Inspired by childhood memories
When Maj-Britt was little, she was always surrounded by aromas of raspberry stew, homemade jam and pickled beets. At least that’s how she recalls her childhood. Her parents and grandparents were passionate gardeners, and Maj-Britt never went to a day care center but spent her time with the grandparents. Her grandfather took her to the fields and her grandmother took her into the garden. She remembers playing in the treetops and eating strawberries and blackberries with her bare feet buried deep into the soil. She was surrounded by flowers, anything from roses to Indian cress and dahlias, and of course the beautiful sweet peas that smelled like heaven. This sweet pea aroma still sends Maj-Britt straight back to her grandparents’ garden where everything felt so safe, down-to-earth and full of love. Even though the parents worked, they always had time for gardening and the garden was always a beautiful painting full of wonderful colors. Maj-Britt loved working in the garden, and the sound of a rake in the soil and a broom on the tiles will always be well-known, cozy sounds to her. The garden and all its features have always brought about a sense of safety, happiness and peace in her. A place where there was plenty of time for nice talks and where people were happy.
Today, Maj-Britt is 46 years old and a trained pedagogue. She’s married to Henrik and has two lovely children. When Maj-Britt and Henrik wanted to buy a house 20 years ago, there was no doubt that they were interested in country homes and old villas. They found a marvelous, old villa in the heart of the Danish town of Slagelse and they fell in love with the place as soon as they entered the house. The old wooden flooring, the old, white ceilings and the level differences from one living room to the next convinced them straight away. The outbuilding was falling apart but it was charming and determined to stay alive despite the neglected state. The villa is from 1898, it measures 1,720 ft2 (160 m2), it’s full of crooks and oblique angles, and when the couple bought the place, it was full of future projects.
The garden was quite boring and full of tiles but it turned into a fresh piece of canvas to fill up with all the ideas that the couple had. With time, the love of all things old has grown immensely and everything in this house has been renovated with respect for the soul and age of the place. The couple has found items throughout the country that they’ve brought home and used again. Old windows have been used for the garden hut and the greenhouse, old beams have been used in ceilings and on walls, and old kitchens have been used in the garden hut and in the flower workshop. Floor boards are used as shelves and tabletops, and old bricks have been used as flooring. All these details create a red thread throughout the interior design, both indoors and outdoors. The couple has done most of the work themselves and usually with recycling materials. It’s taken a long time and the couple is great at coming up with ideas for new projects. Once they’ve got an idea, it’s quickly implemented.
When they bought this house, Maj-Britt really got into all things old, romantic, cozy and beautiful for the interior design. She’s inspired by beautiful places that she visits alone or with Henrik, and she’s great at bringing the informal, southern atmosphere into the house and the garden.
The garden is Maj-Britt’s oasis. She’s the one who furnishes the garden and does the gardening, but Henrik helps her whenever something needs to be constructed. They started out by building a garden hut and then the garden project really took off. In the course of time, they’ve planted approx. 200 roses and lots of beautiful perennials and dahlias. They’ve created nooks in various places where you can hide and enjoy the peaceful life and the singing birds. Later, the couple started renovating the old brick outbuilding that measures no less than 538 ft2 (50 m2), creating an orangery and a flower workshop. The flower workshop is used for making bouquets and doing creative projects during the festive seasons. In the winter, standing here in the orange light from the stove is so nice. This is a peaceful place where creativity knows no limits.
