From fixer-upper to spectacular mansion

When Nadia and her husband first viewed the house, there were no floors or kitchen on the ground floor, the basement was dingy and the roof was leaking. Nevertheless, Nadia was convinced that the house had the potential to provide a perfect home for the couple, Nadia’s two teenage children and their two cats, Chili and Bailey.

The old Burmese teak front door and the interior staircase that connects the entire house from the basement to the second floor were just two of the original details that Nadia fell for. The rest of the property was in such a bad state of disrepair that the couple had to start from scratch.

For Nadia, who trained as an architect specialising in interior design in the UK and the US, the joy of bringing an old, run-down house back to life was present throughout the entire renovation project.

Even from the outside, it’s clear that this is not a home like any other. The couple found the classic wrought-iron lamps by the front door second-hand and had them restored using pale pink glass, while the plinth is painted a dark pink to contrast with the white facade. Nadia originally wanted to paint the entire house soft pink, but agreed to the compromise of a chalky white facade with a soft pink plinth – and a new name for the house: ROSA, which is Danish for soft pink.

The high white panels and the herringbone oak flooring in the expansive classic hallway are elegantly offset by pale pink walls and the SOHO lamps which serve as both lighting and decoration. On the original staircase, which Nadia fell for the moment they first saw the property, a soft carpet in alternating shades from beige and pink to burgundy creates the feel of an exclusive boutique hotel.

The hotel atmosphere continues in the pink guest bathroom, where Nadia has created a cosy spa area for relaxing foot baths. The beautiful Bizazza mosaics in OLEANDRO Shading Blend, the pink walls and burgundy ceiling creates a bold fusion of colour, but it is by no means random. The Bizazza mosaics, smoked oak, brass and the colours soft pink, burgundy, green and deep dark blue are a carefully conceived palette that Nadia has consistently used throughout the whole house.

The smoked oak bathroom furniture from uno form’s Classic collection, designed by Arne Munch in 1968, is designed in collaboration with Kevin Schmidt from uno form Copenhagen. The worktop is custom-made in Calacatta Viola marble, and has distinctive red wine-coloured veining that harmonises with the other colours in the room. In all the bathrooms, Nadia chose natural brass fixtures from vola, Liila lamps from Nuura Lightning and the Gubi mirror F.A. 33, which was designed in 1933 by legendary architect and designer Gio Ponti.

The large kitchen-diner opens onto the living room, where the couple’s passion for Finn Juhl’s sculptural furniture in particular is evident. Around the four-metre-long Noyer dining table are beautiful examples of the 46 Armchair, 44 Chair and the 109 Armchair.

The lamps include the iconic PH Artichoke pendant designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958. The art on the wall by artists such as Luca Padroni and Jacob Brostrup creates a dynamic contrast with the stylish furniture. 

To balance the feminine and masculine, Nadia has chosen a light green for the large open space. The green colour is echoed on the modern version of the tiled stove, and also in the Madreperola Quartzite countertop on the kitchen island, which is in smoked oak from uno form’s Copenhagen collection.

Based on an idea for the shape of the kitchen island, Nadia also collaborated with uno form Copenhagen’s Kevin Schmidt to create just the island she wanted. The worktop continues down into the floor, because Nadia wanted to create a piece of furniture that gives the impression of having merged with the house. The extra-high wooden drawers in solid smoked oak, with an internal height of 34 cm, are perfect for tall storage jars, 1½-litre water bottles and a wide range of groceries.

Danish modernist architects like Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen were not afraid to use colour, and Finn Juhl even painted the ceilings in his house in different colours. So, it seems only natural that right next to the living room with Finn Juhl’s Whisky Chairs, designed in 1948, and the iconic JN07 Armchair, which was created as part of the ‘Denmark’s Next Classic’ TV programme, is an eclectic home office that the family refers to as the Bird Room.

The ceiling is burgundy, the drawer unit is pink, the wallpaper is filled with birds – and it all comes together in the Moooi Perch Light Branch designed by British architect and designer Umut Yamac.

Strategically placed between Finn Juhl’s Whisky Chairs and the terrace, the couple have created a home bar with anthracite grey cabinets from uno form’s Shaker collection, including a wine cabinet and oak shelves with lighting and an integrated solution for hanging glasses.

The room is kept completely monochrome in a deep dark blue, the walls are covered with Bizazza mosaics in the colour Augusta, and the worktop has a leather finish in the same shade used for the pouffe and packing table in the couple’s walk-in closet.

If it’s not patio weather, you can instead relax in a limited edition of Finn Juhl’s small Poet Sofa in a corner of the home bar.

On the first floor, Nadia’s two teenage children have their bedrooms and a bathroom with Bizazza mosaics in the colour Magnolia Shading Blend, which goes beautifully with the smoked oak bathroom furniture from uno form’s Classic collection.

The Calacatta Oro marble worktop, the vola faucets in untreated brass, the Gubi mirror and the Nuura lamps serve as cohesive design elements throughout the home, reflecting a refined aesthetic that seamlessly blends timeless elegance with contemporary sophistication.

The master suite is in a class of its own. The 50-square-metre suite comprises a large bedroom, a spa area with bathtub, toilet and a luxurious walk-in wardrobe in smoked oak from uno form’s new Wardrobe Collection that celebrates Danish bespoke craftsmanship and international design trends.

From the very first images of prototypes from uno form’s joinery workshop in Denmark, Nadia had no doubt that this was exactly the wardrobe solution she wanted. Nadia has chosen closed wardrobes on one side and a combination of smoked oak cabinets, drawers, shoe shelves and glass shelves for hat boxes and handbags on the other. In the centre, the couple has built an island in smoked oak with a leather top and a matching custom-made pouffe.

The master bedroom, like the home bar, is completely monochrome – the same deep dark blue – and from both the iconic armchair, The Tired Man, designed by Flemming Lassen in 1935, and from the bathtub, Nadia and Morten can enjoy the fire in the built-in fireplace.

You will also be completely enchanted by the handmade Bizazza Calystegia flora feature wall behind the bathtub in the bathroom, which was designed by Kiki van Eijk, as well as by the FLOS chandelier and the smoked oak bathroom furniture from uno form’s Copenhagen collection.

Kevin Schmidt, uno form Copenhagen, suggested the custom-made leather cushion for the window recess in the bathroom, and it gets used a lot when Nadia’s daughter and friends gather for teenage fun. Next to the window recess is a tall unit in smoked oak from uno form’s Avantgarde collection, which is used for storing towels etc.

When the couple took over the house, the basement was dismal and full of spiders. It was therefore important for them to create a friendly and inviting basement area – with a home theatre, wine cellar with table football and darts, a bathroom and a guest room.

The entire basement has been decorated in the now familiar deep dark blue except for the utility room – this is Nadia’s domain, which explains the pink tiles and the full-on colour.