My Houzz: New York Loft Meets Cool Scandi in a One-bed Flat
A crisp palette, simple materials and beautiful details have given this open-plan flat a serene yet homely feel
Over the past two years, blogger Carla Sophie Molge and her boyfriend, Jonas, have transformed the flat they rent together. Nothing is left to chance: if something doesn’t fit, it has to go. The blogger even managed to persuade her landlord to change the kitchen, so it would match the room’s overall design. The result is a calm, stylish space that feels warm and personal.
Finding the right home was a challenge for Carla and Jonas, because most of the rental flats in the city were built with a more traditional layout, with the kitchen in a separate room.
“We were lucky to find this apartment, because I’m very picky about these things,” Carla says. “Our home should be cosy with a big kitchen and attention paid to detail, and that’s what we’ve got here. It has a large living area and a New York atmosphere about it, which we fell head over heels for.”
“We were lucky to find this apartment, because I’m very picky about these things,” Carla says. “Our home should be cosy with a big kitchen and attention paid to detail, and that’s what we’ve got here. It has a large living area and a New York atmosphere about it, which we fell head over heels for.”
The living area and recently renovated open-plan kitchen form the apartment’s main living space. The home also comprises a bedroom, bathroom, hallway and balcony, but this living area was what drew the pair to the property.
“I fell for this big room because we can cook in here while chatting and doing other things.”
The couple have lived here for two years, but the new Ikea kitchen was installed two days before this photo shoot. Although it’s a rented apartment, Carla was able to select cabinets to match the rest of the décor, and she’s really happy with the result.
Kitchen, Ikea.
Kitchen, Ikea.
“I’m immensely fond of two things in this home: the raw brick wall in the bedroom, because it reminds me of a nice New York apartment, and our new kitchen, because it’s bright and inviting,” Carla says.
“We chose a simple white kitchen with a small twist in the form of the beautiful metro tiles and the micro-cement worktop. It gives the kitchen a raw, industrial look, which the architectural wall lamps also help to emphasise.”
Mirror, Tinytiny. Curtains, Ikea.
“We chose a simple white kitchen with a small twist in the form of the beautiful metro tiles and the micro-cement worktop. It gives the kitchen a raw, industrial look, which the architectural wall lamps also help to emphasise.”
Mirror, Tinytiny. Curtains, Ikea.
“Previously we had wall cabinets, but they took up way too much space and made everything seem too compact, so we chose to install a long shelf instead,” Carla says. “It can hold some of the trinkets I can’t do without, because they make my kitchen personal and cosy. This also kept us from having to use up worktop space just for them.
“After all, it isn’t the largest kitchen,” she says. “By choosing a drawer system instead of cabinets, we got back the space that wall units would have given us. In fact, with this kitchen, we have much more storage space, although you wouldn’t say so by looking at it.”
Carla also uses a display cabinet and a pair of shelves for storage.
Display cabinet, Ikea.
“After all, it isn’t the largest kitchen,” she says. “By choosing a drawer system instead of cabinets, we got back the space that wall units would have given us. In fact, with this kitchen, we have much more storage space, although you wouldn’t say so by looking at it.”
Carla also uses a display cabinet and a pair of shelves for storage.
Display cabinet, Ikea.
Carla’s love of decoration goes back to her childhood. Her parents had a cosy old restaurant, which was where she first learned what good décor could do for a room.
Sofa, Ilva. Living room table, custom-made by the craftsman who also made the table in the kitchen.
Sofa, Ilva. Living room table, custom-made by the craftsman who also made the table in the kitchen.
Even though Carla grew up in the countryside, she doesn’t want to move back. So this flat, with its large windows facing city life and busy streets, is just right – even if it’s only rented and there are a few things she would change if she could.
That she now has her new kitchen doesn’t mean Carla’s next wishes for the home are going to be more modest.
Chandelier, Mobil 5 by Pholc. Mirror, House Doctor.
That she now has her new kitchen doesn’t mean Carla’s next wishes for the home are going to be more modest.
Chandelier, Mobil 5 by Pholc. Mirror, House Doctor.
Chair, Menu.
“One of the things that’s going to happen next here is that I’ll get new curtains for the big windows facing the street. Then I’d love to have micro-cement on the floor in the bathroom, just like on the kitchen worktop and small living room table, which I’m very happy with.”
Coating the bathroom floor with micro-cement requires permission from the landlord. The next time he comes by, they’ll talk about the bathroom renovation.
Coating the bathroom floor with micro-cement requires permission from the landlord. The next time he comes by, they’ll talk about the bathroom renovation.
And when there are no major renovations on the go, there are always smaller projects to be getting on with. Carla often moves trinkets around, hangs new things on the wall or replaces a table here or a chair there.
She got the ladder pictured here from her mother, who lives just around the corner.
Towels, Bloomingville.
She got the ladder pictured here from her mother, who lives just around the corner.
Towels, Bloomingville.
“I can’t replace the big things in the same way, though,” Carla says. “I take care of them and keep them for a long time. But I can easily change the smaller things with my mood or with the seasons. I’ve painted my walls three different colours so far, for example, refreshing them every time the seasons change,” she says.
Bedding, H&M Home. Cushions, Ellos, Lene Bjerre and Bloomingville.
Bedding, H&M Home. Cushions, Ellos, Lene Bjerre and Bloomingville.
Carla finds most of her things in stores in Aalborg and online. She also refurbishes used furniture, and she and her boyfriend like looking for small things in Gothenburg, in Sweden, where there are a lot of items they can’t find in Danish shops. As long as the style is Nordic and not too colourful, it suits her taste.
Lamp, an old work lamp from Bauhaus. Mirror, Tinytiny.
Lamp, an old work lamp from Bauhaus. Mirror, Tinytiny.
“I would describe my style as Nordic, simple and cosy, and although I like to follow trends, I go against them a lot, too,” Carla says. “I mix my décor with old things, so my home doesn’t get too mainstream. I love cushions, velvet and linen in muted colours.”
Bench, Jysk.
Bench, Jysk.
“I think too many colours get in the way, and when I’ve tried to decorate with strong colours, I ended up getting tired of them really soon,” Carla says. “It just doesn’t work here, so I stick to the dusty tones I love.”
Tell us…
What do you think of this simple flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you think of this simple flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? Carla Sofie Molge, 25, an Instagrammer and blogger who also solves interior design problems through her company, Molge Decor, and her boyfriend, Jonas, 24,
who’s in the military
Location Aalborg, Denmark
Size One bedroom and one bathroom; about 840 sq ft (78 sq m)
Photos by Camilla Skøtt