After going through a divorce, artist Simone Polk says she needed a “soft landing.” She found a light-filled apartment in Copenhagen to share with her 12-year-old daughter, Ava. They’ve since moved on, but here’s a tour of the space that took Simone through a tough transition, welcomed new friends, and served as a backdrop for her paintings…

LIVING ROOM

Wall color: Pointing by Farrow & Ball. Paintings: Simone Polk.

“I was with my ex for 14 years, so at first, I felt really lonely. Then I ran into an old friend at a party, and she introduced me to a group of divorced women. The first thing they told me was, ‘Sort out custody so you have the ‘even’ weeks to yourself and the ‘odd’ weeks with your daughter.’ All the women had the same custody schedule. Now, when we don’t have our kids, we spend time together.”

Sofa: old Ikea ‘Färlöv’ dressed in a sage linen cover by Bemz. Floor lamps: Gubi and Akari 20N. Bench and stools: flea market finds. Curtains: &Drape. Rug: Nordic Knots. Pendant light: Akari 21A.

“My house is very calm, but I’m like Monica from Friends — I hide all the clutter in the closets! This apartment has a really big walk-in, and if you opened it, everything would fall out.”

Chair: Togo Fireside chair. Coffee table: Vintage from Eliaselias. Painting: Simone Polk. Floor lamp: Akari 20N.

“Some people have described my home as ‘beige,’ which can be a shorthand for bland. But I love warm, buttery tones. Like when you look at photos from the eighties and they have that golden light.”

Bookcase: Flea market find. Lamp: Helle Thygesen. Painting: Simone Polk.

“Once, when I was about 12, I discovered a book in my father’s bookcase that was filled with pictures of all these beautiful rooms. I remember thinking, Should I live in this room or that room? I got carried away imagining it. A space you love can bring so much joy.”

“”We had our first Christmas here, just my daughter and me. Because the ceiling is so high, we got the biggest tree we could find. We could barely carry it home.”

DINING ROOM

Wall color: 4524 from Flügger. Table, hutch, and floor lamp: vintage. Dining chairs: “Old Kai Kristiansen chairs I found 20 years ago in a vintage shop.” Paintings: Simone Polk. Pendant: vintage, similar. Curtains: &Drape.

“Growing up, I drew all the time. My dad, an artist, was quite proud of me and said I would be an artist, too. Then I forgot all about it, and I had a long career in television. When the channel I worked for closed down, I decided to try to make work out of something I loved. I started as an interior stylist, and I’d make paintings to bring to set. Then people began asking if they could buy the paintings.”

“First, I sold my paintings myself, then I worked with a gallery, which takes a 50% cut, and then I decided to go back to selling my work directly. For a few years now, I’ve been photographing my art at home. It’s been a game changer to allow clients and collectors to see a painting this way as opposed to in a white-walled gallery space.”

Cabinet and magazine rack: vintage.

“I’m quite a romantic person, and I love curtains that pool on the floor. The curtains in this apartment were a post-divorce gift to myself.”

“I loved sitting in this chair to read when Ava was watching noisy sitcoms in the living room.”

KITCHEN

Plate on wall: vintage from Notre Nóm. Kettle: Hario.

Table: flea market find. Candlestick: flea market find.

“This original watercolor is by Danish artist Jens Uffe Rasmussen. My favorite Copenhagen art museum is Ordrupgaard, which includes the house of legendary furniture designer Finn Juhl, and I love being in his home just as he left it. Louisiana is always worth a trip outside the city, and the street Bredgade in the center of Copenhagen has a lot of great galleries.”

BEDROOM

Bed: Zara Home. Bedding: Zara Home. Paintings: Simone Polk.

“Once, when she was younger, Ava was jumping up and down on the bed and kicked her foot through a canvas hanging above it. I was devastated, and she was, too. Then I remembered a technique I’d used before I was an artist, when I was just making pieces for my home, where I’d layer pieces of paper onto a canvas. That jumping-on-the-bed accident became the start of Patches, my most popular series.”

Marble table: flea market find.

“I love the French writer Valérie Perrin. Fresh Water for Flowers was the most beautiful novel I’ve ever read. I’m jealous of anyone who hasn’t yet read her work yet.”

Curtains: &Drape. Stool: family heirloom.

“I’m the fifth child. My older brother inherited a designer chair from my dad that’s worth a lot of money, and I ended up with that little foldable hunting stool. My dad offered it to me when I moved out of the family home, and I’ve had it ever since.”

“We didn’t end up staying here long. I found a place where I could have my studio in my home, and that made more sense. But I felt so lucky to get to live here.”

Thanks so much for sharing your home with us, Simone!

P.S. Many more home tours, and this reader’s husband built her an introvert nook.

(Photos by Nana Hagel.)