My Houzz: Uplifting Bold Colour in a Light White Scandi Apartment
Minimalism and joyful colour combine to create a harmonious atmosphere in this ‘upside-down’ Danish home
Kamma Wolff Christensen’s two-storey apartment in Aarhus, on the east coast of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, is a little unusual. In a departure from the typical layout, the bedrooms are on the ground floor and the kitchen, living room and dining room are upstairs, where Wolff Christensen, who’s deputy manager of an interior décor, toys and clothing shop, can make the most of the beautiful light.
“Most visitors get confused when they enter, because they expect the public areas to be on the first floor. Once we’re up here, though, they forget there’s actually a lower floor,” Wolff Christensen says. “But I think it makes good sense to spend time in this area, which has more light and high ceilings. At least, that’s how I like it.”
Colours leap out when you move around the apartment: bright yellow and grass-green bar stools stand in the dining area; the living room rug is made up of all the colours of the rainbow; the children’s room has a pastel blue theme, and there are bright red elements in the master bedroom. Yet the apartment has a pure, minimalist aesthetic at the same time.
The décor actually has a very calming effect. “That’s no coincidence,” Wolff Christensen says. “I need balance in my home. It can be colourful, but balance is important to me in order to create peace and harmony. The colours make me happy, while also adding warmth and the feeling of home,” she says.
“Part of the secret behind that crucial balance is choosing a neutral base, then sprinkling it with happy colours afterwards,” Wolff Christensen says.
“I like the fact that large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, tables and chairs, are in colours you can look at forever. There’s lots of white, and a pale grey sofa. Then you can turn up the colours on the smaller pieces and accessories. If I get tired of the green or yellow bar stools, for instance, they are easier to replace than the sofa.”
Sofa; cushions; blanket; rug: all Hay.
“I like the fact that large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, tables and chairs, are in colours you can look at forever. There’s lots of white, and a pale grey sofa. Then you can turn up the colours on the smaller pieces and accessories. If I get tired of the green or yellow bar stools, for instance, they are easier to replace than the sofa.”
Sofa; cushions; blanket; rug: all Hay.
Bean coffee tables, Designer Zoo.
Tour a 1970s home in Berkshire that’s had an exterior and interior makeover
Tour a 1970s home in Berkshire that’s had an exterior and interior makeover
It’s not only colours that are carefully balanced here. Details from different places, periods and styles are tastefully combined. Having hunted for the right furnishings for this apartment for several years now, Wolff Christensen has quite a good nose for what fits together and how.
“Aesthetics is incredibly important to me, and everything I have in the apartment has been carefully selected,” she says, stressing that this is why the decoration of her home has been a long-term project.
“Aesthetics is incredibly important to me, and everything I have in the apartment has been carefully selected,” she says, stressing that this is why the decoration of her home has been a long-term project.
“I love contrasts when they go well together,” Wolff Christensen says. “That’s why I’m totally in love with the old beams under the ceilings, which I’ve combined with both modern elements and older furniture. In particular, I think a large, bright room like this one begs for colour contrasts. In other words, adding colours to the many white walls is something that obviously needed to be done.”
While Hay is Wolff Christensen’s favourite brand when it comes to new, modern furniture and home accessories, she finds other furniture, art and décor in various vintage shops around Aarhus and elsewhere in Denmark or abroad on holiday.
“I found the interesting painting on the wall over the yellow bar stool on holiday in South Africa many years ago. I think it’s fun to mix items with different stories and backgrounds,” she says.
“I found the interesting painting on the wall over the yellow bar stool on holiday in South Africa many years ago. I think it’s fun to mix items with different stories and backgrounds,” she says.
The Kvik kitchen is integrated into the corner of the large open space and was already there when the family moved into the apartment five years ago.
“It has a good neutral white base, so we haven’t done anything to change that,” Wolff Christensen says.
Wall clock, Kähler.
9 neat ways to deal with rubbish in your kitchen
“It has a good neutral white base, so we haven’t done anything to change that,” Wolff Christensen says.
Wall clock, Kähler.
9 neat ways to deal with rubbish in your kitchen
A balcony extends from the large kitchen and dining room. Wolff Christensen found the light blue metal chairs at a recycling shop in Aarhus.
The feeling of balance continues as you move downstairs to the bedrooms.
The master bedroom is dominated by shades of red. “Somehow, it just felt quite natural to make room for the red elements here. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that a fortune teller once told me that red is a healthy colour for a bedroom,” Wolff Christensen laughs.
Chair and bed cover, Hay.
The master bedroom is dominated by shades of red. “Somehow, it just felt quite natural to make room for the red elements here. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that a fortune teller once told me that red is a healthy colour for a bedroom,” Wolff Christensen laughs.
Chair and bed cover, Hay.
Although Wolff Christensen didn’t have an overall colour strategy in mind when decorating the apartment, the bedrooms have colour themes. This creates a consistently calm atmosphere throughout the home.
When asked how much influence her two young sons had on the look of their room, Wolff Christensen’s answer is prompt: “None! They have a say in what their toys are, but that’s it,” she says.
Turquoise dominates in this room, because Wolff Christensen thinks turquoise is both classic and fresh, with a modern pastel twist.
Turquoise dominates in this room, because Wolff Christensen thinks turquoise is both classic and fresh, with a modern pastel twist.
Children’s clothing, toys and various bits of clutter have conveniently found their way into the large old closet on the left of this photo, and to a couple of old chests that have also been painted in bright colors.
“I love to be able to get things out of the way in a hurry,” Wolff Christensen says. “You don’t have to live with mess just because you have kids. That’s why it’s quite handy to have simple, spacious furniture, like the large closet for clothes and the old-fashioned chests for Lego.”
Table; chair; lamp: all Sebra.
“I love to be able to get things out of the way in a hurry,” Wolff Christensen says. “You don’t have to live with mess just because you have kids. That’s why it’s quite handy to have simple, spacious furniture, like the large closet for clothes and the old-fashioned chests for Lego.”
Table; chair; lamp: all Sebra.
Wolff Christensen purchased the old table with the drawer from La Maison in Aarhus.
After five years in their bright home, it’s time for Wolff Christensen and her family to move on, and the apartment has been put up for sale. They’ve found a new, bigger place near the harbour in Aarhus.
“But in a way, it’s really sad to move away from here, because I actually grew up down the street, and my mother still lives there,” Wolff Christensen says. “So this area will always be home to me.”
What do you think of this apartment and its balance of bright white and bold colour? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“But in a way, it’s really sad to move away from here, because I actually grew up down the street, and my mother still lives there,” Wolff Christensen says. “So this area will always be home to me.”
What do you think of this apartment and its balance of bright white and bold colour? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here Kamma Wolff Christensen, 37, her boyfriend, Hannu, 43, and her children, Leonardo, 4, and Aleksander, 6; Hannu’s son, 13-year-old Marko, joins them every other week
Location Aarhus, Denmark
Size About 1,540 sq ft (143 sq m)
Photos by Mia Mortensen
Thanks to the ‘upside-down’ layout, the living spaces in Wolff-Christensen’s apartment are just under the roof. It means they benefit from characterful sloping walls, exposed beams and magnificent bright light.