Alfred Bramsen's Art Deco flat in Hackney has a particularly Danish sensibility

There's a statistic that 51% of British people end up living within 37 miles of where they grew up. The nostalgic links to our childhood homes are inescapable for most people and it goes beyond the area, encompassing also the architecture and character of the houses we gravitate towards in our adult life. For illustrator and designer Alfred Bramsen, who hails from Copenhagen and now lives in Hackney, he's a bit more than 37 miles from home but the flat that he shares with his boyfriend Isaac is, he admits “not so different from the one I grew up in, except in terms of size”.

The couple live in an Art Deco building in East London, well known to design enthusiasts for its colourful central staircase, diamond motifs and pastel-tiled bathrooms and kitchens. They've lived in the flat for around three years and in that time, have very much made their mark on the place. “When I first moved in, I knew that I wanted to have a sense of Copenhagen here,” Alfred explains. “I applied a lot of ideas from my parents' apartment and the way people live over there, so everything is very functional, but still personal, playful and not super serious”. 

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The main thing that immediately strikes you about the flat – other than the light pouring in and the enviably high ceilings – is the colour. While the walls are mostly white, there is colour everywhere, from the Hay crates placed in the hallway for shoe storage, to the red silk kimono that hangs across from the front door and the trinkets that fill every surface. The kitchen is the one room with colourful walls; they are painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Stone Blue', along with the cabinets, which Alfred measured, made, sanded, primed and painted himself in early 2020. “The inspiration to redo the kitchen came from the doorknobs I found in Copenhagen,” he says–just one small way in which the flat demonstrates Alfred's wealth of creativity. 

An illustrator and designer by trade, Alfred works from home – lockdown or not – while Isaac has a studio nearby, and so the living space has to be a source of inspiration for the designer. “The colours in the flat are the same colours I draw with and use in my designs,” he explains. “A primary factor in the living room decoration is my work. I need to be surrounded by things that inspire me. Before I work, I have to clean the entire house and make it really nice. Everything has to be completely right – after I’ve hoovered I can send an email.” The sitting room is Alfred's working space, and the main living space in the flat, accommodating a sofa, record player, dining table and multitude of plants in its generous proportions. It's perhaps the best expression of Alfred's style, with a neutral base in the walls and sofa and multiple layers of colour peppered throughout: throws, geraniums, the paper fish Alfred designs for Copenhagen emporium Ohayo, various colourful candles and candlesticks and lots of stylish decorative items. 

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“I collect a bazillion small items,” Alfred confesses. “I collect small ceramic items from Japan, which are on every surface. Isaac will sigh and ask where it’s going to go when I buy them but for me, it’s more of an unconscious collection. He’s very into the wooden, Japanese-inspired element of our apartment and I’m more of a grandma in my tastes.” The Japanese element is prominent, however, and also plays a large role in Alfred's own work. While their flat might be full of colour, there is a respect for the aesthetic in small ways, like the custom-made Japanese bed they share and the blue bench at the dining table by Japanese designer Mentsen. “Japanese interiors are not that colourful but you might have a room that’s wooden with one red bowl in the middle and that’s very pleasing,” enthuses Alfred, though he has certainly added more than one red bowl in his own decorating scheme.

Alfred and Isaac's Hackney flat is itself very pleasing, and immediately draws you into the warmth of their life. Next on the agenda is to redo the bathroom floors and retile it too, though the debate rages on over whether to keep the original pastel tiles or update them with a sympathetic but more modern option. Whatever they choose, you know it'll be as cheering as the rest of the space.

Alfred Bramsen: @alfredbramsen