Home Decor Interview:

Dagny Thurmann-Hoelseth from "Scandinavian Chic"

1.  Hi Dagny, thanks a lot for joining us today. Please take a brief moment to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about Scandinavian Chic and anything else you'd like to mention.

Hi guys! So happy to be featured here today, and I have to say, Giorgina, great site!! :)

Scandinavian Chic is your weekly dose of everything Scandinavian and Chic. I mainly blog about my home, my projects, my job, Scandinavian design, and most importantly Scandinavian Maximalism. My blog is a happy blog and a big goal is to make our readers smile :)


2.  First of all, welcome back! How would you sum up your recent trip to Svalbard, and would you recommend other people visit there too?

My trip was crazy, amazing and breathtaking. The arctic environment is very different from what we're used to in Southern Norway (Oslo).

It's much colder, and Svalbard is actually described as an "arctic desert." Like all deserts, there's a wildlife, and there's over 3,000 polar bears residing on the small island group. We landed in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, which is what you can call the "capitol", or main village :) There's a handful of houses in a very fresh and lively color palette, and since there aren't any taxes in Svalbard, there's half a dozen sports equipment shops there (with great gear and great prices :))

The most amazing part of the trip was by snow mobiles, and we traveled a total of 240 km (150 miles) in two days. During those days, we went to Russian territory (Barentsburg), and the destination of our trip at Cap Linné, Radio Isfjord (an old radio station converted to a chic hotel). This is one of the most likely spot to meet polar bears, so you're not allowed to walk outside without an armed guide. (No, I didn't get to see any polar bears).

I would recommend visiting Svalbard to anyone interested in fantastic nature, extremely friendly and humorous "natives" and a speed filled adventure (snow mobiles).


3.  Despite the name of your blog, you've said your style is "not typically Scandinavian." Briefly, how would you describe your style, and how is this different than what typically comes out of your home country?

Scandinavian interiors and design has for the past 60 years been identified by clean lines, lots of white and a minimalistic point of view. Mine is the opposite; I LOVE colors, doesn't have a single white wall and is a true maximalist. But I'm still extremely passionate about Scandinavian design and decor, and there's a new wave of exciting designers that belong to a style direction I've called "Scandinavian Maximalism."

Scandinavian Maximalism is recognized by intricate patterns and vivid colors in product design (but often with clean lines), in interior design, we see some really colorful homes that incorporate colors on furniture, drapes and accessories, but still keep the walls white. I think we'll be seeing a shift in the future, from white walls to more colorful ones.


4.  You've got a long list of projects on tap this year. Let's start with your master bedroom, which you've been posting pictures of on your blog. The wall color you chose is unique yet beautiful. Can you please tell us how and why you chose that color, and what kind of theme you want to go with in the master bedroom?

The master bedroom has been a project that's taken over a month (since I painted), which is totally unlike me. I always prefer to finish yesterday ;) I had been real unhappy with the color of our walls for a long, long time, and knew I had to do something. I was feeling totally uninspired and felt lost as of what to do. This is also very unlike me, I usually know what to do the minute I see a room.

My day job is a creative role for one of Norway's largest "home renewal" store chain (we carry paint, wallpaper, fabrics & accessories), and one of my latest projects is to create the colors of summer/fall 2011. The theme was colorful neutrals, and the color I chose for my bedroom happens to be one of the colors we're launching in a few weeks. The change in the feel of the room has completely surprised me.

I know colors can make a huge difference, but the impact this color has on both me and my husband is really special. First of all the color makes me really really happy. It's what I'd like to call a happy color :) Secondly, and more importantly I feel SO much more awake in the mornings with this color than I did with the poop colored brown we used to have (which is a huge advantage to me, I have a 1 year old, and a 3 year old, and they prefer to get up EARLY in the mornings).

The theme is vintage glamour with a modern twist AND I wanted to create an interesting and hopefully unexpected color palette. The cherry blossom pink walls, are going to be paired with a navy blue and white fabric for the headboard, with details in grey, coral and gold. Lots of minor details are still on the to do list (like the headboard), but I have to finish up next week (I have a photo shoot), so tomorrow will probably be a really important DIY day ;)


5.  Not very many homes have a basement, but yours does and you're also planning to do some work on it this year. When the basement is complete, how do you plan on using it? Is it big enough for someone to live there, or is it mainly a recreational size room?

My basement is what we call a "half basement." The rear of it is underground, and the front has large, regular windows and a terrace door (you can enter our back garden from it). It's quite large (by Norwegian standards), and has a laundry room, two storage spaces, a small office space and a recreational area (which will probably be either an office or a family room. Since basements are usually quite fugly, I'm going to make this bold an glamorous. I'm aiming on doing a stenciled floor (with some kind of Arab/Moorish pattern in a white and x color (haven't decided yet). I haven't really decided on much, other than the flooring and ceiling (it's going to be white, it's currently a horrid, yellow pine). Almost all of my lighting is vintage, so I'll be checking out flea markets this spring for some good finds


6.  Since you've started blogging, have you enjoyed the experience thus far and has it exceeded your expectations? Are there days you feel like you don't want to blog, or is it something you look forward to every morning?

Blogging has by far exceeded my expectations! I've gained friends from all over the world, and I've landed my dream job. After I started working I've had writers block quite a few times, but try not to get stressed about it. I used to be able to post 2-3 posts per week day, but now I'm down to 2-4 times per week. I'm also unable to visit all the blogs I love so much because of lack of time, and I wish I was able to travel more in the blogosphere. But still, I really love blogging, it's a creative outlet and I love getting feedback from readers. I will definitely continue to blog!


7.  Your laundry room, which can be seen on Design Sponge, is so incredibly cool that you make me want to drop everything I'm doing and go wash clothes. How in the world did you choose such a lovely wallpaper, and what inspired you to come up with that particular decor for the laundry room?

Haha, that's exactly what my goal was when I designed it! I was actually inspired by this room, but wanted to create a sassy little sister ;) I'm still hugely inspired by Hollywood Regency, and black and white flooring is a nod to that amazingly glamorous era. I wanted it to be fun, and not too serious, so I opted for the totally over the top wallpaper (Palais Chinois) by Osborne & Little. I also wanted to break the rules, by mixing brass & steel, and I think it gave the room an extra edge. Decorating is my main passion, but fashion is a close number two. I wanted to include that part of me in the room (since I'm the only one spending any time there). I bought the Chanel poster when I was 19, spending a summer in Antibes, France.


8.  Dagny, we could be here all day asking you questions, but we'll stop here. Thank you so much for doing this interview. For this last question, please tell us your first memory of ever being attracted to home decor and design? What event in your life gave you this passion? And when you're not thinking about decorating, what other things in life are important to you?

I usually describe myself as an aesthetic. I've always been very interested in how things look and what kind of vibe they send out. When I was five years old, I changed my outfit twice per day, and I knew exactly what kind of look I was going for (I know, I was, and still am strange).

I can't really think of THE moment I developed an interest for decor, I think it's just always been there as a part of me. I decorated my first room when I was 17 (although I tried to influence my mom's decisions for the rest of the house from a very early age), and my first home when I was 20.

When I'm not decorating, I'm usually with my family. I have two young daughters (1 and 3 years), and they (together with my husband) take up most of my time. :) Love being outdoors, and we usually go for hikes during the weekends.

What a terrific interview and interesting venture into the mind and life of a fascinating person.  Thanks to Dagny for such a great talk, and we hope all of you take some time to check out Scandinavian Chic. 

Thanks Dagny!