Tine by Tine:
I was very young when I began showing interest in creating a nice atmosphere. The first room I called my own was located in my aunt and uncle’s house. I was only 12 years old when my mother and I moved from our apartment to their house. My favorite color was pale pink. Imagine a 30 square meter room in this particular color! Yet, I thought it was heaven, and I was extremely proud it was mine. Different objects were bought to create small set-ups in the room, exactly the way I create them in my catalogue today.When I turned 16, we moved to another house. The room was smaller, but I had not lost the passion to decorate. In no time, this tiny room was turned into a small apartment with a bedroom, living room and an office space. No doubt, this was the beginning of my life as an interior decorator.
Both my mother and aunt have always been rather creative ladies. Aunt Hanne was a highly respected sewer for Lene Bjerre, a well-known Danish brand. She sewed my first lingerie set in fine, white cotton with silk edges, as well as my first school dress. Sadly, she died two years ago. Her sewing room and working spirit are memories I will always treasure.
My mother owns a flower shop and sells the most amazing roses. One day, on my way home from a trip to Oslo, I admired the early summer weather from the plane window, and I suddenly realized all my flower pots on the terrace were still empty after a long winter.
It was only the beginning of May, yet, the summer had already begun, and a weekend without flowers on my terrace I would find unimaginable. I quickly rang my mother and when I arrived home the next day, the wooden terrace was filled with amazingly beautiful white and purple roses, blue hydrangeas and gorgeous geraniums. How wonderful it is to have a mother who shares your passion for flowers and who knows which ones you love most!
As soon as I finished college, I began working in a lifestyle shop, one of the first in Denmark which combined clothes and interior design. According to me, a great combination!
It was the source of inspiration for my own shop, Tine K, which I opened when I was 22, and which was located in Charlottenlund, the town where I lived. My biggest challenge was to trust my own judgment and the purchases I made. Only few interior shops existed back then. To differentiate myself, I decided to sell not only articles from Scandinavian fairs but also other interesting objects from tradeshows in France – Maison et Objets. This was a new and unique combination of different styles. Everything was white or cream colored and the furniture resembled gorgeous French antique. The following 6 years were amazingly successful. The most wonderful customers entered my shop and going to work was pure pleasure.
More interior shops opened in Denmark; I suppose inspired by my success. I was often contacted to sell retail as so many believed my merchandise was my own creation and design. As mentioned above, it was, however, purchased abroad. While the interior decorators in those days decided mainly on pink, baby blue and an abundance of flowers (quite shabby chic), I opted for a different, more minimalistic approach: clean colors in grey, blue, white, dark brown and black which eventually lead to the creation of a collection of cushions and quilts, and consequently the foundation of the company Tine K Home.
The collection has grown ever since, and today it includes also furniture and clothes. The unique Tine K Home style is an adventurous mix of Asian, French, Scandinavian and Moroccan colors, shapes and surfaces which, despite the big cultural differences, are lifted to the higher level of a remarkably clean and simple style.
Design is my life, and the smallest every day actions at home, as well as food, shapes, colors, flowers and trips abroad are a source of inspiration to me. I feel lucky I seem to have the ability to switch my designer button on and off when I need to create a new collection.
Whenever I travel, I make sure to take notes of everything valuable I notice, to ensure I don’t forget. These notebooks I usually keep for future designs as many scribbles may not fit the present collections.
According to me, the future is interesting, difficult and rather complex, but I try not to complicate matters: live your life in a simple way – and live in happiness.
I am confident, I stay true to myself, and I am sure my collection is a reflection of how I perceive myself. Hence its name: Remember Yourself.
All my best wishes,
Tine Kjeldsen
