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Family ‘oasis’ in former French concession
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DANISH fashion designer Dea Kudibal decided to fully experience real Shanghai life before moving back to her country this year.
She stopped renting her polished apartment in Lujiazui, Pudong New Area and found an equally modern yet more charming spot in the heart of the former French concession at the end of 2016.
“The previous apartment had good facilities meeting our family’s needs but as I wanted to have a Dea Kudibal showroom in the city center of Puxi side, we were lucky to find that in a newly decorated house there was an ideal showroom space and also a perfect apartment,” she said. “We immediately decided to move into the same building to avoid a lot of time wasted in transportation between work and home.”
Kudibal said she chose the former French concession area for her showroom as it provides easy access for her private clients and the family fell in love with the area because of its cozy cafes and shops.
“I’m very fond of the renovation work the landlord has done to the building. It had been newly decorated in a beautiful, simple Scandinavian style — so we felt like home as soon as we walked in the door,” Kudibal said.
The couple loved the light wooden floors and the wooden beams, which make the apartment feel so cozy.
“And then the space is always light-filled, so you really feel alive living here... I like the floor heating and the ‘hidden’ cupboards in the bedroom. I’m sure we are going to enjoy the balcony a lot when it gets warmer,” she added.
As the structure is ideal, Kudibal didn’t make many changes. “That is the easy part when it is all new, then you just need to do the ‘fun’ job like decorating with furniture, lovely cushions and flowers.”
The Danish designer still retains her interior style that is drawn primarily from a neutral palette and Scandinavian simplicity. A sense of relaxed intimacy is key.
“I would like to keep a modern clean look yet, as this apartment is relatively smaller than our former flat, we have tried to ‘downsize’ — which has not been easy. But I do enjoy our ‘simple life’ with not too many things and clutter,” Kudibal said.
Kudibal still keeps the home’s color scheme drawn primarily from a neutral palette that is soothing to the eye and also creates a nice backdrop for her collection of art and design pieces.
The living room is relatively small so it has to be clean and functional. Some of her Danish furniture has been shipped back to Denmark, but Kudibal keeps the essential pieces: the “real treasures.”
“I have added a PH lamp in copper next to the living room sofa, which was a Christmas present from my brother. It is a classical Danish design created by Poul Henningsen and the design is timeless, so it is a piece I will always keep,” she said.
Kudibal holds onto her heritage by placing tableware accessories, knitted pillows and blankets from Danish designers around her home.
Edgy and classy at the same time, she loves the cleanness of Danish design items, but there are also lovely details when you take a closer look.
There are Chinese touches as well. Chinese benches are prefect pieces to complete the seating area in the living room. Some blue and white porcelain items add an Oriental touch to the master bedroom.
“I do like combining modern design with antiques — I find contrasts very interesting as, for example, the more soft structures in the antiques compared with the often straight lines of the modern designs,” she said.
“And flowers. I always use flowers in the home. I think that bringing a bit of nature into your home creates a most welcoming and cozy atmosphere.”
The open-style kitchen next to the dining table is sleek in design. “It means that we are more together as a family. When we cook, our son will be reading at the table or maybe on his iPad, and its cozy as we will then be talking during the cooking and the reading,” Kudibal said. “My son adapted immediately to our new home. We got rid of a lot of toys which he didn’t play with anymore and then we tended to spend more time outside now with, for example, biking around in our new neighborhood.”
The cozy apartment has a balcony with views toward the typical former French concession houses and trees.
“In Danish we have the word ‘hyggeligt’ which means coziness and I really wanted the balcony to be cozy and seem like a part of the indoor space. Therefore we have put furniture, blankets and flowers and even a palm tree.”
“The main idea for all rooms is ‘to keep it simple’ in subtle color tones. Shanghai is so busy so I like to have a little calm ‘oasis’ to return to after having ‘battled’ around in the city,” Kudibal said.
ASK THE OWNER
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Shanghai?
A: The best thing about being in Shanghai is being here with my family and having a project we work on together: Building up The Dea Kudibal fashion company in China. We spend a lot of time together and we go through all the challenges and successes together.
Q: Describe your home in three words.
A: Cosy, relaxed and tidy.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
A: I wash my hands and put on a pair of our Dea Kudibal silk/stretch pants on, which are so comfortable.
Q: How do you unwind?
A: I read — I love reading biographies.
Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?
A: In the kitchen — I love cooking healthy food and like to experiment with new recipes. And then I bake a lot of cakes together with my son. This is some of the best times we have together — when we are baking cakes together.
Q: What’s the view outside your window?
A: We have windows almost all the way around the apartment and we look across to some local Chinese families’ balconies. We see the same people and their laundry every day, so it is as if we actually know them. It is really nice.
Q: What’s your favorite object in your home?
A: My favorite objet is my PH lamp in Cobber, designed by the Danish designer Poul Henningsen.
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