On the sofa with Caroline Borg

On a sunny morning in April, we met Caroline Borg in her apartment where she lives with her family! A home that breathes a lot of peace and harmony thanks to well-chosen shades and materials. Among the smell of lilacs and freshly brewed coffee, we had time to talk about picture hanging, summer plans and color choices. And Frances of course!

Meet Caroline here!

Hi Caroline, how are you feeling today?

I feel good, maybe a bit dazed after coming out of the winter hibernation where everything has been going at half speed and suddenly you are on the other side where everything is happening at the same time. All the job productions planned during the first weeks of the year are now to be carried out, while enjoying the spring and socializing. The only thing missing is that spring sunshine that raises the energy level to a much-needed level.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

A large cup of Earl Grey with milk. I rarely eat breakfast, but drink more cups of tea.

"Frances is exactly the sofa I was looking for"

What are you most looking forward to?

Right now I'm incredibly excited about the summer when we'll be going abroad as a family for the first time in five years. The plan is to travel by train through Germany, Slovenia and Croatia. The children have really longed abroad and nagged for several years now, so we have a little to catch up, I feel, and therefore think it is best to squeeze three countries into one.

The sofa and armchair from our new series Frances looked great in your home, how did you decide on these two?

Frances is exactly the sofa I've been looking for. Softly rounded, but it still makes a statement. The footstool was exactly what our sofa group was missing, I realized as soon as it was there. A big plus is that the cover can be removed and washed or replaced, which is something every parent would agree with.

What is most important to you in a home?

Textiles, there is nothing that better frames a room. Large rugs, tailored curtains and a beautifully made bed.

What would we never find in your home?

Most of what is sold in the chains. I prefer to look second hand, buy at auction or save up for designer classics that I know I will love for a long time.

"My best interior design hack has to be our short curtains in the bedroom"

Tell us about a funny memory.

Some of my best memories are from the two times I've been on the west coast picking oysters with Lotta Klemming. It is impossible to describe how magical it is to take the boat out to a deserted beach, put on your waders and pick oysters directly from the bottom of the shallow bay where we docked. To then sit there on the beach and eat completely fresh oysters, share a bottle of champagne and eat Lotta's incredible lobsters she grills over an open fire at the edge of the beach - well, you hear me.

When do you feel at your best?

When my skin feels good, my hair is washed and I feel comfortable in my clothes. The basics are most important, whether I'm unadorned in sweats or dressed to the nines.

What is your best life hack? And what is your best interior design hack?

In the summer, it feels like an incredibly good life hack to live as we do, in an apartment in a shared house with a shared garden. The children's friends live next door and there is always someone who has the grill on when you come home. My best interior design hack has to be our short curtains in the bedroom. When you live as we do with neighbors close by, it can be nice to close the curtains sometimes, and with short curtains inside the window, you can close them without covering the windowsill, which otherwise makes it feel a bit like a bunker. In combination with long curtains in two layers, it is also very stylish.

What do you dance to?

90s music and Carola. Caught in a Storm Wind works as well as a tequila shot for me.

Why do you think you do what you do today?

I have probably been unconsciously drawn here all my life. I could never really formulate what I wanted to work with when I was younger, only that it should be creative, and I probably never really dared to believe that I could work creatively on my own. Instead, I took the safe route and studied advertising and public relations, thinking that I would work in an agency like the rest of my family. But with gradual steps I moved more and more towards interior design and styling, until one day I felt I couldn't do anything else and quit very spontaneously.

What are your best tips right now?

Take the entire month's eating out budget and spend it on a dinner at Nour restaurant. Their fried milk bread filled with roe is the best thing I've ever eaten, I think. Think a warm freshly fried donut, but with salt powder instead of granulated sugar and filled with roe, which you dip in whipped creme fraîche. I also got the bread gluten-free and yet it was so good that I shed a little tear.

What does summer look like?

In addition to the two and a half week train trip, we will be hanging out in our various country houses within the family, so there will be a lot of the archipelago as always. Hanging out on the bridge, sauna and cold baths are among the best things I know.