Article: See English and Scandi combine in this Danish villa
See English and Scandi combine in this Danish villa
When Pernille and Martin bought a Danish villa with its own distinct Seventies vibe, they set off on a renovation journey that would see old and new, English and Scandinavian style, and colour and pattern combine
For eighty years, this large villa had been owned by the same family – the veterinaries of the small Danish town of Søvind– so when Pernille Teglgaard and her husband Martin Jørgensen bought it two years ago, they knew it had plenty of potential waiting to be uncovered. The house hadn’t been touched since a style makeover in the 1970s, which had seen plenty of clashing pattern, wood veneer walls and ceilings, and even its own home bar.
“There was a lot going on and a slight confusion of style periods, but there were also many possibilities, and our dream to live in a house with high ceilings, plenty of space and original character clearly overshadowed all the Seventies additions,” remembers Pernille. “When we walked around for the first time, we could feel that there was something historical in the rooms that we hoped we could find our way back to and build on.” Of course, such a vision was helped by the fact that Pernille and Martin run their own interior design studio.
The family of six all lived in the living room during the early days of the renovation, while they peeled off layers and layers of wallpaper and veneer cladding. Slowly the original house started to shine through, with lovely wooden floors and a beautiful staircase connecting each of its four floors uncovered beneath Seventies panelling.
The couple did most of the work themselves, with a new kitchen and bathroom added to the ground floor (previously, the kitchen was in the basement, with a small kitchenette on the ground floor). It was the new kitchen that caused most of the “pondering and deliberation, along with the colour of the stairs,” Pernille confesses. “On the plans initially, we had it in the space that’s now the living room, but it didn’t feel quite right, so then we tried it in the dining room, only to settle with it in the front reception, which was made larger by knocking two rooms into one. It’s now the first room you walk into from the entrance hall and it works so well.”
It was an important room for Pernille to get right as the family love to bake and cook together. The kitchen needed to be spacious with plenty of worksurface area while fitting the age and style of the house. The couple chose IKEA units paired with a beautiful marble worktop. The shelves, painted the same rich ochre as the walls, allow Pernille to create ever-changing displays.
The kitchen, like the rest of the house, has a nod to the past, with plenty of modern elements and vibrant colours that, when combined, make a welcoming space. Pernille admits to also being inspired by English style. “I’m fascinated by how they use colour to make spaces welcoming and friendly. Among other things, I’ve used Farrow & Ball’s approach to colour choices based on what the room will be use for,” says Pernille.
“An entrance hall that you just walk through but don’t stay for a long time, for example, is the obvious place to give it a little more with pattern and colour,” she reasons, “and I love how the English mix old and new together.” Pernille believes that English country style and Scandinavian simplicity are a great design partnership. “It’s this meeting between the two styles that I find so exciting.”
Pernille’s home is therefore decorated in equal parts classic Danish furniture in warm woods, and old painted pieces with an air of English country nobility. White walls are broken up with patterned wallpaper, while on shelves and in cupboards, Danish porcelain stands alongside English stoneware and textured pieces.
“I’ve always been attracted to old things, but I like to break them up with something completely new and modern,” says Pernille. “The contrast created by new and old meeting each other draws the lines up sharper, and the difference has a reinforcing effect that I like.” And it’s this difference that makes this a very special home.
