Kitchen of the Week: A Restored Early 20th-Century Kitchen on Bornholm

On the Danish island of Bornholm, real estate agents Mads and Nanna Löwe Bruun have carefully restored an early 1900s estate—returning it to a working house with an emphasis on material integrity. Across the interiors, original details were either preserved or rebuilt: panels and moldings reintroduced around each doorway, woodwork finished in traditional linseed oil paint, and walls treated with breathable limewash.

In the kitchen, the approach is both practical and exacting. Cabinetry and trim are painted in muted yellow tones from Linolie & Pigment, giving the room a soft and reflective warmth. Anchored by an ILVE Majestic range, vintage lighting, and a mix of Scandinavian and European pieces, the kitchen is where the project is most fully realized: restored with care and built for everyday use.

For more on the house visit The Yellow Farm @spellingegaard.

Nanna is a native Bornholmer who, after twenty years living away from the island, decided to move with her family to this home in Gudhjem, the same town where her grandparents and mother grew up. Nanna and Mads operate their own real estate agency, Löwe Bruun, out of Gudhjem, specializing in properties throughout Bornholm.

When the couple first took over the house, it had no electricity, warm water, toilet, or heating. It took two years to obtain the permission to install proper plumbing—due to the property’s proximity near a small lake. “We reconstructed everything,” says Nanna. “There was no kitchen, no toilet, no shower—and the situation plan was small rooms with many doors.”

For more Scandinavian kitchens, see our posts:

• Kitchen of the Week: Restoring 1870s Charm in a Copenhagen Kitchen, Delft Tiles and All
• Kitchen of the Week: A Colori Kitchen by Artilleriet in Sweden
• Kitchen of the Week: A Pastel Kitchen Inspired by Swedish Artist Carl Larsson
• Kitchen of the Week: The Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe Kitchen in Aarhus