When Christmas is over, Bettina Færgeman delicately packs her collection of hand-blown vintage baubles away. While doing this, she does something rather unusual: she begins planning what Christmas will look like next year.
‘I love Christmas. It’s the ultimate holiday,’ she says. ‘Every year I go all out on a new theme – Christmas here never looks the same as the year before.’ Her collection of decorations fills 10 boxes, so she doesn’t often need to buy new pieces.
But, when she does, they’re always special: fine vintage finds or treasures handmade by artisans. This year, she has gone for a ‘Candy Christmas’ theme, choosing pastel decorations inspired by a new David Hockney artwork in the dining room.
Bettina and her partner, Jakob Færgeman, bought the first-floor apartment in Copenhagen’s Frederiksstaden district 17 years ago. The apartment is one of four in a historic 1870s house. ‘I don’t think we will ever move,’ says Bettina.
‘We fell in love with – and still dearly treasure – everything about it: the neighbourhood, (characterised by old cobblestones and street lamps, which on a dark and foggy evening make you think of Sherlock Holmes), the history of the building and the fact that we bought it from my husband’s colleague, now a dear friend.’
After moving in, the couple had the stucco cleaned and asked a carpenter to make floor-to-ceiling bookcases for the library and bedroom. The floors are mainly the original boards: ‘They creak and sway in places. I love the feeling of entering a home where life has been lived for hundreds of years,’ says Bettina.
The apartment is filled with colour and characterful antique, vintage and contemporary pieces – Bettina explains that she embraces lots of different styles. ‘Pieces that come with a history appeal more to me than following trends. Instead, I mix and match and have discovered that somehow, when you buy with and follow your heart, everything will fit together in the end.
'When I fall in love with a design that is still in production, such as the Thonet chairs in the dining room, or the red Carimate chair by Vico Magistretti in our bedroom, I always seek out the vintage versions so that they come with patina. This often means that they are more difficult to get hold of, but treasure hunting is a great game!’
In Denmark, the Advent wreath is just as important as the Christmas tree. ‘It marks the beginning of Christmas cosiness by counting down to Christmas Eve four Sundays in a row,’ says Bettina. ‘Each Sunday, a candle is lit.
'In my family, it’s tradition to gather on the second Advent Sunday and share an afternoon together drinking glögg (hot red wine with almonds, raisins and spices), eating cinnamon buns and playing a game.’
Advent wreaths come in many shapes, styles and colours, and Bettina likes to come up with a new design each year for hers.
This year, she has combined coloured moss with purple candles and a blue orchid, which she has also incorporated into the table setting, decorated with candy-striped candle holders, Art Deco figurines and hand-blown champagne coupes. Here, the blue orchid shines out against a bouquet of silk fir.
30 beloved friends and family members all over the world,’ says Bettina. The mirror is French vintage - -
For Bettina and Jakob, the season is characterised by plenty of entertaining. ‘This year, we’re hosting Christmas Eve. In the afternoon we enjoy champagne and snacks, while hanging the final ornaments on the tree and placing the gifts beneath,’ she says.
‘Then we attend church, come back and watch From All of Us to All of You [a compilation of Disney classics that is televised every Christmas Eve in Denmark] before preparing dinner. We like to take our time so that the last present isn’t unwrapped until after midnight!’