My Houzz: Extreme Minimalism Dominates This All-White Home
This blogger deals with a constant riot of colour in her day job, so she made her home a monochrome sanctuary
As a fashion stylist, blogger and former fashion editor, Maiken Winther has spent years obsessing over the latest trends in colours, decor and the colourful collections of various designers.
Counter-intuitively, this is why her own home in Nørrebro, in central Copenhagen, Denmark, is practically colourless.
Counter-intuitively, this is why her own home in Nørrebro, in central Copenhagen, Denmark, is practically colourless.
“When you work so intensely and for so many hours in fashion every single day, constantly travel abroad and see shows and presentations, and even style and create things yourself, your head is constantly bombarded with an insane amount of impressions,” Winther says. “So when I get home, I can’t really handle any more colours. The more white, industrial and clean it is, the better. Everything in my home is like that.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Maiken Winther, 38, stylist and the woman behind the fashion and beauty blog Nouvelle.dk
Size: About 750 square feet (70 square metres)
Location: Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark
Who lives here: Maiken Winther, 38, stylist and the woman behind the fashion and beauty blog Nouvelle.dk
Size: About 750 square feet (70 square metres)
Location: Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark
Winther’s home is extremely minimalist. Some might think that it looks empty and that there is plenty of room for more furniture. However, this emptiness was a deliberate choice, so that the apartment would not feel too packed or cluttered.
“Things should be useful, but most importantly, they must be easy on the eye. They should be beautiful and nice. This is crucial when I buy things. It is not so important whether it’s a trend or in fashion. I just want to put something together that I think looks great.”
Here’s how to make minimalism work in Indian homes
“Things should be useful, but most importantly, they must be easy on the eye. They should be beautiful and nice. This is crucial when I buy things. It is not so important whether it’s a trend or in fashion. I just want to put something together that I think looks great.”
Here’s how to make minimalism work in Indian homes
White, white, white: There is no doubt it’s Winther’s favourite colour for the home, but in the middle of the very bright living room stands a single dark-blue piece: The couch.
“The only reason I, unfortunately, do not own the white version is that I know myself,” Winther says. “I spend many hours sitting on my couch because I often work at home – and I love chocolate. Chocolate and a white couch aren’t a good combination. Even if it’s important for me that things are beautiful to look at, it is also important to be able to exist in the home that I have created for myself,” Winther says.
“And the coffee table is actually an element I want to do more with; it’s not even intended to be used as a coffee table.“
“The only reason I, unfortunately, do not own the white version is that I know myself,” Winther says. “I spend many hours sitting on my couch because I often work at home – and I love chocolate. Chocolate and a white couch aren’t a good combination. Even if it’s important for me that things are beautiful to look at, it is also important to be able to exist in the home that I have created for myself,” Winther says.
“And the coffee table is actually an element I want to do more with; it’s not even intended to be used as a coffee table.“
The few pieces of furniture and decor that have found their way into the space have been carefully selected.
“I never go to Illums Bolighus [a Danish design store] and think, ‘I should buy something now.’ I find out about something interesting first, and then hunt it down,” Winther says.
She loves to look for inspiration in interior design magazines, though she also finds it frustrating that many of the things in these magazines either haven’t come onto the market yet or are difficult to obtain.
“I never go to Illums Bolighus [a Danish design store] and think, ‘I should buy something now.’ I find out about something interesting first, and then hunt it down,” Winther says.
She loves to look for inspiration in interior design magazines, though she also finds it frustrating that many of the things in these magazines either haven’t come onto the market yet or are difficult to obtain.
“I also have stuff from Ikea,” she says. “It just can’t be avoided. But I would really like to not own any of the mainstream things that everyone else has. If I were rich and famous, I would only own off-beat things. They wouldn’t have to be vintage – they could be new as long as they were not overly accessible.”
Winther travels extensively for work, so she frequently comes across weird and wonderful things she’d love to decorate her home with. “But you just can’t take a couch home from Paris or an old lamp from San Francisco. After all, your suitcase is already filled with shoes,” she says, laughing.
Winther travels extensively for work, so she frequently comes across weird and wonderful things she’d love to decorate her home with. “But you just can’t take a couch home from Paris or an old lamp from San Francisco. After all, your suitcase is already filled with shoes,” she says, laughing.
Perhaps the most spectacular item in her home is this three-dimensional work by artist Zenia Kirkegaard from Artéleri. “My popcorn,” as Winther calls it.
“I’m absolutely crazy about it! For many years, I had nothing on the wall, because it quickly becomes too, ‘here we have an adult living in a real home.’ But when I saw this work of art online, I was really excited and wrote to the artist that same evening that I just needed to have it,” she says.
The piece consists of foam rubber mounted on a heavy wooden board. “It is both large and loud, but on the other hand it also blends perfectly into the room,” she says.
Check out this essential guide for art lovers
“I’m absolutely crazy about it! For many years, I had nothing on the wall, because it quickly becomes too, ‘here we have an adult living in a real home.’ But when I saw this work of art online, I was really excited and wrote to the artist that same evening that I just needed to have it,” she says.
The piece consists of foam rubber mounted on a heavy wooden board. “It is both large and loud, but on the other hand it also blends perfectly into the room,” she says.
Check out this essential guide for art lovers
The Serif TV from Samsung was designed by the brothers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. It gets its name from the fact that, from the side, it looks like a capital “I” in a serif font.
“It’s nice to look at even when it is turned off, and that is extremely important to me,” Winther says.
“It’s nice to look at even when it is turned off, and that is extremely important to me,” Winther says.
Although Winther sticks to bright white in decor, she is also a big fan of dark colours, especially black, when it comes to her outfits. However, both preferences are driven by the same philosophy.
“I have a very rigorous, practical – some would say boring – and manly style. About 80 percent of my wardrobe is black or dark navy because, just as I want the apartment to be easy and quiet, I also don’t want to have to mess about deciding what colours I’m going to wear.”
“I have a very rigorous, practical – some would say boring – and manly style. About 80 percent of my wardrobe is black or dark navy because, just as I want the apartment to be easy and quiet, I also don’t want to have to mess about deciding what colours I’m going to wear.”
Yet, in Winther’s view, there is still a lot of clutter in the home. “I am a minimalist at heart and feel that I live in a minimalist way. But I don’t really, because the place is filled with objects, junk, and gizmos,” she says.
Learn how to have a clean, clutter-free home
Learn how to have a clean, clutter-free home
This is one example of a space she finds cluttered. “For me there is a lot happening in this corner, where there is just a bottle of lotion and a book,” she says, referring to the small table beside the bed. “But in another sense, it looks very minimalist because it’s so bright and sticks to one colour scheme.”
In the kitchen, likewise, one sees only a few cooking utensils and ingredients. “But if I had enough cupboard space I’d hide everything away there, though I would probably get a little tired of having to rummage deep through the cupboard all the time,” she says.
Generally, the fashion stylist quickly has her fill of anything that stands out too much. “Flowers are the hardest things for me to buy because they can easily become too girly. I have had some Lyngby vases for many years, but now they have become so popular that they are almost too much. It’s much easier with just white candles.”
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She bought the three-legged Ant chairs at an auction a few years ago. “It’s not often that I shop this way, because it’s simply too nerve-racking, whether you’ll win the bid or not,” she says.
“I dream of covering my whole bathroom with white tiles from top to bottom. I also tend to only buy white beauty products.“
The 70-square-metres (750 square foot) apartment consists of two very small apartments that have been merged. Although Winther would like more space, she is so fond of the neighbourhood and her quiet white oasis that she will be very unlikely to move in the near future.
“At some point I’ll want to move, but they’ll have to build something like this,” she says, laughing.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: Minimalism Meets Vintage in This Bangalore Holiday Home
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Share in the Comments below.
“At some point I’ll want to move, but they’ll have to build something like this,” she says, laughing.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: Minimalism Meets Vintage in This Bangalore Holiday Home
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Share in the Comments below.