Nina Gerthel's bespoke kitchen
When an interior designer and a chef are to build a new kitchen, there will of course be a focus on both design, function and the joy of cooking. For Nina Gerthel and husband Martin Karyd, we have built a modern kitchen dream in the couple's fantastic three-storey apartment in the middle of central Malmö Sweden.
Nina Gerthel on the stairs that her father designed when it was Nina's parents who lived in the same apartment.
The super-functional and well-thought-out kitchen has been given a warm green color and details in oak, stainless steel and matt, black granite. The feeling is timelessly modern and matches nicely with the visible beam between the kitchen and dining room.
Nina Gerthel was born into the interior design industry and at a relatively young age has already had time to be a visual merchandiser, buyer, interior designer, store manager and CEO of the family company Olsson och Gerthel. Today, after 20 years in the company, she has chosen to start her own and runs the interior design company Nina Gerthel, which helps private customers and companies with large and small interior design assignments.
With such a passion for interior design, design and architecture, it is of course not the easiest thing to renovate your own home.
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The kitchen island has a recessed induction hob that is barely visible in the beautiful, matt granite from Granitfabriken in Skåne. In the ceiling there is a fan from Fjäråskupan, as discreetly placed as the hob. The bar stools come from Nina's family companies Olsson and Gerthel. Granite mortar purchased in store Geijersgatan 53 in Limhamn. Nina likes to work with local producers and to buy porcelain and art from her surroundings.
Glasses for the slightly more festive meals are lined up in the display cabinet from Asplund. The inside of the kitchen island has practical, pull-out drawers that hold everything from cutlery to pots and plates. The grip-friendly fittings with cognac-colored leather come from Stilbeslag. They got just that tone on the leather to match the Børge Mogensen sofa that stands in the corner of the dining room, a legacy from Nina's grandmother.
Nina lives with her husband Martin Karyd and the children Thea and Albin in a unique three-storey apartment in a street house from 1876 on Gamla Väster in central Malmö. Nina's parents bought the house in the late 1970s and converted the carpentry that was there into apartments.
The three floors in Nina's and Martin's apartment are linked by a modern, black-painted spiral staircase that Nina's father designed and had installed. The stairs have acted as inspiration for some of the interventions Nina has done in the apartment - not least the kitchen.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a dining area and a small lower seating area with sofa, coffee table and chair. The Bella dining table has oak legs that match the kitchen and a top that matches the walls. The chairs around the table have leather upholstery in a warm black tone that matches the granite worktop in the kitchen. Read our best tips on how to decorate your dining room.
All appliances in Nina and Martin's kitchen are from Miele. An oven and microwave are found at working height in one of the three tall cabinets in the inner part of the kitchen. In the cupboard to the right of the ovens is the fridge and on the other side you will find the freezer.
What does a newly renovated kitchen look like at the home of an interior designer and a chef who now runs Malmö Saluhall? The kitchen has clean, modern doors that are painted in a gray-green color with a small splash of yellow in. When Nina started sketching the kitchen, she wanted to create something unique where the function was in focus. It would also match the rest of the house that she renovated in a light and airy way with a social floor plan. Since the apartment is located in a stone house with metal details, such as the spiral staircase, Nina felt that the kitchen would be able to handle a weight and distinction that wooden houses from the same time period would probably not be able to support.
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Since the kitchen and living room is on separate floors, Nina has designed and had a kitchenette built up on the attic. The material choices are the same as in the kitchen to create a uniform feeling in the home. The beautiful ribbed oak picks up the feeling in the rafters and in the ropes in the armchair Flag Halyard PP225 that stands nearby. As a worktop, Nina has chosen a limestone slab from Granitfabriken in Skåne. Since the kitchenette is not used daily in the same way as the kitchen, she felt that it was okay with a slightly more fragile stone type.
The stainless steel bench with built-in sink and splash guard is designed by Nina Gerthel and manufactured by Möllevångens Plåt. Above are three shelves in oak and the wall behind them is covered with mirrors to create space.
Nina is often drawn to houses where you have contact between all the social rooms. To achieve this function, a black iron beam was inserted between the kitchen and dining room. The beam carries the floors above and ensures that from the kitchen you have a view of the dining room, the entrance, the patio in the yard, the small sofa group to the right of the dining room and Nina's office.
As I said, Martin is a trained chef and wanted plenty of space to prepare food and serving space. Nina wanted smart storage with a good setup.
- If you do not have room for all your stuff, it is not a functional kitchen, no matter how beautiful it may be.
The kitchen is made up of a kitchen island with several bar areas, a sink and a row of tall cabinets. Discover kitchen island inspiration
In the attic of the house is the spacious living room. Here you are open to the ridge and have let the ceiling beams create a feeling in the room. From the living room you also reach the 30 square meter terrace where Nina is considering building a greenhouse.
Nina has her own office in a small studio on the ground floor, but she can also work from the Pyramide desk upstairs in the living room. Thonet chair, Snoopy desk lamp by Castiglioni for Flos.
The kitchen is made up of a kitchen island with several bar areas, a sink and a row of tall cabinets. The kitchen island, and the matching kitchenette in the living room on the third floor, are clad in ribbed oak built by Jonnis Snickeri. The top of the kitchen island is in black granite which is super functional and adds to the modern feeling.
Nina is very happy with the flexibility when building the kitchen, which meant that she was able to get exactly the layout she wanted in the kitchen on the square meters that were available. She also likes that it was possible to get exactly the color she wanted on the doors.
- With color, it is important that you see it in place. I mixed it of different colors at home and sent it to Nordic kitchens who could produce the exact color.
You can really see that Nina has a well trained eye for home decor, she has managed to create a homely, relaxing style with exciting design and art. It is exclusive and luxurious, at the same time personal. Discover our top 6 kitchen decor ideas.
Moroccan Berber rug from Bargi, armchair Softpad by Eames, two small side tables, also by Eames. The large painting in the middle and the one to the right of it are by the artist Ola Billgren. On the low bookshelf is the same limestone that has been chosen as a worktop in the kitchenette.
Last but not least, Nina mentions the luxurious interior of the cabinets, in this case white pigmented oak, as a favorite detail in the kitchen. Together, all these features create a unique kitchen with weight where function is in focus - just as Nina wanted.
Photo: Andrea Papini
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