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My Houzz: A Scandi-style Home Away From Home
Shipped over from Denmark, investment furniture pieces add a classic Scandinavian touch to this California flat
Danish couple Kristoffer and Gudrun Kosloff moved to Los Angeles ten years ago to live out their American dream. Yet it was only when they moved all their Danish belongings across the Atlantic that the city began to truly feel like home. Up to that point, their interiors had been filled mainly with flea market finds, Ikea staples and a few designer pieces like the luxury sofa in their living room.
“To have our own furniture, old family silverware, pictures and other family heirlooms means the world to us. To have a connection to Denmark – which will always be our home – that’s what creates that extra feeling of home comfort. Even though it was a costly affair to have our things sent here, it has absolutely been worth it,” Kristoffer says.
“To have our own furniture, old family silverware, pictures and other family heirlooms means the world to us. To have a connection to Denmark – which will always be our home – that’s what creates that extra feeling of home comfort. Even though it was a costly affair to have our things sent here, it has absolutely been worth it,” Kristoffer says.
“Because of the great weather and the many location opportunities, Los Angeles is perfect for basically all types of photos,” Kristoffer says. “There is amazing nature with beaches, mountains and desert, all nearby. Since Gudrun and I have always been crazy about palm trees and sunshine, L.A. was the obvious choice for us both when we decided to leave Denmark.”
The home’s huge terrace allows the couple to enjoy the endless Los Angeles sun. “We’ll probably never get tired of the view. The sky is constantly changing and to sit out here or even just inside and have this view, even from within the house, with windows all over, we’ll never get tired of that,” Gudrun says.
Today, the couple and their six-year-old son, Oskar, live in a large rented house, surrounded by serene mountains in the family-friendly neighbourhood of Sherman Oaks. They had previously lived in the slightly more buzzing West Hollywood, but the older Oskar got, the less necessary it became to have a sea of restaurants and cafes just around the corner. “This area is perfect for us in terms of Oskar’s school, and it is also only a half hour drive to the beach in Malibu and fifteen minutes to Beverly Hills,” Gudrun says.
The house had already been completely renovated when Gudrun and Kristoffer first looked at it, and it was love at first sight. “Americans often renovate in a way that doesn’t completely suit our nordic taste. They prefer a more traditional dark style. But here the owner really kept quality in mind, and the fact that the floors are actually real wood, that the stove is a full-on Ferrari model [that is, a Bertazzoni stove painted at the Ferrari factory] and that the kitchen and bathroom are made of materials that genuinely look like something we would’ve picked ourselves definitely played a large role when we signed the rental contract,” Kristoffer says.
The large woven coffee table is one of the items that was shipped from Denmark. “Already at a young age we were both very conscious of interior design, and as a result many of our Danish pieces are quite a few years old by now,” Gudrun says. “We’ve always preferred saving up for something classic that we know we’ll enjoy for years, and I can’t imagine us ever getting rid of this table.”
The large open-plan kitchen and living room is a natural focal point of the house, both for everyday use and when there are guests. “I am obsessed with coziness and little trinkets while Kristoffer leans more towards minimalist features, so sometimes we need to compromise,” Gudrun says. “But in general we’ve managed to find a balance that suits both of us.”
The large open-plan kitchen and living room is a natural focal point of the house, both for everyday use and when there are guests. “I am obsessed with coziness and little trinkets while Kristoffer leans more towards minimalist features, so sometimes we need to compromise,” Gudrun says. “But in general we’ve managed to find a balance that suits both of us.”
Even though the sun shines all year round in California, the built-in fireplace is wonderfully cozy, especially in the fall and winter months. Behind the sofa, a console table is decorated with coffee table books and a meticulously selected collection of treasures and flowers.
Around the corner from the fireplace hang three spray-painted skateboards — Gudrun and Kristoffer’s newest acquisition. They found the work, which contrasts nicely with the hallway’s otherwise very simple and light style, at the newly opened Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
In the open kitchen there is a built-in sitting corner, which Gudrun has softened with bench pillows. The table is from Ikea, while the bar stools are from the Danish design shop Paustian.
The stunning secretary desk originally belonged to Kristoffer’s great grandpa. The dining table chairs have stuck with them for many years, originally purchased in a high-end design store in Denmark. The colourful artwork on the wall was painted by one of Gudrun and Kristoffer’s favourite Danish artists, Sunny Asemota, while the black console table with drawers was created by the design duo R&Y Augousti and bought at Barneys New York. “It made quite the financial dent,” Gudrun says, “but again, it’s a piece we’ll keep forever.”
This old typewriter, which Kristoffer found on eBay, nicely complements the other items on the secretary desk. “We have a lot of heirlooms in the form of trinkets, pictures and other little treasures from my grandparents and great-grandparents, and when displayed they give off a homey feel,” he says.
Photos and some of their son’s masterpieces decorate the hallway leading to Gudrun and Kristoffer’s bedroom.
The master bedroom has enough space for a little bit of everything. The fan chair in the corner was initially a prop for a photoshoot, until it was taken home and given a round of spray paint.
The bedroom opens up to a fantastic view of the balcony and “The Valley”. The gold-painted mannequin head comes from Kristoffer’s grandpa, who was a hairdresser, while the hand-beaten, metal-plated Indian dresser was one of Gudrun and Kristoffer’s first furniture acquisitions in Los Angeles.
Even their book collection was shipped over from Denmark, and is now housed in a simple, functional Ikea bookcase.
Six-year-old Oskar also has a beautiful view from his bedroom window. Like the master bedroom, Oskar’s room has direct access to the terrace, which has a grass area big enough for kicking a ball around or doing cartwheels, while the rest is cement, perfect for skateboarding and biking.
Gudrun and Kristoffer made sure to focus on giving Oskar enough room to unfold in his own space. “I’ve tried to organise it so that it’s possible clean up quickly, so everything has its place on various shelves and boxes throughout the room — but most of the time there are toys all over the place.” Gudrun says.
The couple fell for the owners’ minimalist style, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom interior is by Restoration Hardware.
Gudrun has a soft spot for stars, so star-shaped lamps can be spotted throughout the house. Kristoffer found the majority of them on Vintage Marquee Lights. The small camera was his grandpa’s. “I think it’s nice to have something on display that was once his but at the same time relates to my career today.”
This teak cabinet is an old drinks cabinet from Lysberg, Hansen & Therp, and for many years it stood in Kristoffer’s grandmother’s home. Today it is in his office and stores, among other things, his impressive stash of Danish liquorice.
Oskar’s creative creations can be spotted throughout the house, exhibited like any other artwork. Here’s a “piece” he made in kindergarten, displayed proudly in the home office. The lamp is from Ikea.
Oskar’s drum set also holds pride of place in Kristoffer’s study and gives it a little extra rock’n’roll vibe. “For some reason Oskar loves to hang out in here and it’s really fun,” Kristoffer says, “even though it comes with a bit of noise when he chooses to really let it all out on the drum set.”
The wall features an impressive selection of fashion magazines from all over the world, so the couple can stay up to date. The metal holders on the wall are from Kristoffer’s old office in Denmark. Fashion magazines can be found throughout the house, and it’s clear the owners’ daily life is filled with fashion and aesthetics.
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Do you love this Danish / LA Home? Let us know in the Comments
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gudrun Kosloff, 40, Kristoffer Kosloff, 43, and Oskar, 6.
More on the owners: Kristoffer is the owner of Filter Management, a management agency for photographers, art directors and stylists that produces photo shoots for Danish and international clients. Gudrun works as a make-up artist for fashion magazines, for celebrities and generally within the fashion industry.
Location: Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA
Size: 2,150 square feet (200 square metres)
Gudrun and Kristoffer made the decision to move to LA in 2005, after Kristoffer opened his photography management company in Copenhagen. The company quickly became an established name in the Danish fashion world, encouraging Kristoffer to try his hand on an international scale. Today he has clients from all over the world, from high-end fashion brands and magazines to players in the medical and car industries.