Houzz Tour: Something’s Different in Denmark
The owners of this bohemian Copenhagen apartment rebel against the Scandinavian penchant for white interiors
With black floors, gold-patterned ceilings and not a single piece of classic designer furniture, Daniélle Bertelsen’s apartment is the exact opposite of most homes in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Interiors in this trendy neighborhood usually tend toward bright white, a look she isn’t too fond of. “I almost get the creeps when I find myself in an all-white apartment,” Bertelsen says. “I think it is impersonal, cold and not very cozy. It reminds me of a hospital.”
So it’s no wonder that Bertelsen, pictured, who has a background in social work and a master’s degree in international development and cultural studies, and her boyfriend decorated their three-room apartment in deep, moody tones.
“It simply makes me so happy to be surrounded by color, and I love dark tones especially, as for me, they create coziness and atmosphere,” Bertelsen says. “They also give the place more character — there is much more soul in dark colors.”
She describes their home as “bohemian.”
“It simply makes me so happy to be surrounded by color, and I love dark tones especially, as for me, they create coziness and atmosphere,” Bertelsen says. “They also give the place more character — there is much more soul in dark colors.”
She describes their home as “bohemian.”
When the couple bought the apartment three years ago, it looked like most other apartments in Copenhagen, with light-colored plank floors, white walls and white ceilings. They got to work with a colorful palette.
“I thought we could renovate it in a year, but it ended up taking two years, because once you get started, there is no end. Once we had painted the walls, we also had to paint the window frames. When we had painted the window frames, we could see that the wall sockets also needed fixing,” she says.
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“I thought we could renovate it in a year, but it ended up taking two years, because once you get started, there is no end. Once we had painted the walls, we also had to paint the window frames. When we had painted the window frames, we could see that the wall sockets also needed fixing,” she says.
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There is more consistency in style and atmosphere from room to room than in many homes. This is another reason why Bertelsen’s apartment stands out so much.
“I often notice that people who want to create a home that’s different are a bit scared to go all the way, since they think it’s too crazy. I have learned that it has to be consistent, so it is better to do a little too much than a little too little,” she says.
“I often notice that people who want to create a home that’s different are a bit scared to go all the way, since they think it’s too crazy. I have learned that it has to be consistent, so it is better to do a little too much than a little too little,” she says.
Half-measures, Bertelsen notes, are rarely good enough. Painting an accent wall in a white-walled home, for example, doesn’t do enough to create warmth, in her opinion, and often just ends up looking messy.
“You should either go all-out or just leave it as it is. This is also how I felt about these floors. A lot of people think that you shouldn’t touch floors and ceilings, but I believe that it is necessary in order to create a unified [design],” she says.
“You should either go all-out or just leave it as it is. This is also how I felt about these floors. A lot of people think that you shouldn’t touch floors and ceilings, but I believe that it is necessary in order to create a unified [design],” she says.
She adds that she is very lucky to have a boyfriend who isn’t very interested in interior decoration and who rarely protests against her style. “He does sometimes think my ideas sound outrageous when I present them, but once I do it, he’s usually fine with it,” she says.
In fact, Bertelsen thinks that he would now find it difficult to live in a white space. At least, he was skeptical when she recently proposed a white decor feature, remarking, “But we don’t do white. We don’t like white, do we?” Smiling, she responded, “No, we don’t.”
Bertelsen gets the inspiration for her particular style from many places. When an idea develops, it has to be tested. “It often becomes very experimental. I just do it and then redo it if I don’t like the result.”
In fact, Bertelsen thinks that he would now find it difficult to live in a white space. At least, he was skeptical when she recently proposed a white decor feature, remarking, “But we don’t do white. We don’t like white, do we?” Smiling, she responded, “No, we don’t.”
Bertelsen gets the inspiration for her particular style from many places. When an idea develops, it has to be tested. “It often becomes very experimental. I just do it and then redo it if I don’t like the result.”
One of the most special aspects of the apartment is the living room ceiling. “If I had kept the ceilings white, it would not have been complete. You would have thought, ‘OK, this is where she ran out of ideas,’” Bertelsen says.
Inspired by stenciled floors, she first considered painting a pattern around the ceiling. “I started doing that, but quite quickly I could see that it would be too boring to just have [the pattern] on the edges.”
Inspired by stenciled floors, she first considered painting a pattern around the ceiling. “I started doing that, but quite quickly I could see that it would be too boring to just have [the pattern] on the edges.”
Before. So she decided that it would be better to cover the entire ceiling with the gold pattern. However, one out of every five stencils is faded, because a totally uniform pattern would have been too perfect. “I feel that it should not be too nice; it should not be too correct,” she says.
Although the slow stenciling process made Bertelsen want to give up halfway through, she persisted and eventually repeated the pattern over 400 times to create the final design.
Houzz TV: How to Stencil a Wall
Although the slow stenciling process made Bertelsen want to give up halfway through, she persisted and eventually repeated the pattern over 400 times to create the final design.
Houzz TV: How to Stencil a Wall
Having brand-name items is not a priority for Bertelsen. As long as she likes something, it doesn’t matter whether it is an old recycled item, an inexpensive item from Ikea or a pricey designer product.
“I don’t think I actually own a single piece of designer furniture,” she says.
“I don’t think I actually own a single piece of designer furniture,” she says.
The coffee table in the living room is made up of suitcases, which Bertelsen bought from a Copenhagen antiques shop called Tante Tuli. The shop had once belonged to her aunt. The suitcases now store DVDs, a sewing machine and sewing equipment. The carpet came from Ellos, and the couch was bought new from the auction website Lauritz.com.
The stereotypical bohemian home is less tidy and more casual than Bertelsen’s apartment. “Even though I like to surround myself with lots of very different things — new and old, expensive and cheap — I don’t like it to look too untidy. But as soon as things are grouped together well, I can cope with it. So that is the solution,” she says with a smile.
Among Bertelsen’s sources of inspiration is London interior designer Abigail Ahern, who “has a weakness for the dark and, at times, a bit of a crazy style with animals and plants.”
Another is the Italian firm DimoreStudio. “Among other things, they have decorated an apartment in Milan that is open to the public. They play a lot on the contrast between old worn items and new furniture in powerful colors. It’s super cool.”
The final influence is closer to home: the interiors shop Rue Verte. “This shop in the center of Copenhagen features French bohemian style, which I love, with plenty of gold, brass, velour and raw contrasts,” Bertelsen says.
Another is the Italian firm DimoreStudio. “Among other things, they have decorated an apartment in Milan that is open to the public. They play a lot on the contrast between old worn items and new furniture in powerful colors. It’s super cool.”
The final influence is closer to home: the interiors shop Rue Verte. “This shop in the center of Copenhagen features French bohemian style, which I love, with plenty of gold, brass, velour and raw contrasts,” Bertelsen says.
Any walls Bertelsen didn’t paint a deep color got covered in wallpaper. “I found the wallpaper in different places. I often looked on the internet until I found what I wanted and could afford, since wallpaper is often extremely expensive.”
The most spectacular wallpaper in the apartment is on the long dining room wall. Bertelsen initially dreamed of papering this wall with a huge image of a lion, but that would have cost about $5,800 (35,000 Danish kroner). So she chose the Roseate Spoonbill, which cost about $500 (3,000 Danish kroner) from an online poster store.
The most spectacular wallpaper in the apartment is on the long dining room wall. Bertelsen initially dreamed of papering this wall with a huge image of a lion, but that would have cost about $5,800 (35,000 Danish kroner). So she chose the Roseate Spoonbill, which cost about $500 (3,000 Danish kroner) from an online poster store.
Before. Like the rest of the apartment, the bedroom was chalky white with light-colored plank floors when the couple moved in.
Now color makes its presence felt in the bedroom as well. “The most important thing is that I can look at something that isn’t white when I lie in bed,” she says.
That is why the ceiling in the bedroom is painted gold and black and decorated with old playbills and Bjørn Wiinblad posters. “I love Bjørn Wiinblad and really wanted to repaper the ceiling with a large wallpaper spread I had found that depicts a large circus [designed by Wiinblad]. But it would have cost an arm and a leg, so instead I came up with this solution,” she says.
The rack on the wall, which the couple uses for hanging clothes, is an old hatrack from a train.
That is why the ceiling in the bedroom is painted gold and black and decorated with old playbills and Bjørn Wiinblad posters. “I love Bjørn Wiinblad and really wanted to repaper the ceiling with a large wallpaper spread I had found that depicts a large circus [designed by Wiinblad]. But it would have cost an arm and a leg, so instead I came up with this solution,” she says.
The rack on the wall, which the couple uses for hanging clothes, is an old hatrack from a train.
The bedroom is the only space in the home with a white floor. “I generally like the fact that the rooms flow into each other and make up a whole, together with the floor. But because the bedroom floor is on a slightly different level, there is a natural division anyway. I also think it’s quite convenient that the bedroom is defined as separate from the rest of the apartment. That way, it’s like a tiny cave in here, and I like that,” she says.
Before. The hall was also white, bland and conventional when the couple moved in.
In this photo, you can see the entrance door on the left, opposite the door to the kitchen.
In this photo, you can see the entrance door on the left, opposite the door to the kitchen.
After. As in the rest of the home, Bertelsen made room for dark shades here.
“I spackled the walls with a product called Kabe. It is a kind of colored plaster. Then I sprayed it with a certain type of varnish to get a glossier surface,” she says. She notes that the darker colors also bring out the glossiness of the door frames.
“I spackled the walls with a product called Kabe. It is a kind of colored plaster. Then I sprayed it with a certain type of varnish to get a glossier surface,” she says. She notes that the darker colors also bring out the glossiness of the door frames.
Before. “[The bathroom] was our first project, so as we got more experienced and the other rooms were finished, I thought, ‘Oh, now all of a sudden, the bathroom doesn’t seem so great,’” Bertelsen says.
After. The white toilet, among other things, still hurts Bertelsen’s eyes. She wants to replace it with a black or steel one.
Not only did she update the space, but she also painted the washing machine a deep purple. “The only challenge was that I couldn’t see the program settings, which is why I have written them in with a black marker,” she says, smiling.
Not only did she update the space, but she also painted the washing machine a deep purple. “The only challenge was that I couldn’t see the program settings, which is why I have written them in with a black marker,” she says, smiling.
The brass sink is from Morocco. A friend of Bertelsen’s had bought it online but realized that it didn’t go well with her decor when it arrived. However, it fits Bertelsen’s bathroom perfectly.
The kitchen, which is next to the bathroom, probably went through the biggest transformation.
Before. “When we moved in, there was a white kitchen from Svane Køkkenet, with the wall cupboards and base units and all the usual items. I put it on DBA [the Danish Craigslist], saying that anybody willing to come and remove it could have it for free. Fortunately, someone was happy to come get it,” Bertelsen says.
Despite the fact that Danish kitchens tend to be in shades of white, fixtures in other colors were not terribly expensive.
“The steel surfaces and elements, as well as the oven, are from Ikea, and the countertop was made at a metal workshop,” Bertelsen says. “We have almost no storage space, and everybody wonders where we keep our stuff, because there is only a dishwasher, one cupboard for food, one for plates and glasses, a few small shelves, and a broom closet. That’s it,” she says.
The couple made the light fixture from several old lamps.
“The steel surfaces and elements, as well as the oven, are from Ikea, and the countertop was made at a metal workshop,” Bertelsen says. “We have almost no storage space, and everybody wonders where we keep our stuff, because there is only a dishwasher, one cupboard for food, one for plates and glasses, a few small shelves, and a broom closet. That’s it,” she says.
The couple made the light fixture from several old lamps.
Bertelsen was concerned that the kitchen would seem cluttered, so she kept only the kitchenware and utensils she had room for and threw the rest out. “We have everything we need. Often when things are kept in cupboards, they just gather dust, but when you only have what we have here, you use everything all the time — so that works very well,” she says.
The cutlery holders are from Paris but were bought in Berlin.
The cutlery holders are from Paris but were bought in Berlin.
The apartment had hardly taken its final shape before Bertelsen started missing decor challenges. So the couple decided to sell the home in order to start a new project.
“What’s amazing is that the buyers want to take over the apartment as a concept, so they will keep the colorful decor and have even bought some of the furniture. We are moving into a larger two-story apartment in [Copenhagen’s Amager district], which is completely white with nicely planed wooden floors at the moment. So there will be a lot to tackle,” Bertelsen says with a grin.
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“What’s amazing is that the buyers want to take over the apartment as a concept, so they will keep the colorful decor and have even bought some of the furniture. We are moving into a larger two-story apartment in [Copenhagen’s Amager district], which is completely white with nicely planed wooden floors at the moment. So there will be a lot to tackle,” Bertelsen says with a grin.
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: Daniélle Bertelsen of Interiorwise, her boyfriend and their 6-month-old daughter
Location: Vesterbro area of Copenhagen, Denmark
Size: 969 square feet (90 square meters)