January 18, 2011

Designer at Home

Look at this house... all 400 square meters of it! Built in 1917 and renovated top to bottom by the founders of the Danish brand Day Birger & Mikkelsen. The house sits on a huge lot, in Kerteminde, on the island of Fyn in Denmark. Budding up to the woods, views of the water, the house is so super duper cool, I hope you will enjoy this virtual tour!

In the entrance one is greeted by a wonderful personal art collection, complete with old hat forms as sculptures. To the right you get a glimpse of what's to come......

"Relaxed Elegance" is the description of the multi cultural interiors of the home. Owners Marianne Brandi and husband Keld Mikkelsen travel extensively for work and bring with them treasures from all over the world!
Small terracotta statues from China in the deep window sill, Juju hat from Cameroon on the wall, leather chair from New York, Asian wood furniture, Indian print pillows.... Complete with an antique crystal chandelier! Notice the specially stuccoed walls, keeping the room very warm and soft, even in the natural bright light.


How would you like to have a home office space as pretty as this? I don't think I would get anything done, starring out the window, looking through the trees down at the water.... Pure joy!!

Working in fashion and interior design, Marianne explains that calm surroundings at home is the only way to go! I concur! Not a lot of adornment, classic and simple lines, lots of natural light, warm wood counter top...

























Home wears designed for DAY home. Easy to see where some of the inspiration comes from, huh? I really like those horn (?) bowls, they look so great with their colors variations, against the white serving pieces, don't you think?

As the Creative Director of successful Danish Lifestyle Brand, DAY Home, Marianne's touch is everywhere! Even in the bathroom; the style is calm, neutral and with great texture! A cohesive look that reaches every room in the house. Notice the three metal containers piled high with shells... perhaps brought back from their vacation home in the islands..?
(I will do a post about that house another day!)


A look of the house from the garden. To the very right is the newly added sun porch....

.... Spending part of the summer here would not be too bad! Notice how even the tile work on the porch works with the color scheme of the rest of the house! Small detail, but great impact!!


The TV room, at the very top floor of the house, under the eves exudes pure coziness!!! Notice the wall texture... When renovating this house, craftsmen from Portugal were flown in to complete the plasterwork. It's a special technique, the end result; walls that feel like velvet, shimmer in the light and looks like polished marble!! FANTASTIC!




































The floors through out the house have also been treated with extra care to create this shiny, high gloss lacquered look. Six layers of lacquer to be exact!! I love how the shiny floors are balanced by the matte texture of the walls.

Everywhere in the house you find goods from far away lands; here Chinese urns mingle with a Zebra skin...




























Simple, calm and beautiful master bedroom.




























Why hide your jewelery collection?
Marianne uses this lamp, found in New York, as a prop.




























In the "man room" Keld keeps this red cabinet, purchased on a trip to India, its origin is Tibetan. Take a closer look, the detail of the work is incredible!!

A view of the facade of the DAY Birger & Mikkelsen store in Copenhagen. Next time you visit, be sure to stop by, you will not be disappointed... and browsing for ideas is free :)!

For a peek inside this couples Copenhagen apartment, check out this Northern Light post.

Have a wonderful DAY!!

Natasha

Images by Nils Mogensen Svaleboeg

5 comments:

  1. Natasha I am new to your blog but became an instant follower after reading this post.
    I LOVE this house and hadn't seen it before. Am a fan of Day Birger & Mikkelsen. In fact I love a lot of the Danish design styles (I am Swedish myself).

    The house has a classic coolness about it and the time, investment and love that have gone into the finishes and details really make a difference. The walls are magnificent, and I agree, the contrast against that onyx black shiny floor is breathtaking! I WANT this too!

    Thank you for bringing us this beautiful home tour. I loved every scroll!

    x Charlotta

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  2. Natasha:
    Day Birger & Mikkelsen are brilliant and I have to say this might just be the most beautiful house I have ever seen. There is nothing I don't love about it - dark glossy floors, white walls, interesting furniture, photographs everywhere. I will draw great inspiration from this home!

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  3. Hi Charlotta, welcome to Northern Light!

    I am so glad you both like this house as much as I do!! I could hardly wait to share the images (needed to get past all the holiday stuff first) and quite frankly, I am surprised only two people have left comments.... I guess we all see things differently :)

    Looking forward to sharing the third and final of their residences with all of you in the coming weeks!!

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  4. Lovely home! I'm new to your blog, as well, and I find it inspiring. Nice to meet you!

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  5. Hi, Natasha, this is my first time on your gorgeous blog.
    This house is fabulous, love the white walls, the dark floors, de high ceilings and all those windows.
    Big hugs from Brasil.
    Tereza

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Don't be shy... let me know what you think.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!

Natasha