Christmas Houzz: A Natural, Nordic Yuletide in Aarhus, Denmark
Get inspired by this Danish family, who make nearly all of their festive decorations out of things they find outdoors
To Maja Egelund and her family, Christmas is for cosiness, creativity and spending time together. “To us, Christmas means doing a lot together – making Christmas decorations, baking and going for walks through the woods,” she says. Maja and her daughter, Karla Marie, make almost everything from beautiful, natural decorations to festive sweets themselves.
Photos by Mia Mortensen
Christmas Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Maja Egelund and her husband, their 10-year-old daughter, Karla Marie, and their dog, Teddy
Location: Højbjerg, just outside of Aarhus, Denmark
Size: About 1,615 square feet (150 square metres)
Christmas Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Maja Egelund and her husband, their 10-year-old daughter, Karla Marie, and their dog, Teddy
Location: Højbjerg, just outside of Aarhus, Denmark
Size: About 1,615 square feet (150 square metres)
Maja’s passion for decorating comes from her childhood in the countryside. “I have loved being creative and decorating interiors ever since I was a child,” Maja says, “especially with flowers and other natural materials.”
Maja and her family currently live in Højbjerg, a suburb of Aarhus, with both forest and beach right in the back yard; it’s a great source of natural materials. “I get plenty of inspiration and find almost all the materials for my decorations when I go for walks. The process of finding the materials is just as much a part of the experience as making the decorations,” Maja says.
Maja and her family currently live in Højbjerg, a suburb of Aarhus, with both forest and beach right in the back yard; it’s a great source of natural materials. “I get plenty of inspiration and find almost all the materials for my decorations when I go for walks. The process of finding the materials is just as much a part of the experience as making the decorations,” Maja says.
Maja’s decoration philosophy is that simple is often beautiful. “If you find a branch with moss on it, it may well become the center of your Christmas decor. It does not need to be complicated.”
At the same time, Maja advises that it’s important to make your decor your own. “You should not try to make things the way a florist would, because then they will not be yours. Even just tying a bouquet of branches with a bit of steel wire can be really beautiful. The most important thing is that everybody feels that they can participate and that they are doing it together.”
At the same time, Maja advises that it’s important to make your decor your own. “You should not try to make things the way a florist would, because then they will not be yours. Even just tying a bouquet of branches with a bit of steel wire can be really beautiful. The most important thing is that everybody feels that they can participate and that they are doing it together.”
The family’s renovated 1950’s house emanates Nordic elegance and simplicity throughout the year.
“My style is very much inspired by Danish and Nordic trends, but there are also Japanese influences, since my husband has lived in Japan,” Maja says. “It is the combination of simple items that works so well for us. Plus, I have visited lots of flea markets over the last 25 years, which is why our home has always been a mixture of personal items that we have picked up and Danish designer furniture,” Maja says. The leather-covered teak chair is an example of one of Maja’s flea market finds, while the sideboard next to it is an heirloom.
“My style is very much inspired by Danish and Nordic trends, but there are also Japanese influences, since my husband has lived in Japan,” Maja says. “It is the combination of simple items that works so well for us. Plus, I have visited lots of flea markets over the last 25 years, which is why our home has always been a mixture of personal items that we have picked up and Danish designer furniture,” Maja says. The leather-covered teak chair is an example of one of Maja’s flea market finds, while the sideboard next to it is an heirloom.
The Christmas decorations deliberately blend in with the wood tones and the brightness of the house, and much of the existing interior decor is integrated into the Christmas decorations. Here you see the classic Lyngby vase decorated with red berries.
Even the iconic Kubus candle holder from by Lassen has been transformed into an elegant Advent wreath with white candles, fir branches, cones and acorns.
The family dog, Teddy, also has his place among the cones and wreaths. The dish with a vignette of succulents and date palms is an old French iron dish.
A simple but beautiful eucalyptus wreath hangs from a leather strap in the hallway, in place of the jackets and coat hangers that are normally there.
Maja is not the kind of person who decorates the same way every Christmas. “I am not a stickler for tradition, so I like getting inspired by the trends around me.”
The family’s Christmas tree is decked with minimalist decorations. “[it] is also very natural, but I think that on Christmas Eve I will add tiny fresh flower bouquets. That will look really nice,” Maja says.
Maja has already done some thinking about the Christmas Eve dinner table, which will be set for ten as they will be hosting their extended family. “I am going to set the table with a beautiful white tablecloth from Georg Jensen Damask, which I was given for Christmas last year. So it will be gray and white tones with a natural feel. Among other things, I want to decorate with Amaryllis, garden anemones, eucalyptus, Macedonian pine and a few larch cones. Also, I have inherited some crochet napkins from my grandmother, and I think I will decorate them with a bit of greenery,” she says, emphasising that it will be simple but pretty.
Karla Marie is a faithful assistant – she has inherited her mother’s passion for creating things. “My daughter is very creative, so she helps me with the decorations, but she is also quite good at cooking. I am so looking forward to her turning 15 because by then I expect her to make me a big Christmas dinner,” Maja says, laughing. In these photos, Karla Marie is preparing oatmeal-and-chocolate sweets in the kitchen.
The Christmas wreaths that Maja and her daughter make out of natural materials every year are another favourite. The ones here are being made out of moss, fir, berries, cones and leaves
This one is made out of acorns, cones and ivy.
This is a more compact version with fir, red berries and ivy.
Maja maintains that beautiful wreaths made from natural materials are something that anyone can make themselves with just some steel wire and lots of winter greenery. It is not as big and confusing a job as it may seem.
Maja has a few tips for making your own natural homemade wreath:
1. Collect greenery outdoors.
2. Make a base out of either straw or a steel-wire ring.
3. Attach the greenery to the ring with wire.
4. Try to use an odd number of elements, such as 3 or 5 apples, cones, etc., to make your wreath look more rustic and natural, and not too symmetrical
1. Collect greenery outdoors.
2. Make a base out of either straw or a steel-wire ring.
3. Attach the greenery to the ring with wire.
4. Try to use an odd number of elements, such as 3 or 5 apples, cones, etc., to make your wreath look more rustic and natural, and not too symmetrical
“Another easy way to create nice, natural Christmas decorations is to place tiny bulbs in decorative containers,” Maja says. Here she has used small coffee cups, tea-light holders and jars, which she has collected from various flea markets. They look great on the windowsills, the Christmas dinner table, shelves and chests of drawers.
Although Maja makes a lot of Christmas decorations and ornaments herself, not everything is homemade. “I usually buy a new item every year. It can be a star or a glass bauble I like, but I do not buy a lot,” she says. The family goes to the Christmas market at the Aarhus School of Architecture every December, where Maja finds and buys a nice Christmas ornament.
“I wish I could say that I make everything myself, but I do not,” Maja says, laughing.
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