Wondercool Copenhagen

‘Smushi’ at Royal Cafe Copenhagen

I think I’ve bored everyone silly mentioned in the past a) how much I LOVE my job and b) how much I ADORE absolutely everything Danish.

An all-expenses-paid trip to Copenhagen you say? Did I mention I LOVE my job?

Relae, Jaegersborggade, Copenhagen
http://www.restaurant-relae.dk/en/

I flirted briefly with the idea of reading Scandinavian studies at university but alas it was not to be. Mistake. Big Mistake. Huge. Why? Well, I spent years of my life learning Italian but no matter how immaculate my accent or how many colloquialisms I mastered, no one ever, not even once mistook me for an Italian.

Thanks to my blonde hair and English-rose complexion, for the year I spent in Florence, I was given English menus in restaurants, greeted in English in shops and cafes and even catcalled in English. It got a bit annoying to be honest. I just wanted to be able to blend in. I would have made the world’s worst spy.

However, if MI5 has an imminent posting to fill in Copenhagen, may I humbly suggest that I am the girl for the job? Everywhere I went in Copenhagen, people addressed me in Danish. A little awkward as I don’t speak any Danish – but refreshing. Here, I belong.

Learning how to make liquorice at the Liquorice Festival, part of Wondercool Copenhagen http://www.wondercoolcopenhagen.com/

Pork marinated in liquorice, at the liquorice festival – part of Wondercool Copenhagen, http://www.wondercoolcopenhagen.com/

The food is incredible, the interiors delicious. It’s all just so damn cool (and not just because it was snowing during my visit in February).

Mussels from Brussels on the Gastro Cruise, part of Wondercool Copenhagen http://www.wondercoolcopenhagen.com/

A chic stop on the Gastro Cruise
http://www.wondercoolcopenhagen.com/

The minute we get a new house, I am straight back on a plane with an empty suitcase – the shopping is out of this world. Special mention has to go to Illum (http://www.illum.dk/) and Hay (http://hay.dk/) where if I hadn’t been on the damn budget, I would have seriously abused my debit card.

Extra special thanks to Visit Copenhagen for inviting me – I had such a ball. Now, when do I move in? http://www.visitcopenhagen.com

Lust objects at Royal Copenhagen’s concept store http://www.royalcopenhagen.com/en

Hygge in action at the Royal Copenhagen concept store

Danish pastries in the covered food market, (Torvehallerne), Israels Plads, Copenhagen

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

The lustlist: light up my life baby

Vintage vibes at De Weldaad Noordemarkt, Amsterdam

So the husband and I have been deliberating over what to do with our hallway. We live on the first floor of a two-up-two-down Victorian terrace and our hallway and stairwell gets no natural light. In the first set of renovations, the hallway was the last of our priorities—we painted, we added storage, we hung a couple of mirrors et voilà.

Now however, thanks to a leaking water tank, the ceiling has to be replaced. Great. It’s possibly one of the least exciting jobs ever… that is, if we just replace the ceiling. Yep, I wanna pimp up that hallway baby. My reasoning: in an apartment of four rooms, the hallway has to be more than a thoroughfare. It needs to wow.

For a long time, we’ve been considering a way to get some natural light flooding into the space—I’ve been hankering after a sun tunnel light tube (a miraculous refractive tube that beams light from the roof into a room) for a while and since we’re pulling down the ceiling anyway… Unfortunately, I was not prepared for an estimate to the tune of £500 + VAT + installation. Ouch. Plan B it is.

Plan B was originally to install spots throughout the corridor, but since our little mini-break, we’ve realised that is way too mundane.

Yes, the new Plan B—Plan C, if you will—is to buy a stunning, centrepiece light fitting. And the best part is, we can take it with us when we move. All we have to do now is choose one.

In Amsterdam, we were bowled over by the abundance of incredible, eye-catching light fittings. It seemed that everywhere we went there was another impressive chandelier. Paris Schmaris—when it comes to the ‘city of light’ title, Amsterdam could take you any day.

There was industrial chic at 360volt, expertly modelled in the Bloemenmarkt (flower market)

Industrial chic in the Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam

Vintage gems and glass galore at De Weldaad—my new all-time favourite shop in the world.

Gorgeous glass at De Weldaad, Noordemarkt Amsterdam

And some incredible Turkish lanterns on Huidenstraat.

Luscious lanterns on Huidenstraat, 9 Straatjes, Amsterdam

It’s going to be tough to choose. Right now, our hallway is monochrome—white walls, black and gold mirrors and a huge copy of Leon Spilliaert’s Vertigo taking up the majority of one wall.

I’d like to embrace the gloom with a sexy, moody colour scheme. I’m thinking glamorous and atmospheric. The same black, white and gold, but super-charged.

I’d also like a gallery of photos, some coathooks, a place to put post and keys and a panel of beautiful wallpaper. We don’t have much space to work with—but I’m game for a challenge. Watch this space.