Houzz Tour: Homemade Touches Enhance a Danish Bungalow
Upcycled items mix with heirlooms and investment pieces in a decor writer’s minimalist home
Wanting to give their son, Malte, a childhood in the countryside, Louise Otto, pictured, and her boyfriend moved into their house outside Skanderborg, on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, after five years in Copenhagen.
“When we were living in Amager [the island on which Copenhagen is partially situated], we agreed that Malte was not going to grow up in the city. Nothing is wrong with that, but we both grew up in the country, so it was the obvious thing to do,” says Otto, who runs the blog Livingonabudget.dk and works as a sales and marketing assistant for an information technology company. So the two Jutlanders returned home and found the perfect bungalow.
“When we were living in Amager [the island on which Copenhagen is partially situated], we agreed that Malte was not going to grow up in the city. Nothing is wrong with that, but we both grew up in the country, so it was the obvious thing to do,” says Otto, who runs the blog Livingonabudget.dk and works as a sales and marketing assistant for an information technology company. So the two Jutlanders returned home and found the perfect bungalow.
Since the house had already been refurbished in 2011, before the family moved in, they didn’t need to renovate inside. “But outside we tore everything down and started from scratch. There was an old garden with a rotten patio, so we removed the whole patio and built a new one around the house,” Otto says.
The trees on the property also were rotting, so they cut most of them down. They planted a new lawn, brought fresh life to the garden with plants and hedges, and built a carport on the driveway.
The trees on the property also were rotting, so they cut most of them down. They planted a new lawn, brought fresh life to the garden with plants and hedges, and built a carport on the driveway.
Gardening and nature mean a lot to Otto, which is why she and her boyfriend chose to settle in the country. “I am a great lover of the outdoors, and I love working in the garden and sitting outside to eat. We have a 3-year-old boy who loves to play and run outside,” she says.
Otto also finds nature to be a great source of inspiration for decor and creative DIY projects, which she happily shares with her blog’s readers.
“I find inspiration in many places. It may be going for a stroll or looking at the trees in the forest, where, for example, I find branches to take home and make into something new or just to put in vases,” Otto says.
Otto also finds nature to be a great source of inspiration for decor and creative DIY projects, which she happily shares with her blog’s readers.
“I find inspiration in many places. It may be going for a stroll or looking at the trees in the forest, where, for example, I find branches to take home and make into something new or just to put in vases,” Otto says.
She built the sofa that’s on the terrace out of pallets. It makes for a rustic and relaxed atmosphere.
9 Clever Ways to Repurpose a Pallet
9 Clever Ways to Repurpose a Pallet
Nonetheless, there are few plants inside the house.
“I do not have a lot of green stuff inside because we are surrounded by nature outside. So, instead, I allow myself a bit of nature in the house through the use of brown tones — that is, leafless branches in vases and quite a lot of teak wood furniture,” she says.
“I do not have a lot of green stuff inside because we are surrounded by nature outside. So, instead, I allow myself a bit of nature in the house through the use of brown tones — that is, leafless branches in vases and quite a lot of teak wood furniture,” she says.
Wood has become one of Otto’s favorite decor materials, and teak in particular can be found in virtually every room.
“I have become a big fan of wood. All the teak furniture means a lot to me because I inherited it from my grandparents,” she says.
“I have become a big fan of wood. All the teak furniture means a lot to me because I inherited it from my grandparents,” she says.
The kitchen is in black, white and grayish tones. Since it was relatively new when the couple moved in, they haven’t really done anything. “The kitchen was completely standard and actually really nice, but this does not mean that we would have chosen the same kitchen,” Otto says.
She added her personal touch with the shiny white subway tiles on the back wall and an industrial-style pendant light above the island.
Pendant light: Fuhr Home
How to Add a Kitchen Backsplash
She added her personal touch with the shiny white subway tiles on the back wall and an industrial-style pendant light above the island.
Pendant light: Fuhr Home
How to Add a Kitchen Backsplash
In addition to the teak, Otto uses lighting, pillows, blankets and abstract images on the walls to add coziness to the rooms.
Instagram is one of her most important sources of inspiration for decor and DIY projects, and it has even sparked the purchase of several pieces of furniture.
Instagram is one of her most important sources of inspiration for decor and DIY projects, and it has even sparked the purchase of several pieces of furniture.
One of them is this old cabinet, originally from a dentist’s office. “These cabinets are not cheap, so it was a big investment for me, but I know that I am going to keep it forever,” she says.
Not all the items that look like investment pieces really are, however. Otto’s flair for making inexpensive furniture look luxurious and alluring is visible in every room of the house. Her blog, which she started in 2013, likewise takes the reader into a world of inspirational personal style and budget DIY projects.
Not all the items that look like investment pieces really are, however. Otto’s flair for making inexpensive furniture look luxurious and alluring is visible in every room of the house. Her blog, which she started in 2013, likewise takes the reader into a world of inspirational personal style and budget DIY projects.
“All these DIY projects are things that I would have done anyway, even if there were no blog. I love making something cheap look stylish and beautiful. That is what I understand as personal style in your home — the idea that you can make your own things,” Otto says.
In the main living room, there is an old armoire, which was purchased through Den Blå Avis, the Danish equivalent of Craigslist. It was originally bare bleached wood, but Otto painted it black to match the rest of the decor.
“I am very much into black, gray and white. Sometimes I try to add some color, but then after two weeks, I get rid of it again,” she says with a grin.
Posters: I Love My Type
In the main living room, there is an old armoire, which was purchased through Den Blå Avis, the Danish equivalent of Craigslist. It was originally bare bleached wood, but Otto painted it black to match the rest of the decor.
“I am very much into black, gray and white. Sometimes I try to add some color, but then after two weeks, I get rid of it again,” she says with a grin.
Posters: I Love My Type
In the second living room, there is an old gym locker that Otto refurbished and modernized. “The locker was originally brown and yellow when I bought it from a sales page on Facebook. I used chalk paint and wax to create a rough, uneven surface with a beautiful interplay of shades,” she says.
Lockers: Too Cool for Only School
Lockers: Too Cool for Only School
The personalized DIY elements, mixed with the minimalist decor, also lend soul to the overall feel of the home. Every room has furniture and decorations made or restored by Otto. The wainscoting in this photo is one of Otto’s DIYs.
Posters: Moodings
Otto’s minimalist style carries into the bathroom, which she softened a bit with a few plants, towels, wood and light.
Find an interior designer to bring out your style
Find an interior designer to bring out your style
However, these elements usually don’t remain very long.
“I quickly get tired of having the same decor elements, so I regularly change things up. It does not need to be a big change; it might just be a single poster or a few cushions in order to create some movement,” Otto says.
“I quickly get tired of having the same decor elements, so I regularly change things up. It does not need to be a big change; it might just be a single poster or a few cushions in order to create some movement,” Otto says.
The room where the couple spend the most time is their home office, since Otto worked from home until recently and her boyfriend still does.
“It is a nice and bright room with windows on both sides, so you have a view of the forest and over the road and the fields,” Otto says. This makes the room her favorite place in the house.
The wall-to-wall desk is another one of Otto’s DIY projects and is described on her blog.
Desk chair: Ikea
The wall-to-wall desk is another one of Otto’s DIY projects and is described on her blog.
Desk chair: Ikea
Even though the house is finished, the couple still have many projects in mind. “Hopefully, an upper floor will be added soon. That was the whole purpose of buying the house, as it was too small from the beginning. We also plan to open the house up towards the terrace with a sliding door from the kitchen in order to integrate the rooms better,” Otto says.
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More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Louise Otto, her boyfriend, their 3-year-old son, Malte, and their two dogs
Location: A small town outside Skanderborg, Denmark
Size: 1,399 square feet (130 square meters)