Danish Houzz Tour: A Magazine Editor's Nordic Home
Malene Marie Møller takes a personal approach to Nordic style, emphasising family mementos and well-loved pieces
Sanne Kragelund
2 July 2017
“My dream was to work in an editorial environment, but it was impossible to gain a foothold, so I had to create my own publication,” says blogger and entrepreneur Malene Marie Møller, who quit her job as a receptionist to fulfil her dream of inspiring others in interior design and reporting on the latest trends. That was about four years ago – now the dream has come true and not only has that publication, Boligcious, taken off, but Møller has also started her own online magazine company. We tour Møller’s own inspiring home in a former office building outside Copenhagen, Denmark.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Malene Marie Møller with her kids, Olivia, 14, and Wilfred, 6
More on the owner: Malene founded the blog Boligcious (’bolig’ means ‘home’ in Danish), and has been writing for it over the past five years. She then founded the online magazine company We make Journals, where she is also the editor of the magazine Sohome. Finally, she manages the creative content agency Høeg + Møller.
Location: Lillerød, outside of Copenhagen, Denmark
Size: 114 square metres, spread over two stories
Who lives here: Malene Marie Møller with her kids, Olivia, 14, and Wilfred, 6
More on the owner: Malene founded the blog Boligcious (’bolig’ means ‘home’ in Danish), and has been writing for it over the past five years. She then founded the online magazine company We make Journals, where she is also the editor of the magazine Sohome. Finally, she manages the creative content agency Høeg + Møller.
Location: Lillerød, outside of Copenhagen, Denmark
Size: 114 square metres, spread over two stories
Møller wants the style in her family’s home to be personal, with many details to explore. “There has to be a ‘Malene style’ here, because there should not be any doubt that I’m the one who lives here,” she says.
This so-called Malene style is always there, whatever the latest trends. Therefore, the furniture has not changed place in this charming city house since the family moved into it twelve years ago. It still shines with stylish choices, well thought-through colour and material combinations and personal elements.
This so-called Malene style is always there, whatever the latest trends. Therefore, the furniture has not changed place in this charming city house since the family moved into it twelve years ago. It still shines with stylish choices, well thought-through colour and material combinations and personal elements.
After 13 years in the fashion industry, a design technology education from KEA, the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, and lots of unsuccessful job applications, Møller started blogging about housing and interior design.
“In school I went for a short internship as a journalist because I always loved a good story,” Møller says: she tried out her writing skills at Fredensborg Amts Avis, a local community newspaper. “I wrote about old people in nursing homes,” Møller says, laughing. “A couple of years ago I bumped into my former Danish teacher, Grethe, in my local supermarket. I was one of those somewhat disappointing students, and Grethe thought my writing was too sloppy. My written exercises were always too short, and my grades were just about average. ‘You could do much better,’ she had always told me. So, when I saw her that day and she heard that I make a living in part by writing, she was really moved. I swear tears came to her eyes.”
“In school I went for a short internship as a journalist because I always loved a good story,” Møller says: she tried out her writing skills at Fredensborg Amts Avis, a local community newspaper. “I wrote about old people in nursing homes,” Møller says, laughing. “A couple of years ago I bumped into my former Danish teacher, Grethe, in my local supermarket. I was one of those somewhat disappointing students, and Grethe thought my writing was too sloppy. My written exercises were always too short, and my grades were just about average. ‘You could do much better,’ she had always told me. So, when I saw her that day and she heard that I make a living in part by writing, she was really moved. I swear tears came to her eyes.”
“Actually, I am the daughter of an artist,” Møller says. Her natural interest in art has grown over time, and she has had great success with the ‘Today’s Poster’ feature on Boligcious, which highlights work by Danish and international artists, graphic artists and creative enthusiasts.
Her eye for art also means she is able to spot exciting pieces and whimsical illustrations, exemplified by the image wall in the living room. It’s a collection of various photographs and pictures, which has grown over time.
Her eye for art also means she is able to spot exciting pieces and whimsical illustrations, exemplified by the image wall in the living room. It’s a collection of various photographs and pictures, which has grown over time.
Her tips for creating a perfect image wall? First of all, use passe-partouts – picture frames made out of a mat with a cutout in the centre – to give your wall some ‘air’. To keep the display from looking too dark, she suggests not hanging dark photos next to each other. Also, intersperse the darkest illustrations with lighter images. Finally, it’s important to try to create visual similarities between different parts of the wall and to vary the sizes of the images.
Some of the artists on display are: No17, Staun P, Vee Speers, Bob Noon, Dale May and Maria Torp
Some of the artists on display are: No17, Staun P, Vee Speers, Bob Noon, Dale May and Maria Torp
The armchair that stands by the corner of the image wall belonged to Møller’s grandfather.
“I clearly remember where it stood in his house,” Møller says – it was always in the room she slept in when she stayed overnight. He used to read the newspaper while sitting there. “We all love to sit in it because it’s in just the perfect spot,” Møller says. However, she also says that it is her dream to replace it with by Lassen’s The Tired Man. “This is the only chair with enough history, age and form to replace my grandfather’s,” she says with a smile – The Tired Man was designed by Flemming Lassen in 1935.
“I clearly remember where it stood in his house,” Møller says – it was always in the room she slept in when she stayed overnight. He used to read the newspaper while sitting there. “We all love to sit in it because it’s in just the perfect spot,” Møller says. However, she also says that it is her dream to replace it with by Lassen’s The Tired Man. “This is the only chair with enough history, age and form to replace my grandfather’s,” she says with a smile – The Tired Man was designed by Flemming Lassen in 1935.
Møller has set up a small work station at the other end of the cosy living room. “I love to sit in a corner with windows where I get light from both sides and can see the open sky,” she says. The work station also makes it possible for Møller to have a good overview of what is happening in the living room when the kids are at home. In addition, the desk is located so close to the door to the second floor that she can hear if her son is calling out to her in the evening.
“This table from Skagerak is brilliant. It’s just the right size, and it leans up against the wall, so it hides the ugly radiators,” Møller says.
Office chair: Bent Hansen
“This table from Skagerak is brilliant. It’s just the right size, and it leans up against the wall, so it hides the ugly radiators,” Møller says.
Office chair: Bent Hansen
In the middle of the living room hangs the item that means the most to Møller: at first glance, it looks like a photograph, but it is actually a painting by the artist Maria Torp.
It reminds Møller of her grandmother. “She had crooked fingers, always wore nail polish and had the same bracelet.”
It reminds Møller of her grandmother. “She had crooked fingers, always wore nail polish and had the same bracelet.”
Møller grew up in a very colourful and kitschy home, but based her own decor on the aesthetic of Torp’s painting. To create a calm atmosphere, she has echoed its blue tones and lines in most of the living room.
“I love to put brass together with blue tones because it makes the blues look more regal,” she says. She also adds that materials and colours shouldn’t match too much in interior decor.
“I love to put brass together with blue tones because it makes the blues look more regal,” she says. She also adds that materials and colours shouldn’t match too much in interior decor.
One is never in doubt that Møller has a unique eye for aesthetics and personal interior design. According to Møller, you can create a good story in almost any home. “It’s like moving boxes: they can be somewhat bland in the beginning, but when you pack your whole life into them, they suddenly become very personal,” she says.
The cosy living room leads directly to the kitchen. “Actually, this was the room where people used to get married in the good old days,” Møller says, as civil marriages had been carried out in this room in the building’s previous life as an office space. There has been a major change since then: the kitchen has been completely renovated, and a lovely terrace has been added outside.
Kitchen, hood and sink: Ikea; tiles: Mosaikhjørnet
Kitchen, hood and sink: Ikea; tiles: Mosaikhjørnet
“For a long time, I dreamt of having a kitchen that could double as a workshop,” Møller says.
She is a little tired, though, of the country style that the bright raised-panel cabinet doors help to accentuate. “However, I believe the beautiful tiles, architect lamps, sink fittings and free-hanging pots give the kitchen a look that I can live with.” She stresses that she loves her kitchen mostly because of the life her family lives in it. There is a great vibe when the whole family is gathered around the dining table.
She is a little tired, though, of the country style that the bright raised-panel cabinet doors help to accentuate. “However, I believe the beautiful tiles, architect lamps, sink fittings and free-hanging pots give the kitchen a look that I can live with.” She stresses that she loves her kitchen mostly because of the life her family lives in it. There is a great vibe when the whole family is gathered around the dining table.
Møller made the dining table out of an old table panel that she combined with legs from Hay. The rustic look creates a sharp contrast with the white floors.
“I started painting the floors in the kitchen when we renovated, both for hygienic reasons and because the room looked so dark,” Møller says. “I had a hard time with so many different kinds of wood. So, I chose to stain the kitchen table.”
The painted surfaces create a calm to balance out the many pieces of art, bric-a-brac and furniture.
Dining table: old plank table from Sacre Coeur; legs: Hay; dining chairs: Fritz Hansen
“I started painting the floors in the kitchen when we renovated, both for hygienic reasons and because the room looked so dark,” Møller says. “I had a hard time with so many different kinds of wood. So, I chose to stain the kitchen table.”
The painted surfaces create a calm to balance out the many pieces of art, bric-a-brac and furniture.
Dining table: old plank table from Sacre Coeur; legs: Hay; dining chairs: Fritz Hansen
Møller uses the chalkboard in the middle of the kitchen to write down her creative ideas and new plans. “The board is perfect for both adults and children. Even the little ones can reach up to it, and they love it,” Møller says. The busy blogger uses the board to practise spelling tests and math with her daughter, Olivia, and writes small memos and shopping lists on it. “We use it much more often than I would have anticipated,” she says.
The kitchen leads to a lovely wooden deck in the garden.
From the hall, a staircase leads to the second floor. Møller painted the floor black for practical reasons, but also to create contrast with the white staircase. The floor matches this decorative chair, which is the focus of this hallway. The chair is another memento of Møller’s grandparents: it was a gift from her grandmother.
Møller was interested in interior design even as a child. “I remember how I always played with Barbie dolls when I was little,” Møller says. “The best part was designing their homes using detailed drawings and building the walls out of vinyl records.” Her son Wilfred – whose room this is – shows the same talent. “When he plays with Legos, we take photographs of his creations.”
“As a child, I had a little spot in a tree that I would drag an armchair and an aquarium up into,” Møller says. Today she has her dream of a bedroom with layered pink tones.
“When I became a single mum I bought my powder-coloured bed and went completely for girly colours with layered tones,” she says.
Bed and bedspread: Auping; lamp: &Tradition
“When I became a single mum I bought my powder-coloured bed and went completely for girly colours with layered tones,” she says.
Bed and bedspread: Auping; lamp: &Tradition
Møller had used this colour scheme before, when she was 18 years old. “I loved to watch the TV show Roomservice, in which Danes got help decorating their homes.” She used play Roomservice with a friend, who used her savings to be buy the things that Møller suggested. “The result, among others, was a pink bathroom,” she says, laughing.
Related Stories
Houzz Around The World
France Houzz: A New Island Home With an Old Soul
Check out this young family's welcoming and characterful French island home on Île d’Yeu, which embraces local style
Full Story
Houzz Around The World
Germany Houzz: A Small Cabin Transformed Into a Forest Retreat
In this secluded area in the Taunus mountains of Germany, a family enjoys their weekends in 29 square metres of space
Full Story
Architecture
Sydney Houzz: Bob Hawke's Iconic Northbridge Home Made Modern
The old home of Australia's longest-serving Labor prime minister and his wife Blanche d'Alpuget has had a new makeover
Full Story
Houzz TV
London Houzz: Tour a Contemporary Loft in an Old Victorian School
Watch and read how a design firm updated this light and airy apartment in an old block with sleek style and warm touches
Full Story
Interior Design
Before & After: A Dream Family Home on Sydney's Waterfront
The owners of this grand six-level home wanted to give it a casual, coastal feel to suit its spectacular setting
Full Story
Architecture
Rural Houzz: A Modern Mountain Retreat Set Among the Gums
Explore a cleverly designed country home that sits quietly within the landscape, while providing views from every room
Full Story
Houzz Around The World
Berlin Houzz: A Touch of Japanese Forest Bathing in a German Home
Beloved memories of Japan come to life with the renovation of this 120-square-metre apartment in Berlin, Germany
Full Story
Houzz Around The World
London Houzz: Daring Colour & Texture Transform a Victorian Home
By Kate Burt
The busy owners of this terrace sought help to design outside their decor comfort zone – the result is a cool classic
Full Story
Colourful Homes
Queensland Houzz: A Cute Cottage Awash With Colour and Pattern
Bold colour, quirky prints and an abundance of art transformed this 1920s cottage into an inviting and relaxing gem
Full Story
Houzz Around The World
Germany Houzz: Creating Summer & Winter Homes in a Converted Barn
One barn, two homes – see how architects designed separate zones for summer and winter living in an old country barn
Full Story
Love it - my next home will have to be white throughout!
Looks like a properly lived in, comfortable and stylish family home. Love mix of old and new pieces.