Pernille Holm transformed this Copenhagen workshop into an inviting home that’s packed with quirky details and original features
FEATURE PIA OLSEN / LIVING STORIES STYLIST RIKKE GRAFF JUEL PHOTOGRAPHS ANITTA BEHRENDT
Nestled on a quiet side street in Copenhagen’s fashionable Vesterbro district, sits the old workshop in which Pernille Holm, stylist and boutique owner, now lives with her husband, Leif Thingtved. Not only is it an unexpected oasis of calm in the heart of the lively hustle and bustle of the city, but it is also the building where the couple first met, 32 years ago. Back then, Leif used the space to work on his old English motorcycles, and on her visits Pernille says she would dream about decorating the place if she lived there, never really imagining that it might be possible.
So when the chance to transform the workshop into a home came up, she was already ahead of the game with her plans, and they both agreed that it was important to retain its raw, industrial character. But to make the space work as a home it was necessary to create separate spaces. To do so they used salvaged materials to create several large, glazed room dividers, which feel as if they are original to the building.
‘I love things that are different. I feel good when I’m surrounded by quirky stuff,’ says Pernille, adding that if decor is too perfect, she feels the need to counteract it in some way. ‘That’s probably also why we have a lot of vintage,’ she says. ‘But things with history also just suit our home really well.’ She also loves the thrill of the chase; what she calls the ‘quest’ to find something special. ‘I’ve often dragged awkward things home with me from our many travels around the world,’ she admits, and on the occasions when she’s found herself unprepared – either without funds or transportation for her finds – the frustration haunts her. ‘We visited a market in Paris many years ago, and I found a huge carpet from the 1920s in dove-blue with a light purple and black pattern. I didn’t have the money to buy it, but I was obsessed,’ she laughs.
It is not only abroad that Pernille hunts for vintage finds. She loves to browse the lots at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, both online and at their base in Lyngby, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, and she often admires
