In Real Life With Amalie Reedtz-Thot

Q. You grew up partly in the city and partly on your father's organic farm, while your mother was a designer. How do those different worlds continue to influence the way you think about home?

A. I think both worlds are very much part of me. From the farm, I have a deep connection to nature and to a simpler way of living. From my mother, I think I got a strong sense of aesthetics and an eye for details.

I like when those two worlds meet. That is really what defines me.

Q. You've described yourself as an aesthete, drawn to earthy materials, colors, scents, and beautiful photography. How does that sensitivity show up in the way you create a home?

A. For me, it's about the small efforts and details. How the light falls into a room, how a material feels, the smell of wood, or how a colour changes throughout the day. A home doesn't have to be perfect. I just want my senses to feel at ease and grounded when I am at home.

Q. Your home has such a warm, earthy quality, with natural materials alongside color and more playful elements. How do you find that balance?

A. I love the contrast in life and in my home too. So as long as it soothes my soul, it's welcome.

Q. You seem to have a very intentional relationship with the things you bring into your home. What makes something feel worth keeping or making space for?

A. I try not to bring things home just because they are beautiful in the moment. I like things that have a story, are well considered and well made, and that I know we will use for many years.

Q. How do you approach creating a home that feels beautiful and considered while still being a place where children can really live, play, and make a mess?

A. I love a home that can hold both. Kids notice materials, colours and textures so much, so for me it is important to bring this into their lives as well.

I believe that being surrounded by colours and materials that create a calm atmosphere can help create calmness in their inner world too. We are what we surround ourselves with.

Q. Has becoming a mother changed your ideas about what makes a home beautiful or well designed?

A. Becoming a mum really made me think about how I want my children to grow up and what they will be surrounded by. When they are babies, we are very conscious about what comes near our children and which materials we choose, and I think that awareness is still very much in me.

But there is also a grace for what their imagination needs, the stage they are in and the things they are loving. I think there should be a place for both in a home.

Q. What role do you think the things children grow up around—furniture, books, art, objects, materials—play in shaping their sense of beauty and creativity?

A. Both my children are in Waldorf schools, and these aspects are a very big part of their everyday life — colours, materials, textures and natural elements.

I strongly believe that all of this affects what a child sees in the world around them. They know that it takes time and work to carve a wooden chair because they carve in school themselves. They understand the process, and they get impressed by it.

Q. You've spoken about being drawn to natural and tactile materials. What is it about those materials that feels especially right for a family home?

A. It wasn't a conscious choice at first, but I find myself very naturally drawn to materials that immediately bring a sense of calm to me.

I love pieces and objects that are easy to live around and with. Materials and objects that only become more beautiful over time.

Q. Are there pieces or objects in your home that have a particularly meaningful story behind them?

A. Yes, quite a few. We have things that have been passed down through our families, as well as pieces we have collected over the years.

I got a painting from my childhood home from my dad when I turned 30. Every time I look at it, I am taken straight back to my childhood. It is such a special feeling to have something from that time in my home now.

Q. Your garden is clearly a special place for you. What do you love about having a space where your children can experience nature as part of everyday life?

A. It's our own little gem. I love watching the kids from our kitchen window while I make my tea, being outside, discovering things and playing in the sand.

There is something so grounding about starting my day outside with bare feet and a cup of tea. And the kids follow along with nature's rhythm from here.

Q. What are the spaces in your home where family life really happens?

A. The kids' room. We made it big so both girls can enjoy it together, with room for free play, reading, books and arts and crafts.

We all love hanging out there and lying flat on the floor together.

Q. You have two daughters at different stages of childhood. How do you think about creating spaces that can evolve as they grow?

A. I tried to create a foundation for both their rooms that can grow with them.

Their interests change over time, so I try to evolve the room with them through books, objects and textiles, while the bigger pieces stay the same.

Q. Your daughters have an Oeuf Perch Bunk Bed. What drew you to that piece, and how does it fit into your approach to choosing furniture for your family?

A. My biggest girl's biggest dream was a bunk bed, and it has brought so much joy to the room. It gives the girls their own little world, but it is also a really beautiful piece of furniture.

I am drawn to pieces like this that can evolve and be multifunctional, so they can really grow alongside them for many years to come.

Q. Do your children have strong opinions about their own spaces or the things they have around them? Have they ever surprised you with their choices?

A. They definitely have their own taste, and I try to give them space to express it.

They both have a favourite colour, and I make sure to incorporate that colour when I find things for them. That makes them so happy.

That said, it's still my choice what comes into the house, as I try to only have things that we actually use.

Q. What does an ordinary weekend look like for your family in Copenhagen? Are there places, rituals, or simple traditions you return to again and again?

A. We love being home with no plans. Slow mornings in our pyjamas with lots of play and painting, long walks in our nearby park, often with a basket to collect seasonal treasures. Then afternoon tea on the sofa with a good movie — that must be my happy place.

Weekends are very much where I catch my breath after a long week with lots of meetings, school runs, parent meetings, family, after-school activities and everything in between.

So it is important to me to give my kids a sense that time is on their side. We don't have to rush out of the door. On the weekend, the time is ours.

Q. When your daughters look back on their childhood home one day, what do you hope they remember?

A. I hope they will remember our home as a place where they could truly be themselves. A place where they could relax completely, feel calm and safe, and where there was room for all of us to simply live and grow.