Home Tours

This stylish apartment will make you want to decorate with pale blue

Article by Your Home and Garden

This chic mum-of-two took from the colours and textures of her childhood to create a home that fuses Scandi style with personal touches

Before designer Margrete Berri and her family moved into their small white house in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, it had been a horse stable, workspace and photo studio, so they knew it would take plenty of time and creativity to turn it into a family home with room for two children.

“We fell for the large skylight in the living room and the central location, but we were not fond of the rest,” Margrete remembers. “The house needed a whole new floor plan. I was very pregnant with our second child and was doubtful about whether it was the right project for us.”

But the couple couldn’t stop thinking about the house and kept returning to look at it. They even started drawing up plans for how they would transform its spaces before they finally made the leap. “Eventually we turned up and threw ourselves into a six-month renovation,” says Margrete.

Surfaces & textures

The couple’s first move was to renovate the kitchen. Old cabinets were replaced with warm grey versions from IKEA, and a solid oak benchtop and brass handles were added for a touch of luxury.

I am drawn both to the stylish and to the colourful.
I like it when opposites meet because it is simply more exciting to live with

The bathroom was fitted with a bathtub and heating was laid under a terrazzo floor. “Terrazzo reminds me of hot summers in Lebanon, where I vacationed with my family as a child,” says Margrete. “It was difficult to find exactly the same style and, after much searching, we came across some leftovers at the local demolition yard. Now I think of childhood memories each time I enter the room.”

Gallery | 13 Photos
See more of the apartment here

East meets north

Margrete is inspired by Lebanese style, which favours lots of colour and flowers, but prefers to combine it with Nordic simplicity. “I am drawn both to the stylish and to the colourful,” she says. “I like it when opposites meet because it is simply more exciting to live with.”