Shades of Grey: Danish restoration breathes life into a dull home
In 2016, Kristian Lillelund lived in a small apartment in central Copenhagen with his two daughters, Inés and Clara. His girlfriend, Mariah, lived with her two children, Elliot and Viola, in an apartment near Frederiksberg. The couple wanted to move in together, but struggled to find a home that could accommodate their family. "With the prices in Copenhagen, we didn't have enough money to buy an apartment the size we needed," says Lillelund.
Fortunately, the neighbor recently divorced Mariah was hoping to cut back. They agreed to swap apartments. No money changed hands: it was a mutually beneficial agreement. "He was happy to move on," says Lillelund. “The apartment was too big for him and there were too many memories. Only now that he's seen what we've done, I think he wants to go back to…”
The apartment they moved into had three huge living rooms, a small kitchen, a master bedroom and a second smaller room. Lillelund, an interior designer and cabinet maker, immediately saw the potential. "It was mostly about knocking down a few walls and building a few more for the extra bedrooms," he says, clearly unfazed.
Although he doesn't Without a formal design background, Lillelund has been designing bespoke interiors and cabinetry for over 30 years. "I've always had a deep love for classic design and architecture and found it quite easy to create things myself," he explains. "I renovated my first apartment in 1991, when I was just 18, and I've been self-employed as an interior designer and cabinetmaker for 25 years now... always been easy to see possibilities when I walk into a space.”
In 2016, Kristian Lillelund lived in a small apartment in central Copenhagen with his two daughters, Inés and Clara. His girlfriend, Mariah, lived with her two children, Elliot and Viola, in an apartment near Frederiksberg. The couple wanted to move in together, but struggled to find a home that could accommodate their family. "With the prices in Copenhagen, we didn't have enough money to buy an apartment the size we needed," says Lillelund.
Fortunately, the neighbor recently divorced Mariah was hoping to cut back. They agreed to swap apartments. No money changed hands: it was a mutually beneficial agreement. "He was happy to move on," says Lillelund. “The apartment was too big for him and there were too many memories. Only now that he's seen what we've done, I think he wants to go back to…”
The apartment they moved into had three huge living rooms, a small kitchen, a master bedroom and a second smaller room. Lillelund, an interior designer and cabinet maker, immediately saw the potential. "It was mostly about knocking down a few walls and building a few more for the extra bedrooms," he says, clearly unfazed.
Although he doesn't Without a formal design background, Lillelund has been designing bespoke interiors and cabinetry for over 30 years. "I've always had a deep love for classic design and architecture and found it quite easy to create things myself," he explains. "I renovated my first apartment in 1991, when I was just 18, and I've been self-employed as an interior designer and cabinetmaker for 25 years now... always been easy to see possibilities when I walk into a space.”
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