Ideal Home (UK)

Embracing grey

A unifying palette of greys has provided Monica Vedel Niclasen with a simple backdrop for dramatic super-sized lighting, gold details and the occasional pop of spicy colour

-

A calming backdrop lets vintage pieces and spicy shades pop

Living room

‘We used a specialist company to create the distressed concrete paint effect on the walls.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Try Concrete wall texture mural, £26m, Photowall, as an alternativ­e. Velvet pouffes, £195 each,

Graham and Green, would work

“You have to be true to yourself, especially now that people are spending so much time at home”

Monica Vedel Niclasen, owner of Trendit, lives here with husband Peter, who owns a constructi­on company and daughter Zoe, four. They have another baby on the way. THE PROPERTY

A four-bedroom

1920s house, near Copenhagen, Denmark. THE VALUE

Bought for £815,000 in 2017. Spent around £362k. Now worth £1.36m.

Although we loved living in our apartment in central Copenhagen, when our daughter Zoe came along we wanted to be closer to the forest and the sea. We found a house with a garden, just 15 minutes out of the city. Our main challenge was navigating the government restrictio­ns on what we could change. Luckily, my husband owns a constructi­on company and had worked with architects on Copenhagen’s popular Nyhavn street, famous for its colourful old houses. He was the driving force in our project and made sure the existing windows were restored and the new ones replicated the originals.

We had plans drawn up to extend the house, adding a new basement, plus a large dining space off the kitchen. It took almost three years to complete the work and we had no kitchen for almost six months.

The first year was spent working 24/7, then we finished all the loose ends over the next two years. The basement was done first, so we moved down there while the rest of the house was finished.

We wanted to create a modern, yet classic, home with a good-quality finish. I made a huge three-metre square mood board for all my ideas. Having set up my own fashion agency when I was 24, I’ve always loved mood boards. We laid oak herringbon­e floors with a grey oil wash throughout for a cohesive flow. I love all the grey tones – grey floors, grey kitchen, grey walls, grey velvet – although I’ve been a bit more daring with the flamingo wallpaper in the guest loo.

Scandinavi­an style is the base, but with a mix of old vintage items from Asia, like the 100-year-old wooden table that we’ve paired with new chairs.

The only thing left to do is grow some flowers in the garden, but that’ll be a much more relaxing project!’

Kitchen

‘I love the kitchen, which was made by Danish company Handcrafte­d Copenhagen. It’s a classic, long-lasting design that won’t date.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Try English Revival cabinets in Diamond Grey, £17,500 for a similar-sized kitchen, Mereway Kitchens. Disk knobs in brushed brass, £7.95 each, The Hairpin Leg Company, would work here

Kitchen

‘On the left is a door that leads to a pantry and utility room behind. This keeps things uncluttere­d.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Nordal brass rectangle trolley, £480, Amara. Kichler Crystal Skye pendant, £725, Kes Lighting, is similar

Kitchen

‘We kept the original doors as that’s what gives the house its charm. They were painstakin­gly restored and repainted.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Arielle velvet charcoal black eyelet curtains, £60 a pair, Dunelm, are similar

WHAT I’VE LEARNED “I would never again do a project where we have to live in the house while we renovate. It’s a huge challenge as you never switch off ”

Dining room

‘The dining table is made from an old Chinese door. The big chandelier doesn’t give out the best light, but we have small adjustable spots in the corners as well.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Round crystal chandelier, £251.18, Litfad, has this look. Try Farmhouse oak cross-leg dining table, £859, Duxburys Home & Garden

“I don’t like adding too much colour. My favourite shop in Copenhagen, Rue Verte, is mostly shades of grey”

En suite

‘The ceramic floor tiles have a similar design to the wood herringbon­e elsewhere.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES

For a similar look, try Spoon stone resin countertop washbasin, £195; wall-mounted gold washbasin tap, £235, both Lusso Stone

Main bedroom

‘This room is small so I’ve kept it simple with lots of grey velvet. Using the same concrete paint effect creates continuity with the living room.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Try Mila round convex mirrors, £209 for set of three, Maisons du Monde. Down velvet grey bedspread, £180, Trouva, is comparable. Large sage green cotton lampshade, £78, Graham and Green, is similar

 ??  ?? POUFFE PICK A DESIGN WITH HANDY HIDDEN STORAGE SPACE
POUFFE PICK A DESIGN WITH HANDY HIDDEN STORAGE SPACE
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? FLUSH FIT HOB KEEPS THE ISLAND SURFACE STREAMLINE­D
FLUSH FIT HOB KEEPS THE ISLAND SURFACE STREAMLINE­D
 ??  ?? HIGH CUPBOARDS MAKE USE OF CEILING HEIGHT FOR STORING SEASONAL ITEMS
HIGH CUPBOARDS MAKE USE OF CEILING HEIGHT FOR STORING SEASONAL ITEMS
 ??  ?? GLAZED DOUBLE DOORS HELP BRING LIGHT INTO THE HALLWAY
GLAZED DOUBLE DOORS HELP BRING LIGHT INTO THE HALLWAY
 ??  ?? ‘WE STORE
ALL OUR BEST DANISH DESIGN PIECES IN
HERE’
‘WE STORE ALL OUR BEST DANISH DESIGN PIECES IN HERE’
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? 3D ART
USE AN ALTERNATIV­E TO WALL ART TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT
3D ART USE AN ALTERNATIV­E TO WALL ART TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom