“Half of me is a minimalist, and the other half a maximalist. That dual nature is reflected in our home. I like simple, structural design so that each space has a special ‘atmosphere’. At the same time, I also love decorative, cute, pretty objects, that’s the maximalist in me.” TRINE KJAER lives with her family in a beautifully preserved house from 1917 in Charlottenlund in Copenhagen full of character and creativity. We visited her to talk about treasured collections, and the balance between beauty, her favourite colour green and practicality that makes her home so personal.
Art direction & Words Bea Hellman Photographer Katrine Rohrberg Photo assistant Silas Kappel Staal Retouch Magnus Mols
Hello Trine! It’s been eight years since we last met, back when we visited your lovely apartment in Frederiksberg for a Small Talk interview. Now you live in this magical house. Tell us, what has happened in your life since then?
TK “I’m so happy to welcome you back. Since we met back in 2017, I’ve been pregnant again (twice), then corona came, and we suddenly felt a strong need to get closer to nature and find a house with a garden.
This house, what made you fall in love with it? TK “Everything. It truly was love at first sight. I love old houses in general, but when we were house-hunting, we realized that many have been ruined by poor renovations that didn’t respect the home’s original details or period. Luckily, this house was beautifully preserved, apart from a modern kitchen, which we tore out and replaced with one that felt much more suited to the house. It has original terrazzo floors, solid wooden floors, and the most beautiful stucco ceilings, everything we had been searching for.
Will it be your forever home you think? TK “You never know, but I really feel it is! Moving is so tough when you have kids, and this is truly their childhood home. They know everyone on the street and feel safe here, I don’t think I could take that away from them. It’s also a very big house, so we have plenty of space for the kids, guests, and everything else. I don’t really know why we should ever move, even though I do love projects and renovations.
What makes a place truly feel like home? TK “The people who live in it.
Do you have a favourite room in the house? TK “Definitely our kitchen. It was so special to design and renovate it, and it feels like our personality in one room. Both my husband and I, and the kids, love to cook and eat, so we spend a lot of time there.
Are you a collector of anything special? TK “What don’t I collect, haha! I’m a really big collector, you’ll find me at a flea market every Sunday. I collect porcelain, glasses, vases, silk scarves, and much more. Every time I find something, I feel like it’s my best find. But to name a few, I’d say my Svenskt Tenn pouf, all my Griegst porcelain that I’ve been collecting since 2013, and my soft spot for tin and steel vases.
“If I had to select my favourite space, without a doubt it would be the kitchen. The kitchen was the first room we started remodeling after we acquired the house, and in that process I made sure even the smallest elements reflect my taste. As a result, it is the space where my identity is most strongly expressed. The styling was inspired by the movie ‘Call Me by Your Name’, shot in a beautiful old Italian house.”
“Our home is a space that puts children first. Children can play wherever, and I want my children to feel that our home is warm, cozy, and fun.”
”The table top, made from marble from Carrara, Tuscany, and the mix of off-white and red colours especially pleased me. While preserving those details, I updated it with stainless steel materials to give a more modern nuance.”
How do you balance practicality and beauty in your interiors? TK “It’s all about finding compromises. For me, it’s important to be surrounded by beautiful things. I’ve got quite a few rare (and often expensive) pieces, and I make sure to place them out of reach or in a display cabinet. That way, the kids don’t have to worry about them, and I can still enjoy them. Our home is their home too, and they should feel free to play everywhere. When you’re a family with kids, you need certain things like high chairs and toys, so I always try to find the prettiest versions of those things so everyone is happy.
Is there a signature style or outfit you tend to stick with? TK “Jeans, a tee, and a fun jacket.
What piece in your wardrobe has the most sentimental value? TK “A big Chanel flap bag with sequins that my husband gave me when I turned 30. I always come back to Loewe for shoes and bags, Uniqlo for t-shirts, Levi’s for jeans, Jacquemus for dresses. I also love The Frankie Shop, Source Unknown, GIACCA blazers, cashmere knits from People’s Republic of Cashmere, and LOLO ballerinas.
And where do you find inspiration? TK “My friends, traveling, books, Instagram, and Pinterest. I’m always quite inspired when I’m home, and I guess that’s why working from home works so well for me. But I get the most inspiration when traveling in Italy, the colour combinations, materials, details, everything. I also love finding colour inspiration in Swedish and English cottages.
Do you have a favourite colour combination? TK “We just bought a summer house, a very old cottage, and all I can think about are the colours Carl Larsson used in his homes.
Mm lovely, can´t wait to see it! Tell us more about your children. TK “Yes, we have three kids: Roberta just turned 9, Robin is 5, and Babette just turned 3. Every Friday we have 4 o’clock drinks and chips. It’s the most precious time of the week, a moment the kids really look forward to. Everything is calm, and everyone is excited for the weekend to begin.
What do you do to create balance in a busy family life? TK “Routines are the key. I never really understood the importance of routines when we only had one child, but as soon as we had two, and now three, they became everything. We wake up at the same time every day, get dressed, eat breakfast together, and then leave the house. In the afternoon we snack, play, have dinner, maybe take a bath, and then bedtime is always at the same time. There’s nothing to argue about, and the kids love the structure and consistency.
What values do you hope to pass on to your children? TK “Empathy and patience, both qualities that come more naturally when you grow up with siblings. I also hope they’ll take life lightly, be creative, have fun, and most importantly, treat people with respect.
Striped sofa, Melimeli. Puddle Sofa, Table, Massproductions. Arcs Trolley High, HAY, on top vintage trompet vase.
“I love a green colour that pairs perfectly with off-white. We have a green ‘Cloverleaf’ sofa by Verner Panton in the livingroom. My love for green comes from Italian architecture. I can’t forget the emotion I felt when seeing that all windows in Puglia when we visited were painted green. It was so beautiful, So we painted the kitchen and bathroom windows green, in a nod to Puglia.”
Left: Puffy Lounge Chair by HEM.
What are your style advise for decorating a kids’ room? TK “Remember it’s a kids’ room, don’t decorate it like your living room. It should be fun, creative, and not too serious. And there’s no such thing as too much storage! It makes it easier for kids to keep their room neat and organized, and it saves you a lot of cleaning.
When do you feel happiest? TK “When I’m with my family, when I’m by the sea, when I’m arranging flowers, or when I’m having dinner with friends, no kids!
You and Nicholas, what do you do for each other to stay happy together? TK “We respect each other and the fact that we’re two individuals, I think that’s essential if you want to stay together forever. We complement each other well, both as a couple and as parents. We enjoy the same things, music, food, art, travel, friends, and we laugh a lot.
Describe a perfect day for you. TK “I love Fridays, so my perfect day would be a Friday. We have our morning routine, the kids go off to school and daycare, and I try to keep Fridays free from meetings so I can finish some work. Then I pick them up early, maybe we go to the beach, and when we get back home we have drinks and snacks. Sometimes we invite friends with kids over for dinner.
If you’re hosting a dinner with friends at home, what’s on the table, the menu and the atmosphere? TK “I love a casual dinner with friends. It could be different sharing plates like bread with butter and anchovies, salads, cheese, and bread, or just a simple pasta or grilled langoustines with vegetables. I always set a tablecloth and fresh flowers, but otherwise I keep it simple. I always use AIDA Life in Colour, which I’m working with. The plates come in different colours, and I love mixing them with flea market finds to make it more personal.
Wall art ‘Barbie’s Bricks’ Sarah Roseman. The cabinet is a vintage find.
The sideboard is from USM Haller.
“If I were to describe myself in one word, I’d say I’m a collector. If I find an object I like, whether a vase, pottery, jacket, or shoes, I tend to keep it. A beautiful home is a space filled with items and memories that have been gathered carefully over a long time. And I love flowers, my home is always decorated with fresh flowers.”
Nicholas, Babette, Trine, Robin and Roberta on the steps of their home in Copenhagen.
“Our house is located in the northern part, where you can enjoy abundant green nature, sea and forest. Architecturally, it’s a house built in 1917. There are traces of age and many unique decorative elements. It’s fairly large for a family of five; it’s in four levels, with the two main levels that we use most having been remodeled to suit our tastes. Outside the house is a garden. It has a pergola surrounded by fragrant and pretty roses, multicoloured fruit trees planted long ago by someone, and a large terrace where most of the summer is spent together as a family.”
Easy Chair by Verner Panton for Verpan.
What is beauty to you? TK “Healthy hair, clean skin, and a big smile.
A museum visit we shouldn’t miss? TK “Skagen Museum, it’s one of my favourite sources of inspiration. The Skagen painters’ way of capturing light is truly special, and their colour scale is so beautiful. When you go, you can also visit the painters Drachmann and Ancher’s houses, both homes are so inspiring.
And a Copenhagen destination we don’t know about that’s not to miss? TK “The flea market in Charlottenlund every Sunday is really good, and after shopping, you can buy a delicious rye bread sandwich at Bread Station (they have the best rye bread I know) and then head either to the woods or the ocean nearby. It feels like you’re far away from the city, even though it’s just 10 minutes away by train.
A podcast you enjoy listening to? TK “My husband’s podcast PAPA. Every week he has a conversation with a well-known dad about fatherhood, childhood, traumas, and happiness. I love getting a glimpse inside men’s minds, it’s so rare to hear men talk about feelings in public.
Is there something you’d like to recommend to our readers? TK “If possible, keep your evenings work-free so you can be present with your partner.
And what are you most proud of? TK “My kids, no doubt! But I’m also very proud of being self-employed for 10 years.×
