Houzz Tour: A Childhood Home Gets a Revamp in Denmark
Open spaces and Scandinavian style update a family farmhouse
Mortar and paintbrushes have been a fixture in the home of Rina Schmidt, pictured, and her husband, Jesper, over the past eight years. A remodel takes time, especially when you do it yourself while raising four children. Their farm in Uldum, in the center of Denmark, dates from 1936; the Schmidts took over the property in 2006.
The entrance hall has high ceilings, white walls and muted colors. It sets the scene for the rest of the house, which has been transformed almost entirely. The top floor still needs work, but the Schmidts have otherwise remodeled and redecorated everything from scratch. Rina tells us that — among other projects — they replaced the ceilings, installed new floors and revamped the walls.
Find similar chandeliers in the Houzz Shop
Find similar chandeliers in the Houzz Shop
The bright aqua front door breaks up the white of the entrance hall. An heirloom coat rack hangs on the wall.
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Houzz Quiz: What Color Should Your Front Door Be?
Find an interior designer on Houzz to help with your color palette
“It took some time for us to start renovations after we took over the house,” Rina says. “We spent long nights in the kitchen talking about what we should do. Once we started, we all lived upstairs for two years while we worked on the downstairs. Back then, we just cracked on with it, but it’s going a bit more slowly now that our children are bigger. We can still handle working on projects in the house, but it just takes a bit longer.”
This farm was actually Jesper’s childhood home, so the couple were hesitant about transforming it.
“We talked about wanting to live on a rural property, so when we were given the opportunity to take over this place, we jumped at the chance,” Rina says. “We’ve never regretted it. But I was, of course, nervous about how Jesper’s parents would react to the changes we wanted to make here. They’ve taken it incredibly well. They really value the life we have created here and around the house.”
“We talked about wanting to live on a rural property, so when we were given the opportunity to take over this place, we jumped at the chance,” Rina says. “We’ve never regretted it. But I was, of course, nervous about how Jesper’s parents would react to the changes we wanted to make here. They’ve taken it incredibly well. They really value the life we have created here and around the house.”
When Rina and Jesper look around the farm’s large open kitchen and living room today, it’s clear that nothing is as it was when they first moved in.
They opened up rooms to let in more light, and they installed a bright new kitchen.
Shop for industrial-style stools on Houzz
Shop for industrial-style stools on Houzz
“It was really important for both of us to open up the kitchen so that it could become an integrated part of the living room. It was one of the first things we did. We’ve continued to update the room since the first time we renovated it. We installed a new extractor hood we made ourselves and built a tile wall,“ Rina says.
“I make changes down here every now and then, and that’s something I’ll keep up because I love updating the look of our house,” she says.
The couple can’t help but continually improve and renovate the farm. But with renovation also comes mess.
The Schmidts just painted the bathroom vanity green. The next big project will be laying micro cement on the floor. They also recently replaced the roof, and Jesper has already started knocking down a few outbuildings — these are some of the oldest buildings on the property and are no longer structurally sound.
“I’m the kind of person who is good at living with things the way they are. And it’s all right if things aren’t exactly the way I want them to be for a while,” Rina says.
“I’m the kind of person who is good at living with things the way they are. And it’s all right if things aren’t exactly the way I want them to be for a while,” Rina says.
This attitude has come in handy over the years. When they’re surrounded by half-finished projects, Rina and Jesper sometimes have to keep their eye on the prize.
“When something doesn’t look right, we just have to remind each other about the good things here on the farm,” Rina says, looking out to the garden, which is filled with the remains of scaffolding from the recent roof replacement. It’s not pretty, but luckily it will all be gone by summer.
“When something doesn’t look right, we just have to remind each other about the good things here on the farm,” Rina says, looking out to the garden, which is filled with the remains of scaffolding from the recent roof replacement. It’s not pretty, but luckily it will all be gone by summer.
Rina says Jesper carries out the bigger projects around the house, while she takes care of the finishing touches. She paints walls and panels, moves things around, and rearranges things to make them look great.
“Jesper likes what I do around the house. He is good at recognizing what I do, as well, and that’s very nice. But I also think a lot about the other people living here when I set up our home so that everyone’s needs are met,” Rina says.
“Jesper likes what I do around the house. He is good at recognizing what I do, as well, and that’s very nice. But I also think a lot about the other people living here when I set up our home so that everyone’s needs are met,” Rina says.
Rina stays up-to-date on trends in interiors and then uses the elements she likes. Not everything is suitable for an old farm, and cultivating the history and rural atmosphere here is important to Rina.
“We have many of these large closets around our house that you used to find in farmhand quarters,” such as the one next to this bed, she says. “When we took over the farm, we found many of them and decided to keep them. They belong to this place. When we moved in, we had a lot of old furniture, but now I mix it a lot more with newer things.”
“We have many of these large closets around our house that you used to find in farmhand quarters,” such as the one next to this bed, she says. “When we took over the farm, we found many of them and decided to keep them. They belong to this place. When we moved in, we had a lot of old furniture, but now I mix it a lot more with newer things.”
Rina is passionate about interior design. Even if she’s busy with work and family, she always finds a way to squeeze in a little decorating.
The family’s remodeled farmhouse has fulfilled their dream of having a beautiful oasis to call their own.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Rina Schmidt, 36, a social worker who also decorates for private clients; her husband, carpenter Jesper Schmidt; and their children, Sebastian, 11, Silas, 8, Sandra, 7, and Martha Amanda, 4
Location: Uldum, Denmark
Size: 3,229 square feet (300 square meters), including outbuildings