COUNTRY ESCAPE

CELEBRATING THE BEAUTY OF ITS NATURAL SURROUNDS, THIS PRETTY LOG CABIN MERGES CLASSIC SCANDI SIMPLICITY WITH A DASH OF FAIRYTALE ROMANCE

- METTE HELENA RASMUSSEN

Every summer, Pernille, her husband Lars, their three children and the family dog, pile into the car and make the drive up to their second home, a storybook-pretty log cabin in a quaint harbour town north of Copenhagen. For six idyllic weeks, the family take leisurely strolls along the ocean, ice-cream cones in hand, and savour starlit nights together on the terrace. “We live here during the entire summer vacation and do our best to come as often as possible during weekends and shorter holidays,” remarks Pernille. “Just travelling 50 kilometres and getting away from everyday life can mean all the difference in the world.” Lately, the family has been revelling in winter getaways at the cottage, however, “it is an old house with a raised ceiling, so it takes about a day to warm up completely,” notes Pernille.

When they snapped up the house in 2005, it was a “beautiful, old, classic log cabin”, but the couple had plans to update and extend it to make it more comfortable for their family of five. “We added three extra rooms and an outdoor deck with plenty of cosy spots to curl up in,” says Pernille. “And we also painted all the woodwork, and renovated the kitchen and the bathroom.”

With skylights installed to maximise light, even grey days stuck inside with a book or a board game are joyous. “We are so happy with the skylights in our living room,” remarks Pernille. “The dark logs, which we love, absorb an incredible amount of light and on a rainy day it can become a bit dark, so we’ve fixed this by letting in some sky.”