Catch of the day

Hidden among the fishing huts that hug this harbour on the outskirts of Copenhagen, a photography-loving couple’s home captures the wild beauty of nature

Wild, untamed nature provided the palette for a Danish harbourside home belonging to landscape photographers

the small fishing harbour of Sluseholmen is a largely undiscovered patch of untamed nature on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Inhabitants of the Danish capital would be forgiven for not knowing it’s there, but for landscape photographers Maria Rosendal and Martin Bay, founders of Foto Factory, and their two daughters, this was the ideal place to call home. Having lived for a time near Edinburgh, the pair had developed a taste for wild beauty.

The house, a new build, was bought in 2010, and for 10 years remained a plain white box – little more than a window on the world – until, last year, when a redesign turned it into a place as pleasing as its views. The mastermind behind this transformation is Kate Imogen Wood, a Copenhagen-based interior designer and stylist, originally from the Lake District, who bonded with the couple over a shared love of dramatic countryside.

Her aim was, she says, ‘to create warmth and softness, while keeping everything very organic. The house’, she adds, ‘had to work as a backdrop for Martin and Maria’s photography.’ When visiting, one of the first things to strike Kate was the magical quality of the light that plays off the nearby water. ‘It can be really bright, which was actually a bit of an issue because,’ explains Kate, ‘typically for Denmark, the couple had no curtains.’ By adding generous linen drapes, she has softened the whole feel of this home. ‘Now,’ she says, ‘the light really makes the atmosphere.’

Adding to the patterns the sunlight now paints on the walls, Kate has used a palette of natural hues – cornflower blue, oatmeal and an earthy beige. ‘I wanted the colours to have a calming influence,’ she adds. Throughout this home, an ever-changing array of photographs blends beautifully with the scheme.

This seamless interaction between the outdoors, the indoors and the couple’s work was something that Kate strove to perfect. ‘I wanted everything to blend,’ she explains. There are a few British furniture designs in the mix that speak to her background, but the most important aspect when choosing pieces was to add maximum texture with minimal objects. ‘The idea was to inject feeling,’ she adds. ‘Everything needed to be tactile – bamboo chairs, a bobbly fabric on the white sofa and lots of ceramics.’ Even the kitchen, once a soulless black box, was given a new look with bespoke plywood cabinets, sketched by Kate and crafted by a local carpenter.

Martin and Maria have now moved even further away from the hustle and bustle, making a new home in the coastal town of Tisvilde, but this hidden harbour remains their bolthole in the city. Just a 15-minute bike ride from the centre, it is now the perfect gallery and shop, giving visitors a chance to experience the escapism their work portrays. kateimogenwood.com; foto-factory.com

‘The aim was to create softness, while keeping everything very organic. It had to work as a backdrop for the couple’s photography’

‘The idea was to inject feeling. Everything needed to be tactile – bamboo chairs, a bobbly fabric on the white sofa and lots of ceramics’

Entrance An ‘Atelier’ chair by Frama is placed by the front door. The wall lamp is the ‘Kaliko’ from Dutch brand Lumalano, suspended from one of its wall hangers. Hvidt & Mølgaard’s ‘Drop Leaf HM6’ table, designed for &Tradition, is surrounded by ‘Adam’ stools and chairs by Toke Lauridsen for Frama. The ceramics are by Robynn Storgaard

Photography IRINA BOERSMA CÉSAR MACHADO

Kitchen Interior designer Kate Imogen Wood sketched the pleasingly simple form of these cabinets, which were created out of plywood by a local carpenter. The paint is ‘Senses’ from Jotun’s ‘Lady Minerals’ collection Portrait Kate stands beside the small study area above the living room. A ‘Georg’ console acts as a desk, paired with a ‘Vester’ chair, both designed by Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm for Skagerak. The photography is by Foto Factory and the vase is by Malene Knudsen Exterior This timber-clad modern home joins a variety of traditional fisherman’s huts and newer builds that all enjoy the wild nature surrounding the harbour

Top left Martin and Maria’s pieces for Foto Factory are placed alongside artworks by Danish creative Sophie Klerk. The bench is the ‘Atelier’ by Frama and the ‘Mezcla’ side table is by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition Left The caned ‘C-Chair’ is by Marcel Gascoin for Gubi and the wallhanging is by Cappelen Dimyr Gallery/studio space Calming ‘Treasure’ paint by Jotun sets the tone in the room overlooking the harbour, while &Drape curtains separate the space from the kitchen on the ground floor. Vases by Malene Knudsen sit on top of a ‘Sintra’ table by Nicholai Wiig Hansen for Frama. The ‘Triangolo’ chair is by Per Holland Bastrup, also for Frama

Staircase The open stairway adds to the minimal feel and allows light to fully saturate the interior Living room Buttercup-yellow curtains from Danish brand &Drape filter the bright sunlight bouncing off the water of the harbour outside. Two bamboo chairs from Sika Design and a ‘Françoise’ sofa from Beau Marché are placed around a clear ‘Alwa Three’ side table by Sebastian Herkner, also from Beau Marché. The rug is by Finnish brand Roots Living

Living room An ‘Hashiri’ pendant lamp by Norm Architects for Menu softly illuminates this space, with its walls painted in ‘Sand’ by Jotun Bedroom A triptych of prints from Aeand hang above the bed, which is dressed in bedding from Timeless Linen and pillows from By Mölle. The braided ‘Belly’ pendant light is from Ferm Living and the ‘Georg’ bedside table is by Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm for Skagerak. A ‘Manhattan’ table lamp by Space Copenhagen for &Tradition sits on top