Houzz Tours
Danish My Houzz: Bargain Buys and a Stylish Eye Make a Cosy Home
Vintage finds and classics come together in a country home that's brimming with character – without breaking the bank
Some people like to move the furniture around while others constantly change the colours and patterns of the sofa cushions, but Maja Porsgaard Rosasco and her husband Kristian are in a totally different league.
“This is our third house in five years, so apparently we are really hooked on renovating houses,” says Maja. “We desperately wanted to get out of the city and fell for this house in Espergærde [about a half hour drive north of Copenhagen] on a hot summer day. It is such a cosy town, right by the beach and the forest. We started dreaming immediately: what if we could live here every day? But it was a tired house that needed a very loving hand. That was why we went to see it something like eight times, and I think the real estate agent almost gave up on us, because we needed a lot of time to think about whether we had the energy for yet another renovation.”
“This is our third house in five years, so apparently we are really hooked on renovating houses,” says Maja. “We desperately wanted to get out of the city and fell for this house in Espergærde [about a half hour drive north of Copenhagen] on a hot summer day. It is such a cosy town, right by the beach and the forest. We started dreaming immediately: what if we could live here every day? But it was a tired house that needed a very loving hand. That was why we went to see it something like eight times, and I think the real estate agent almost gave up on us, because we needed a lot of time to think about whether we had the energy for yet another renovation.”
The living room is decorated in a warm, timeless style with green plants and an organic mix of soft textiles, leather, glass and wood. The buffet, the table and the artwork, like a number of other items, were purchased at secondhand markets and from Instagram shops.
“I follow a lot of people who sell on Instagram, and I have even considered starting an Insta-shop myself. But so far, I always end up keeping everything I find,” says Maja.
The sofa is from BoConcept and Kristian already owned the swan armchair when the couple moved in together. He is, in fact, just as much into design as Maja is. “We have never disagreed about anything when it comes to interior decoration. We can spend a long time choosing images for the wall collage, but at some point we suddenly both know we’ve got it,” she says.
“I follow a lot of people who sell on Instagram, and I have even considered starting an Insta-shop myself. But so far, I always end up keeping everything I find,” says Maja.
The sofa is from BoConcept and Kristian already owned the swan armchair when the couple moved in together. He is, in fact, just as much into design as Maja is. “We have never disagreed about anything when it comes to interior decoration. We can spend a long time choosing images for the wall collage, but at some point we suddenly both know we’ve got it,” she says.
Maja wanted to have a tiny velour sofa for this bay, if possible, in a delicate pink. She had never dreamed that they would find it for only about $4 (20 Danish kroner). “It was even well preserved, and it fits perfectly in the bay with the sash windows, which cast a fantastic mix of light onto the floor,” says Maja. “The sofa is definitely one of my best bargains. We also found the piano for pretty cheap. As long as you pick them up yourself, they are often cheap.”
Even though Maja is a bit of a collector, she keeps everything nicely in order, grouping knick-knacks and vases together, as here on top of the piano. This group features Lyngby and Bjørn Wiinblad vases, among others. The lamp is from Jieldé and was found at a secondhand market in Berlin. The picture is from Stilleben.
Since the three living spaces are laid out in an L-shape and connected by large openings without doors, it was important to create a cosy, cave-like atmosphere in the living room. Painting the walls blue demarcated the space without obstructing the elegant open layout.
In the natural centre of the house, the original parquet floors and high ceilings provide a timeless and elegant frame for Hans J. Wegner’s classic dining table and Y-chairs. Next to the old staircase is a display cabinet from Oliver Furniture, painted black. Plants create a relaxed atmosphere throughout the home.
The dining room offers a view into the white kitchen. The lamp is from Menu. Under a drawing from an old automobile exhibition stands a Wegner CH07 chair.
The couple was deliberately looking for a completely clean and simple white kitchen from Kvik, with no handles or other disruptive elements. “A kitchen is already very busy as it is. A quiet framework is good, and we can always add some decoration,” says Maja. They have done this through a splashback of tiny herringbone marble tiles from Fired Earth and a shelf from House Doctor, among other things.
A collection of decorative jugs, jars and a mortar and pestle sit on the shelf. The turquoise flour tin is from Africa – Kristian used it to transport fragile items home.
The space next to the kitchen used to look like a cave, but is now a finely tuned utility room that has become so nice that it is also used as an entrance. Maja spent a long time choosing the floor and insisted on the Moroccan cement tiles, which are irregular and quite difficult to lay. But the result was well worth the effort, because the tiles fit perfectly into the vintage atmosphere.
The original staircase has been freshened up with white paint, but it is so beautiful in itself that it adds interest as a visibly integrated part of the living room. A branded polar bear, found in someone’s garbage, hides underneath. The couple has a flair for finding these kinds of offbeat items that give the home character and a bit of unpredictability.
Maja dreams of making the bedroom a little more exciting, possibly with some artwork on the wall. On the other hand, there is also something nice about sleeping in quiet surroundings with soft, grey fabrics. The fabulous view out over the sea from the balcony adds to the feeling of being in a beach hotel.
Dresser and lamps: Ikea; bedspread: H&M Home
Dresser and lamps: Ikea; bedspread: H&M Home
The black Panton lamp has a striking effect amid its soft white surroundings in the upstairs hallway. The molecule posters were a gift.
Lily’s room is decorated with dusty pastel colours that fit nicely with both the vintage surroundings and a happy kid’s room.
Light pours in through windows that offer a view of the sea. The bed has been decorated with string lights.
The bathroom has some rather impossible angles with the sloping wall and recesses. However, the previous owners found an elegant solution: there is a shower, with cream-coloured tiles, at one end and a table and sinks under the window.
In the recess at the other end there is a claw-foot bathtub standing atop a floor that resembles a ship deck.
“Good materials were used for all of it, so we have not changed anything. Even the glass shelves, which I was ready to tear down immediately, were allowed to stay. Now they actually work fine,” says Maja, adding that sometimes she has to keep her eagerness to change things in check and, instead, give them a chance.
“Good materials were used for all of it, so we have not changed anything. Even the glass shelves, which I was ready to tear down immediately, were allowed to stay. Now they actually work fine,” says Maja, adding that sometimes she has to keep her eagerness to change things in check and, instead, give them a chance.
The guest bathroom was also renovated with turquoise tiles.
Here the dewfall is not as heavy as in other areas around the house, which is why the family often eats breakfast in the sun in this warm corner.
Just to the right of this is another patio. Here, classic white garden furniture matches the style of the house. The windows will need changing soon, and it is understandably important for the couple that the new ones are as similar to the originals as possible.
There are many cosy nooks in the garden, and the owners have created a sunny sitting area here against this overgrown stone wall, which contributes to the home’s holiday feel.
Kristian has also built a pergola on a third side of the house, and the tall flowers provide a small sample of the abundance of vines and other plants that, over time, will be climbing the posts to create the exotic ambience that is part of the couple’s dream.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Who lives here: Maja and Kristian Porsgaard Rosasco and their 4-year-old daughter, Lily
More about the homeowners: Maja is a journalist for DR P4 Copenhagen (one of the radio stations of the Danish national broadcaster) and Kristian is a development editor at Warner Bros.
Location: Espergærde, Denmark, with a sea view. It includes a private beach shared by a handful of neighbours.
Size: About 202 square metres over two storeys
By the end of it, the answer was a pretty resounding ‘yes’, thanks to a few important factors. First of all, the beautiful house dates from 1900, but everything in it is so well-made that the couple did not need to do anything to the structure. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, they decided to hire professionals for most of the work this time. “That was a good decision,” Maya says with experienced conviction.
This way, the couple, who are both very interested in design, could instead spend their energy on choosing colours and materials in order to create a warm, exciting and timeless family home with all the things they have brought home from their travels, inherited, found at markets or bought online.