscape, travel, design and art. Let's take a peek inside Birgit's world!

Photography credits: @Fraubitte

I love all her mid-century Danish furniture so much -  just how striking does the teak look against the back wall?! 

I also think the colours in the bedroom make a pretty combination.

Is there anything that you're loving about this space?

If you're looking to achieve a smiliar look, I find Etsy a great place source for mid-century furniture including dining chairs, credenzas and mirrors (I've had my eye on an asymmetric mirror ever since I saw one in this Danish home - aren't they lovely?)

If you fancy getting a little more Danish inspiration this weekend check-out this archive... one of my favourites...

Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

PS Don't forget to vote for My Scandinavian Home in the Domino Design Blog Awards (category 'Best International Design Blogs') if you have the time - it would make my day!

A Relaxed Mid-century Inspired Danish Home

Living just over the bridge from Copenhagen, I'm often asked 'how often do you visit?' The answer is "not enough". Seriously, this is a crying shame - I absolutely love the Danish style. There's something relaxed, bohemian and achingly cool about it. It's also a quietly confident look which relishes in imperfection. Take the Danish home of Anne Hundborg - a self-employed web developer and graphic designer, her boyfriend Jonas, five children (combined), a dog and a cat (yes that's one "full house," laughs Anne) as an example.  Located in the city of Randers on the Jutland peninsula, Anne has decorated her home under the ethos "the rules are there ain't no rules" (....ha! I recognise that line - do you?!) and chooses to "mix all sorts of textures, materials, colours, and decades." Look out for mid-century touches and wonderful, playful details throughout! 

Photography / design: Anne Hundborg

What a charming home?! I love all the mid-century touches and artwork in particular - how about you?

Get the look: dining room - Panthella floor lamp, Posters / prints: Bambi and Heels and Resting Feet by Paper Collective. sitting room - Söderhamn sofa, landscape prints by Enklamide, SINNERLIG Pendant lamp. Children's bedroom - Doughnuts poster from Desenio.

You can see more of Anne's lovely home over on her Instagram feed here (many items are tagged too), and a whole load more of 'great dane' (sorry) inspiration in this archive (don't miss a Danish home full of vintage finds, the dreamy home of a writer, an eclectic Copenhagen apartment with attitude in particular - all very different, all truly inspiring!).

Have a great day!