Houzz Tour: A 1930s Farmhouse is Given a Light, Bright Update
This childhood home has been reinvented for the next generation, with airy open spaces and crisp white décor
Plaster and paintbrushes have been a fixture in Rina and Jesper Schmidt’s home in Uldum, in the centre of Denmark, for the past eight years. But renovations take time, especially when you have four young children.
The farm was actually Jesper’s childhood home, so the couple were initially hesitant about transforming it, but it’s worked out beautifully. “We talked about wanting to live on a rural property, so when we were given the opportunity to take over this place, we jumped at the chance,” Rina says. “We’ve never regretted it.”
The farm was actually Jesper’s childhood home, so the couple were initially hesitant about transforming it, but it’s worked out beautifully. “We talked about wanting to live on a rural property, so when we were given the opportunity to take over this place, we jumped at the chance,” Rina says. “We’ve never regretted it.”
The entrance to the Schmidt’s home is an impressive hall with a high ceiling, white walls and muted colours. This sets the tone for the rest of the house, which has been transformed almost entirely over the past few years.
The top floor still needs work, but the Schmidts have otherwise renovated and redecorated everything, including replacing the ceilings, fitting new floors and revamping the walls.
Moroccan patchwork rug, Etsy. Filing cabinet, flea market find. Molecular pendant light, House Doctor.
The top floor still needs work, but the Schmidts have otherwise renovated and redecorated everything, including replacing the ceilings, fitting new floors and revamping the walls.
Moroccan patchwork rug, Etsy. Filing cabinet, flea market find. Molecular pendant light, House Doctor.
The pale blue front door breaks up the white of the entrance hall. The coat rack is an heirloom.
Find the right people to help with your renovation through the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Find the right people to help with your renovation through the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“It took some time for us to start renovations after we took over the house,” Rina says. “We spent long nights in the kitchen talking about what we should do.
“Once we started, we all lived upstairs for two years while we worked on the downstairs. Back then, we just cracked on with it, but it’s going a bit more slowly now that our children are bigger. We can still handle working on projects in the house, but it just takes a bit longer.”
Wall and woodwork painted in Kveldshimmel 4618, Jotun. Sofa, Sofa Kompagniet. Chair, Muuto. Table, flea market find. Cushions, Bahne, House Doctor and Ikea.
“Once we started, we all lived upstairs for two years while we worked on the downstairs. Back then, we just cracked on with it, but it’s going a bit more slowly now that our children are bigger. We can still handle working on projects in the house, but it just takes a bit longer.”
Wall and woodwork painted in Kveldshimmel 4618, Jotun. Sofa, Sofa Kompagniet. Chair, Muuto. Table, flea market find. Cushions, Bahne, House Doctor and Ikea.
Rina is passionate about interior design, and even if every day is busy with work and family, she always finds a way to squeeze in a little decorating.
The couple opened up rooms to let more light in and create a large living space. They also installed a new kitchen.
Kitchen, Kvik. Stools: from one of Bloomingville’s first collections; lamp: Carl Thore
Kitchen, Kvik. Stools: from one of Bloomingville’s first collections; lamp: Carl Thore
“It was really important for both of us to open up the kitchen, so it could become an integral part of the living room. It was one of the first things we did,” Rina says.
“We’ve continued to update the room since the first time we renovated it. We’ve recently installed a new extractor hood and tiled the wall,“ she says.
“We’ve continued to update the room since the first time we renovated it. We’ve recently installed a new extractor hood and tiled the wall,“ she says.
Dining table, Trævarefabrikernes Udsalg. Dining room chairs, Hay, FDB, Kai Kristiansen and flea markets.
The couple can’t help but continually improve and renovate the farm. “I make changes every now and then, and that’s something I’ll keep up, because I love updating the look of our house,” Rina says.
Sideboard, flea market find. Photo artwork, Desenio.
Sideboard, flea market find. Photo artwork, Desenio.
Rina and Jesper have just painted the bathroom cupboards green. The next big project will be laying micro-cement on the floor. They’ve also recently replaced the roof, and have started knocking down some of the old buildings outside – these are some of the oldest buildings on the property, and are no longer structurally sound.
“I’m the kind of person who is good at living with things the way they are. And it’s alright if things aren’t exactly the way I want them to be for a while,” Rina says.
This attitude has come in handy as the family have lived on a building site, at times surrounded by half-finished projects. But sometimes it can be too much of a good thing; Rina and Jesper sometimes have to remind each other they live in the most beautiful place in the world.
“When something doesn’t look right, we just have to remind each other about the good things here on the farm,” Rina says, looking out to the garden, which is now filled with the remains of scaffolding from the recent roof replacement. It’s not pretty, but luckily it will all be gone by next summer.
“When something doesn’t look right, we just have to remind each other about the good things here on the farm,” Rina says, looking out to the garden, which is now filled with the remains of scaffolding from the recent roof replacement. It’s not pretty, but luckily it will all be gone by next summer.
Rina catches up on interior trends on social media and TV. She then uses elements she likes. Not everything is suitable for an old farm, and cultivating the history and rural atmosphere here is important to her.
“We have many of these large cupboards around our house that you used to find in farmhand quarters,” she says. One example is the wardrobe next to the bed here. “When we took over the farm we found many of them and decided to keep them. They belong to this place. When we moved in, we had a lot of old furniture, but now I mix it a lot more with newer things.”
“We have many of these large cupboards around our house that you used to find in farmhand quarters,” she says. One example is the wardrobe next to the bed here. “When we took over the farm we found many of them and decided to keep them. They belong to this place. When we moved in, we had a lot of old furniture, but now I mix it a lot more with newer things.”
“In general, I decorate how I like. I don’t follow any specific trends, but pick out things I think will suit the style of our house,” Rina says.
Rina’s gone for a darker shade in the master bedroom for a more cocooning feel.
Rug, Maalumaalu.
Rug, Maalumaalu.
So what did Jesper’s parents have to say about the big changes to their former home?
“I was, of course, nervous about how Jesper’s parents would react to the changes we wanted to make here,” Rina says, “but they’ve taken it incredibly well. They really value the life we’ve created here and around the house.”
“I was, of course, nervous about how Jesper’s parents would react to the changes we wanted to make here,” Rina says, “but they’ve taken it incredibly well. They really value the life we’ve created here and around the house.”
The house is now a sanctuary, where the dream of a small, beautiful oasis of their own has been fulfilled.
Tell us…
What do you think of this updated farmhouse? Share your thoughts in the Comments secion.
Tell us…
What do you think of this updated farmhouse? Share your thoughts in the Comments secion.
Who lives here? Rina Schmidt, 36, a social worker who also decorates for private customers, her husband, carpenter Jesper Schmidt, and their children, Sebastian, 11, Silas, 8, Sandra, 7, and Martha Amanda, 4
Location Uldum, Denmark
Size 3,230 sq ft (300 sq m), including outbuildings
Date built The farm dates from 1936 and the family took over the property in 2006
Photos by Camilla Skøtt of A Little Story