Scandinavian Serenity
Interior design| Denmark
INTERIOR DESIGN
Defining the Brief
This beach side property is built in a traditional log cabin style which is typical of the Danish coastal summer villages. The property was built in the 1960s and now changed hands to the next generation in the family. This presented our clients with the opportunity to undertake some architectural building works to reconfigure the layout and create additional bedrooms as well as restyling and decorating the interiors. We were given a blank canvas to add bespoke joinery , lighting and new furniture, texture, colour and fabrics and help curate existing pieces of art and antiques in a new style.
Summer Entertaining
An important element of the brief was to create numerous spaces inside and outside to entertain, lounge, relax and unwind. In summer the house is filled with family and friends. The dining room opens onto the terrace facing the sea and we decorated an outdoor covered seating area from which to gaze into sunset.
Colour Consultation
A Nordic sensibility
While we often work on overseas projects remotely, it was very beneficial to travel to Denmark to see the house and experience the surroundings. We experienced the natural light and colours of the area which have such an important impact on the feeling that one wants to evoke and enjoy when spending precious holidays in a vacation home. The Nordic light even in the height summer is very different from the South of France or Greece and therefore our choice of paints, wallpapers and fabrics had to be sensitive and respond to this environment.
Bespoke Furniture
The scale of cabin architecture makes rooms that are cozy. By notching the logs at the ends, interwoven log corners are created, naturally resulting in sturdy constructions which bring unusual wall shapes and nooks.
Placing large items of furniture such as wardrobes and bookcases can be challenging. To solve this, we purpose built freestanding and fitted joinery items to serve these unique spaces. The family room is a connecting space between the beach front wing with its kitchen, master bedroom, dining, lounge and terrace and back of the house with childrens’ and guests’ rooms.
This family room is fitted beneath the spine of the cabin and has a tall pitched shape stemming from the log structure and a sloping roof. We designed a bespoke library complete with a ladder system which includes a hidden TV and WFH station with a pull out desk, drawers , storage and sockets.
Bathroom Upgrade
We decided not to refurbish the bathrooms entirely as the sanitaryware and tiles were in good condition but we restyled them with Schumacher wallpapers, new lighting, mirrors and cabinets.
Interior Styling
We designed new window treatments throughout which were made locally. Curtains and blinds are unlined to let in the soft glow of light. We took our client shopping in Chelsea Harbour Design Center to select fabrics which were shipped to Denmark and used locally to recover existing furniture with new fabrics. We designed colourful cushions with small scale handblocked prints for the large groups of white sofas. Family vintage wicker chairs were made comfortable with new fitted seat pads. The lounge was fitted with a new wood stove. Another opportunity to introduce textures and colours were the new headboards. The fabrics we picked show off a mixture of floral and geometric designs in soft pastel colours.
