Vintage finds at flea markets and online have been cleverly mingled with chain-store decor and designer pieces in this one-off home
Who lives here?
Vivi Bang (stylist and interior decorator at Wise Interior), Christian Korsgaard (architect) and their two daughters.
Vivi and her architect partner, Christian Korsgaard, have created a home that has retained a sense of its history while also catering for modern life with custom-made furniture, smart storage, a vibrant colour palette and plenty of art and personal objects.
“Even though there wasn’t a bathroom, the kitchen didn’t work, there was no electricity, the previous owners had been smoking in there for 60 years, our baby girl was 3 months old and I was pregnant again, we still couldn’t resist this crazy project!” says Vivi Bang.
How did you manage such a big renovation with a young baby?
Vivi: We’d renovated before but this time it was different because our roles had changed with a baby to care for. Even though it’s hard doing a total renovation and it feels like it never ends, it’s so satisfying when you see all that hard work pay off.
Favourite spot in the apartment?
I love the corner of the living room with the blue velvet Beetle chair by Gubi and the charcoal drawing by Christian’s sister. There’s a great view to the black kitchen, too.
[gallery_link num_photos=”10″ media=”https://www.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz//wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2019/06/YH0719_HSECoverStory_20190226_Vivi-Bang_13.jpg” link=”/real-homes/home-tours/small-apartment-stylish-pink-kitchen” title=”Read the full story here”]
5 style tips
1. Blue-green tones bring a lovely tranquillity – whether on a wall or in art or other accessories – and are easy to combine with strong colours, pastels and art prints.
2. More daring artworks can be kept in balance by using simple, classic frames. Stick to the same style of frame for most of the art, to loosely link them together.
3. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, think about having it made for you. The black metal shelves, oak side table (both in the living room) and bathroom mirror are all small custom items.
4. Warm up a cool colour with a contrasting hue and soft textures. For instance, cinnamon curtains and thick rugs have been teamed with the grey-blue of the living room, while pink velvet accents soften the bedroom’s moody green.
5. Adjustable wall lights are a good option in a small kitchen and take up less visual space than pendants. Vivi and Christian’s black Mantis BS5 lamp is a British design from 1951 now made by French brand DCW Éditions.
See more of the apartment below
This colourful bouquet was coloured and made by Vivi and combined with candles in candleholders from Ester & Erik.
An eclectic array of objects furnishes the living room, including a blue velour Gubi chair, Beni Ourain rug and a Spanish chair by Børge Mogensen.
Colour is used to help define spaces in this small city home – the warmth of the pink kitchen gives way to the cooler, more retreat-like space of the bedroom, but the dusky pink tones are picked up in cushions and curtains.
The door and hallway are painted in wine-red Jotun ‘Bordeaux’. “We wanted our entrance to be cosy and, since we can see it from our dining table, we wanted it to stand out so we weren’t looking at a boring space,” Vivi says.
Words by: Vivi Bang and Sally Conor. Styling by Vivi Bang. Photography by: Christina Kayser Onsgaard/Livinginside.
[related_articles post1=”97530″ post2=”88882″]
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
