‘ WE WANTED TO

create a home that was more than just a design showpiece,’ says Kristian Lillelund of the Frederiksberg apartment he reworked for himself and his partner Mariah Malewicz, as well as their children – Inés, Clara, Elliot and Viola, all aged between eight and 16. ‘ We’re one of those modern families: I have two girls, and my wife has a boy and a girl, so every second week there are six of us living here. We needed to be able to enjoy it when we’re joined by all the kids, as well as when it’s just the two of us,’ he explains.

Kristian’s solution was a clever, compartmentalised layout, which placed the children’s rooms at one end of the 160-square-metre apartment, and the main bedroom and living spaces at the other. ‘This way, our home doesn’t feel like a big empty shell when we’re here without them,’ he says. Much thought also went into bringing warmth and tactility into the spacious flat, which receives little in the way of natural light. ‘Instead of trying to brighten it up, which we knew would never really be successful, we opted to play up the hygge (comfort) factor with a cocooning grey palette and lots of oak and pine plywood.’

Dusty rose was used throughout to create contrast, and for its softness, something that pleased the two youngest girls immensely. ‘They saw the pink on the bathroom walls and negotiated very hard on having their shared room in the same colour,’ remembers Kristian, who has his own studio, RUM4, and designed a wealth of handmade furniture for the apartment, which is filled with hardworking built-in solutions.

His highly customised interior is the key to making this versatile home work for everyone, from the large dining table in the kitchen – which also functions as a creative workshop and homework station – to the contemporary four-poster bed that gives Kristian and Mariah’s bedroom its more grown-up edge.

‘It’s important that we all feel at home here, and that we can hang out together as well as have our own private spaces,’ Kristian explains. ‘Being home with all the kids can be hectic and noisy, so it’s great that we can create a silent haven in the living room, and they still have the freedom to make all the noise they want.’ rum4.dk