Step inside this Danish home that suits all the family

Moving back to her childhood home near the Danish town of Karlslunde gave Helena, her husband Paw and his mother the chance to create a home that’s loved by all

Helena Norrstrøm had no plans to move back to her childhood town, let alone her childhood home, yet a conversation with her husband Paw and her mother-in-law started a chain of events that now sees her happily settled back in the Danish town of Karlslunde. “One evening, Paw (a carpeter) was chatting with his mother when he announced to her: ‘We’ll build you a home so we can look after you,’ and the more I thought about it, the more the idea grew on me,” says Helena, a stylist and owner of helenasrum.dk. At the time, the family were living in Copenhagen, with their grown-up children close by. “We’d also had our first grandchild, and my memories of a secure childhood became a little fresher,” she shares.

Jump forward five years and the family are completely settled in Helena’s former childhood home, although it looks very different to the house she remembers from her youth – a cosy, little wooden summerhouse. “We’ve rebuilt it to accommodate two households,” Helena explains, allowing her mother-in-law to move in next door. She was the architect behind the renovations, with Paw rebuilding and refurbishing the house. Helena’s home is very Nordic in style, with nature playing a special role inside and out.

“I love vintage and buying things from flea markets,” Helena shares. “There is so much history in old items, although I do like to mix with new.” In fact, what started out as simply a hobby – Helena sharing her love of gardening and her lifestyle on Instagram – has since become her latest venture. Having gained more than 60,000 followers in just a few years, Helena opened an online store (@helenas_rum), selling hand-picked products that she would (or, in fact, does) have in her own home and garden. “Lots of people started asking me where things were from, so I launched a shop,” she explains.

Nature plays a big role in Helena’s decor, especially at Christmas, when her home is filled with spruce, pine cones and branches. “I love decorating with what I can find right outside my own door, instead of going down and clearing out the local florist,” she laughs. “I like it when things aren’t polished. It’s such an easy way to decorate for Christmas and adds a such a lovely scent when teamed with lots of home baking.”

At the front of Helena’s home stands a small greenhouse; this is where she enjoys the morning sun. At the back, a second greenhouse is where the family gathers to tuck into Christmas Dinner on 24 December. Inside, the new layout also includes a workroom space for Helena, which has its own licence to be aesthetically messy.

There’s also a covered terrace, which provides additional living space for the whole family to enjoy, whether during the winter or summer months. Of course, come Christmas, it too gets dressed with candles, a hanging wreath and more fresh foliage. But it’s the simple white gloss kitchen that is the hub of her home – all rooms lead off it, while the front and back gardens can be also be accessed from it.

Above the white-painted table – a flea market find – hangs a wreath made by Helena, decorated with pine cones, snowflakes and baubles. Helena made the wreath from branches, but also sells a version made from wrought iron.

Every year the family puts up a ‘December tree’, which stands throughout the month, trimmed with vintage baubles and pine cones. It’s then replaced with a fresh one on Christmas Eve, which is dressed with colourful family decorations.

In her workroom, Helena’s table was made by Paw. The chair is Tolix, with a sheepskin from helenasrum.dk. The boxes are from Søstrene Grene.

Even Helena and Paw’s bedroom is decorated for Christmas, with a small pine tree and a beautiful decorative star hanging from the ceiling. The lime paint is from Kalk by Trampedach, the headboard is from Living & More, the pillows are from Ib Laursen, while the bedspread is from Cozy Living.

“We wanted to create a home that had room for us and allowed us to live out life,” says Helena. The family has certainly achieved that – it’s a multi-generational home that is full of life and love, especially at Christmas.

Words: Stylesystemet/House of Pictures. Photography: Elisabeth Dahlberg/House of Pictures.