BEFORE
AFTER
Jeg har glædet mig rigtig meget til, at dele dette indlæg med jer! Jeg skriver det lige nu en uges tid inden min termin, så det er, indrømmet, et planlagt post. Når det ryger i luften – ja, så kan det være vores lille pige er kommet til verden. Who knows… 🙂 Det er helt underligt at tænke på.
Jer der har fulgt med i vores renoverings-projekt siden sidste år da vi købte huset, husker måske dette blå værelse, som ligger lige op af soveværelset. Jeg tror nærmest det var ét af de ældste rum i huset, hvor der stort set ikke var gjort noget ved det siden 70’erne. Det så ihvertfald sådan ud inden vi startede, haha. Vi snakker brunt 70’er tæppe (som faktisk var lidt cool, men bare slidt og ja, nok bare ikke lige passede ind i vores visioner for stilen i huset), blåt sagsmuldstapet, brunt indbygningsskab og et reb langs kanten i loftet. Der følger iøvrigt (selvfølgelig) en video med til dette indlæg, som I kan se nederst. Der kommer jeg også nærmere ind på vores tanker omkring bæredygtighed samt nogle af de ting vi har købt, i alt fra interiør, tøj, legetøj, babyudstyr og plejeprodukter. Så hvis I kunne tænke jer at følge byggeprojektet endnu nærmere, så kig med der!
I have been so excited to share this post with you! As I’m writing it I’m only a week ahead of my due date so it’s, admittedly, a scheduled post. When this goes live – well, it may be that our little girl has finally arrived to greet the world. Who knows … 🙂 It’s weird to think about it like that.
Those of you who have been following our renovation process since last year when we bought the house, may remember this blue room, which is located right next to the bedroom. I think it was one of the oldest rooms in the house, where pretty much nothing had been done to it since the 70s. At least it looked like that before we started, haha. We’re talking brown 70s carpet (which was actually kinda cool, but just worn out and well, just didn’t quite fit into our visions for the style of the house), blue sawdust wallpaper, a brown built-in closet and a rope along the edge of the ceiling. You can have a closer look at it in the video at the bottom of the post. In there I also share some more of our thoughts on sustainability as well as some of the things we have bought in general from interiors, clothes, toys, baby equipment and care products. So if you would like to follow the process even closer, make sure you watch the video after reading through this post!
Værelset har fået stort set samme kærlige behandling som soveværelset – det gamle tapet blev pillet ned og erstattet med helt almindelig glasfilt, der er kommet gipsloft op og så er der kommet trægulv ind i stedet for gulvtæppe. Der er ligeledes blevet sat nye lister og stikkontakter op i hele rummet, så i det hele taget fremstår det helt nyt og lækkert nu. Det er selvfølgelig mest af alt Morten, der har været igang med byggeriet da jeg har været gravid under hele processen. Så jeg har hjulpet til med diverse små-projekter som afdækning, rengøring, oprydning osv. Og så er det også mig der har taget hånd om den (ifølge mig) sjoveste del; indretningen. Morten har bygget og jeg har hygget. God arbejdsfordeling, ikke? 😉
Selvom vi egentlig ikke havde planer om, at hendes værelse skulle være færdigt inden min termin, så har det faktisk været et ret dejligt projekt at kunne gå frem og tilbage til. Jeg har ladet mig fortælle, at kroppen især den sidste måneds tid inden termin kan få et forhøjet niveau af kortisol, som er et stress hormon. Det er kroppens måde, at forberede sig til fødslen og babys ankomst. Og det har jeg i dén grad kunnet mærke! Jeg vågner konsekvent hver nat ved 3-4 tiden, både fordi min krop er træt, øm og tung efterhånden – men også fordi tankerne bare kører rundt i mit hovede. Selvom jeg gik mere eller mindre på barsel 4 uger før min termin, har fået hygget og slappet en masse af og sover til middag næsten hver dag, så har jeg simpelthen været så rastløs! Og det har været rart, at have et sted ligesom at putte den rastløshed hen, og have noget at fokusere på. At bygge rede er virkelig en ting… 😉
We gave the nursery pretty much the same treatment as our bedroom – the old wallpaper was taken down and replaced with a smooth glass tissue, we’ve added a plain plaster ceiling and we’ve installed wooden floors instead of the carpet. Of course, it is most of all Morten who has been working on rebuilding the room since I have been pregnant during the whole process. So I have helped with various small things such as prepping, cleaning, tidying up, etc. And then I was also left in charge of the (in my opinion) best part; decorating. Morten has been re-building and I have had fun decorating. Good division of the labor, huh? 😉
Although we didn’t really have plans for her room to be finished before my due date, it has actually been a pretty nice project to be able to go back and forth to. I have been told that the body, especially in the last month before giving birth, can work up an elevated level of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It is the body’s way of preparing for the birth and arrival of the baby. And boy have I felt that! I wake up consistently every night at 3 or 4 in the morning, both because my body is tired, sore and heavy – but also because the thoughts just run around in my head. Although I went more or less on maternity leave 4 weeks before my due date, have been taking things quite slow and been napping almost every day, I have been so so restless! And it has been nice to have somewhere to focus some of that restlessness. Nesting is definitely a thing… 😉
Vintage chair | Rubens Barn dolls | Liv interior rug | Wall paint is “City Street” by Dyrup | Can’t remember where the basket is from – it’s old, sorry!
DIY canopy | Secondhand Lamp | Curtains from Jysk | Secondhand bed | Liv Interior pillow | Secondhand bookcase/stool | Poster HERE | Cam Cam garland
Jeg tror omkring 85% af de ting vi har købt til vores lille pige, er købt brugt. Jeg vidste fra starten af, at det var en måde jeg ligesom ville arbejde rundt om bæredygtighed på. Så vi gik faktisk igang ret tidligt med, at købe ting som tøj, udstyr (barnevogn osv.), legetøj og diverse grej til hendes værelse. Det tager jo unægteligt lidt længere tid, at købe ind på denne måde – men det har også været virkelig hyggeligt. Der er SÅ meget på markedet allerede til babyer og børn. Den app jeg har været gladest for er nok Reshopper. Det er SÅ nemt altså! Fungerer fuldstændig som en webshop, hvor man kan gemme favoritter, putte ting i sin kurv og bestille – men varerne kommer så bare fra private og er brugte. Vi har selvfølgelig sparet en god håndfuld penge ved at gøre det på denne måde, men det har helt klart været bæredygtighedsaspektet, som var det afgørende. Jeg ville virkelig gerne udfordre os begge, og ved I hvad? Det var altså slet ikke så bøvlet. Det er nogle grundlæggende værdier og en respekt for vores ressourcer, som vi virkelig også gerne vil give videre til vores datter. Og det får hun i mere end én forstand med det her værelse, vil jeg mene. Udover Reshopper har vi også brugt DBA og Facebook Marketplace, især til de lidt større ting og møbler.
Sengehimlen har jeg selv syet. Den er lavet ud fra DETTE mønster købt hos Stof & Stil, og selve stoffet har jeg købt i vores lokale Stof2000. Jeg husker ikke navn eller farvekode på stoffet, men det er 100% bomuld (hvis det kan hjælpe) og er i sådan en smuk rosa/brun nuance. Værelset ser lige nu ser yderst smukt og æstetisk ud; og tro mig, jeg er godt klar over det ikke bliver ved med at se sådan ud. Der skal tids nok rykke mere legetøj, dimser og rod derind som hun vokser op – og sådan skal det være. Det er et børneværelse som skal være hyggeligt, og ikke mindst invitere til leg. Men indtil da får vi lov at bestemme… 😉
I think about 85% of the things we bought for our little girl are bought secondhand. I knew from the start that this was a way I wanted to work around sustainability. So we actually started buying things like clothes, equipment (stroller, etc.), toys and miscellaneous items for her room quite early on. It undeniably takes a little longer to shop this way – but it has also been really nice. There is SO much on the market already for babies and children just waiting for new homes, things that have hardly been used because they use it for such a short amount of time. The app I have been happiest with is probably the Danish Reshopper. I believe the app called Vinted is a good international alternative. But anyway, Reshopper is SO easy to use! Works completely like a webshop, where you can pick favorites, put things in your basket and then place an order – only difference is of course that this is private sellers and everything is preloved. We’ve not only saved a lot of money by doing it this way, but the sustainability aspect was also crucial to us. I really wanted to challenge us both, and you know what? It wasn’t such a hassle doing it this way afterall. These basic values and respect for our resources is something we both really want to pass on to our daughter. And she gets that in more ways than one with this room, I think. In addition to Reshopper, we have also used DBA and Facebook Marketplace, especially for the slightly larger items (again like the stroller) and furniture for her room.
The crib canopy is DIY, I made it myself! It is made from THIS pattern bought at Stof & Stil, and the fabric itself I bought in our local Stof2000. I don’t remember the name or color code of the fabric, but it is 100% cotton (if that can help) and it’s in this beautiful rose/brown shade. I know the nursery as a whole looks really aesthetically pleasing right now; and believe me, I’m well aware it wont keep looking like this. There will probably be more toys, bits and bobs and clutter in there as she grows up – and that’s how it should be. It is a children’s room which should be cozy, but more importantly feel like somewhere you want to play and have fun. But until then we’re allowed to decide what it looks like, you know… 😉
Vintage closet | Secondhand lamp | Cam Cam basket | Posters from Desenio: flower HERE, Shine Little Star HERE, Elephant HERE
Vintage chair | Rubens Barn dolls | Liv Interior rug (79×140 cm) | Light bulb string is old, find similar ones HERE
Der er selvfølgelig nogle ting vi har købt nyt, men også her har jeg forsøgt at udfordre mig selv lidt mere denne gang. Fx er det fine tæppe og den lyserøde pude fra et mindre, bæredygtigt interiør brand som hedder Liv Interior. De laver nogle virkelig fine ting! Der er også et par ting fra Cam Cam (fx flagranken på væggen) i certificeret økologisk bomuld. Det handler slet ikke om at være perfekt, for det er jeg langt fra. Der er også et par ting købt i den lokale Jysk og i Ikea. Men som jeg altid siger, så er det at efterleve en mere bæredygtig livsstil et spørgsmål om process, udvikling og at turde udfordre sig selv lidt mere. Træffe nogle andre beslutninger end dem man plejer. Og det synes jeg især vi har formået med det her værelse. Alt i alt er vi simpelthen så tilfredse med stemningen og æstetikken som vi har opnået, og jeg glæder mig til mange timers hygge med vores lille pige der! Selvom hun ikke skal sove derinde fra starten af, så er planen lidt at lægge hendes babynest i sengen indimellem når hun skal sove lur, og så håber jeg generelt også på vi kan opholde os derinde indimellem under aktivitet/leg. Sådan at hun lærer fra en tidlig alder, at der er hyggeligt, trygt og rart at være. Og så overgangen fra at sove inde hos mor og far (måske) ikke bliver så svær, når den tid engang kommer. Så på den måde er det nu alligevel rart, at hendes værelse står helt klart og færdigt nu – selvom det ikke var en nødvendighed.
Det virker logisk i mit hoved, men altså det her er jo altsammen nyt for både Morten og jeg som førstegangsforældre. Så vi må tage det som det kommer. 😉 Sådan har jeg det generelt, også med alle de uopfordrede “gode” råd man får, når man venter barn. Selvom jeg godt ved de fleste råd er velmente og også kærkomne (misforstå mig ikke!), så kan det altså godt være lidt overvældende. I min optik er der forskel på viden man selv opsøger, og viden man egentlig ikke har bedt om – og vi er jo alle forskellige i sidste ende. Man vil også bare gerne have lov til selv, at udleve og lære af det her spændende kapitel på egen hånd, forstår I hvad jeg mener? 🙂 Man ved meget mere end man tror når det først kommer til stykket. Tror jeg. Jeg synes ihvertfald vi er vokset helt naturligt med opgaven, og jeg er sikker på det fortsætter når hun er her. Så tag dét med dig fra dette post og min video nederst, som du synes du kan bruge, men lyt også til din egen mavefornemmelse!
Nogle af jer har spurgt lidt hvordan vi har kunnet finde rundt i diverse grej, plejeprodukter, tøj – musthaves til baby kort sagt. Der har jeg faktisk fulgt DENNE liste fra Baby Sam, selvfølgelig med forbehold for, at den er lavet af en butikskæde der nok også øjner muligheden for mersalg. Så jeg har lige vendt den med et par veninder og noget familie med små børn også, inden jeg gik igang. Når det er sagt er den et godt sted at starte. Udover førnævnte Reshopper app har vi købt stort set alle plejeprodukter på Naturebaby.dk, som er en bæredygtig shop fuld af alt lige fra legetøj, sutter, håndklæder, pleje til mor samt puslepleje. Så den kan altså også anbefales, især hvis man har bæredygtighed for øje.
Of course there are some things we have bought from new, but also here I have tried to challenge myself a little more this time. For example, the cute rug and the pink pillow are from a smaller, sustainable interior brand called Liv Interior. They make some really nice things! There are also a few things from Cam Cam (e.g. the garland on the wall) which is made in certified organic cotton. It’s not about being perfect at all, because I’m far from it. There are also a few things bought in the local Jysk and in Ikea, both conventional chain stores. But as I always say, living a more sustainable lifestyle is a matter of progress, development and a willingness to challenge yourself a little more. Make some decisions other than the ones you usually make. And I think we’ve succeeded with that here. All in all, we are just so happy with the atmosphere and aesthetics we have achieved in the nursery, and I look forward to many hours of fun with our little girl in there! Although she is not going to sleep in there from the beginning, the plan is to put her baby nest in the bed from time to time when she has to take a nap, and then I generally also hope that we can hang out in there occasionally during activities/ play. So that she learns from an early age that this is a cozy, safe and nice place to be. And so the transition from sleeping next to mom and dad (maybe) won’t be as difficult when that time comes. So that way, it’s nice that her room is completely finished now – even if it was not really a necessity or something we originally planned.
All this seems logical in my head, but then of course this is all new for both Morten and I as first-time parents. We are going to let most things play out as we go 😉 This is how I feel in general, also with all the unsolicited “good” advice you get when you are expecting a child. Although I know most of the advice is well-meaning and for the most part also more than welcome (don’t get me wrong!), it can be a little overwhelming. To me there’s a difference between knowledge you seek out for yourself in this area, and knowledge you never asked for. At the end of the day you also just want to live and learn from this exciting new chapter on your own, you know? 🙂 You know a lot more than you think when it all comes down to it. I’d like to believe that anyway. At least I think we have grown quite naturally with the task, and I’m sure it will continue once she’s here. So take whatever resonates with you from today’s post/video and the experiences I share as well, but listen to your own gut too.
Some of you have been asking how we have been able to find our way around choosing the various gear, care products, clothes – musthaves for baby in general. I’ve been following THIS (Danish) list from the store Baby Sam (here’s a similar English checklist). I’m well aware that the list is made by a big chain store that probably also sees the possibility of making additional sales through a list like that. So I asked a couple of friends and some family with small kids too before I started buying things, just to get some more opinions on it. Having said that, it really is a great place to start when you don’t what you’re doing or looking for in the very beginning, haha. In addition to the before mentioned Reshopper app, we have bought almost all care products on Naturebaby, which is a sustainable shop full of everything from toys, pacifiers, towels and care products for mum and baby. So I really recommend that as well, especially if you have sustainability in mind.
Baby’s vintage armoire is STUNNING. What a lucky girl! Congrats to you and Morten. I’ve just discovered your site, have been looking through your videos on Hygge and Danish lifestyle, and I’ll confess now I bought some of your jewelry, too. The pieces are so beautifully designed, you use recycled materials and while they’re ‘simple’ there’s nothing boring are common about them. I’ve very pleased to have found you as I begin my own simpler, more sustainable journey. Mazel tov!
Oh thank you for this absolutely wonderful comment Jennifer! It means a lot to me. And thank you SO much for supporting my jewelry brand too! I hope the pieces will bring you many years of joy <3 Lots of love, Signe xx