A colourful approach to a Danish summerhouse

Bold colour and retro and designer classics makes Josefin’s summerhouse a bright retreat that’s very different from her city apartment.

“From the beginning, I wanted to create something that was completely different to our appartment in Copenhagen,’ says Josefin Dirk Freij about the summerhouse she shares with partner Mads Drik Pousem and their three-year-old daughter Lois. “Luckily, we both agreed on making it a colourful space.”

The couple bought the summerhouse in 2018, not long after moving in together back in Copenhagen. This was the last property they viewed. “It looked a bit like a sauna and the layout was completely hopeless,” says Josefin, “so we needed lots of imagination.”

“We agreed that darker colours would make it feel more cosy, although we were slightly more anxious that we were going too dark, so we mixed in a more delicate peach,” says Josefin.

Before it got to the decorating, everything was striped out and Josefin and Madds opened up the space, sanding the floors and fitting a new kitchen. “I had drawn everything out and made a moodboard for Mads to help visualise my plans,” says Josefin.

The simple, slab-style kitchen is from Ikea, which the couple had sprayed green by a car painter. “We wanted to get the colour just right,” says Josefin, who added leather handles to finish off the new-look units. The peach-coloured tiles are handmade. “I just love the contrast they create with the dark-green units.”

“I love to play with colour,” smiles Josefin. She’s taken the same palette through to the green sofa in the living room, while their bedroom ceiling is painted a warm peach shade.

Mads on the other hand is a “bit more traditional“, Josefin adds, “yet he’s the one who can spend several hours online at Lauritz looking for Danish designer buys.” It’s this mix of old and bold that gives this summerhouse its striking sense of style. “We just love the way this place mixes old and new.”

Outside, the couple have created different seating and dining areas on the deck of the summerhouse, furnsihing it with buys from Lauritz, with cushions from Notre Dame.

See more of Josefin’s home in our Vol 2 Summer issue, which you can order for the special price of £5 per copy while stocks last (excludes P&P/worldwide shipping available).

Words & styling: Stylesystemet/House of Pictures; photography: Lasse Wind/Cloud + Caption/House of Pictures.