A dream romance took model Niina Kurkinen to an old house in Denmark: “If I had my way, I would decorate our home in mint and peach shades”
Niina and Nikolaj renovated an old brick house inspired by English architecture in a scenic Copenhagen neighborhood. The French doors in the dining room lead to the couple’s favorite spot: the garden with thriving cherry, quince, fig, and almond trees.
“I run my remote practice from home,” Niina says. Her days are filled with divorce and career coaching, studying, and caring for two horses. Papu and Sisu, her dogs, follow her everywhere. The pendant lamp above the dining table is Vertigo by Petite Friture. The dining chairs are by Cherner, and the bar stools are by Vipp.
Residents Relationship coach and model Niina Kurkinen-Nyholm, 50; business executive and investor Nikolaj Nyholm, 48: occasionally the four children of their blended family, and Papu and Sisu the dogs. Instagram: @niinakurkinen.
Home A brick house built in 1934 in the Valby district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The 360-square-meter single-family home also features Niina’s office and a sauna in the basement.
The garden remains as the previous residents left it, with quince, fig, and almond trees growing there.
In 2017, Niina Kurkinen experienced significant changes in her life. Her long relationship had ended in separation, and the shoe and clothing store she had established, Nina’s, changed owners. She began to reflect on the reasons behind the recurring breakups in her life. She found pivotal guidance in Katherine Woodward Thomas’s bestselling book Conscious Uncoupling, and Niina immediately enrolled in the author’s coaching course.
After completing it, Niina met Nikolaj Nyholm from Denmark, who was on a business trip in Helsinki. The couple married that same year. Since then, Niina has studied for a bachelor’s degree in psychology and offers counseling to those wishing to move on from relationships or life situations they find unsatisfying.
Architect Thomas Havning originally designed the house for his family. Niina and Nikolaj are only the fifth owners of this home.
In 2019, Niina relocated to Copenhagen and learned to speak Danish.
“We were living in an apartment building right next door when we heard that an estate was putting the ground floor of this house up for sale. Eventually, the elderly residents upstairs warmed up to the idea of selling us the upper floor too, which we bought without even seeing it,” Niina says.
The two-story brick house in Copenhagen’s idyllic Carlsberg district has drawn inspiration from English architecture. After two and a half years, the renovation of this old house is complete. To help Niina feel at home in her new country, Nikolaj had a Finnish sauna built for his wife both in their new home and at their cottage.
“We cook at home nearly every day. Our favorite places in the house are the kitchen and the garden. If I had my way, I would decorate our home with mint and peach shades. Those are my favorite colors,” Niina says. The dining area features French doors leading straight to the garden. The solid wood kitchen cabinets are by Kvänum.
The space that is now the kitchen was divided into three separate rooms in the original floor plan: the kitchen, a food storage room, and a maid’s room with only one west-facing window. “To bring more light into the kitchen, we added a window on the south-facing wall, which now offers a direct view of the garden.” All the kitchen countertops are made of pastel-toned dolomite. The wall lamps are by Arne Jacobsen, and the pendant lamp is Alvar Aalto’s Kultakello (“Golden Bell”).
The rocking chair is one of the few older pieces of furniture in the house. During his divorce, Nikolaj left his former home and all its furnishings to his children and their mother, while Niina left her own furniture behind in Finland. The thin curtains hang on long rods, allowing them to be layered or separated at will. The wall light is by &Tradition.
“If I had my way, I would decorate our home in mint and peach shades! Those are my favorite colors.”
“When we bought the house, it was not in a great condition. The last renovation was done in the 1960s, when the living room’s original bookshelf was painted orange. We had it repainted white. All the door handles and the locations of the fireplaces are also original,” Niina explains. The velvet sofa is from their previous home. The stone Epic coffee tables by Gamfratesi and the Paavo Tynell floor lamp with a rattan shade are by Gubi.
The rya wall hanging next to the fireplace in the living room is Valu & Kevät by Melissa Sammalvaara. The classic leather chair, The Spanish Chair by Gubi, is Danish despite its name. The velvet ottoman is by Normann Copenhagen.
When the couple bought the house, the original bookshelf was painted a 1960s orange. The couple had it repainted white during the renovation. Their similar taste in decoration made the renovation process much smoother.
“We both greatly enjoy seeing beautiful objects in the middle of everyday life.”
The living room windowsill is a cozy spot, perfect for an afternoon nap. “We always miss our home, even though I love to travel. Our home is always open to our friends, who come here all the way from Finland to spend time with us.”
The mouth-blown pendant lamp is from Milla Vaahtera’s Sculptural Light collection.
Matias Karsikas’s ceramic relief Yökukinto (“Night Bloom”) hangs on the dining room wall. “I believe that everyone can have a happy and balanced relationship in which they are valued, and their feelings and needs matter.”
“Too often, we begin a new relationship from where we left off with the previous one. If you want positive change, it’s essential to fully address the past relationship so that the old emotions and assumptions won’t follow you to the new one.”
Niina’s portrait was taken by photographer Nina Merikallio. The pink armchair is AAL 92 by Hay. The table lamp is Gubi’s Tynell 5321.
The large upstairs bedroom once served as the architect’s office, which explains its high ceiling. Only one craftsman in Denmark still makes these round heat-storing tiled stoves; only about 20 a year. The armchair with a sheep’s wool cover and matching ottoman is Little Petra by &Tradition. The marble table was made from the marble chosen for the upstairs sink, and there was just enough left over for this cube. Niina originally bought the Peruvian alpaca rug for her store.
The staircase leading upstairs is covered with a lilac-toned carpet made from recycled plastic. The color choice was inspired by the wisteria climbing along the home’s terrace wall, which blooms in a similar hue. The mint-green high heels are Niina’s first Louboutins. Tones from the carpet and the window are reflected on the staircase’s white walls.
“That's when I made the biggest measuring error of the renovation and ordered twice as many yellow wall tiles as needed.”
“The downstairs bathroom was the first room we designed. Back then, we still had plenty of energy and could focus on the details. That’s when I made the biggest measuring error of the renovation and ordered twice as many yellow wall tiles as needed. The extras are now sitting in the garage,” Niina laughs.
“We eventually found the Stiltje wallpaper and tiles in Sweden.”
The biggest challenge of the renovation turned out to be finding exactly the right shade for the small cabinets in the bathroom next to the bedroom. Most attempts looked bubblegum-like, until they discovered Shade 023 Francis by Cover Story. The marble countertop was crafted from a single piece of marble. The small window offers a glimpse of one of the flowering cherry trees in the front garden.
