Transform the kitchen in your holiday home in 7 easy steps

Historically, the kitchen has been a room where people gather, so transforming it into a space where friends and family will gravitate towards is just as important as making it a functional space. In this article you will learn the best tips we gathered from the three very different transformations we did with Denmark’s Nature Foundation at Skovsgaard.

If the kitchen in your holiday home feels a bit dull, but starting a transformation feels slightly daunting, we’ve got you covered. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to elevate your kitchen in a few easy steps. Let our renovation of the three holiday homes in Skovsgaard inspire your own process of transforming your kitchen into a warm and welcoming space where everyone wants to hang out when they visit.

This is how we approached the renovations:
Kågården: An “all in” transformation where we painted everything from walls to panels and doors.

Påøgård: An example of how to give a dull white kitchen new life and more personality.

Lundstedet: Shows how small curated details can truly elevate an already beautiful kitchen with some existing personality to build on.

In our experience, the more personal and ‘lived in’ a kitchen looks and feels, the more respect guests typically have for the space and interior, so don’t be afraid to let your personality and style lead your own kitchen transformation.

Explore Landfolk and find inspiration in the many beautiful kitchens on the platform.

1. A little goes a long way

Redoing the kitchen in your holiday home might sound expensive, but in truth it doesn’t have to be. There are a couple of small, yet very impactful, tips that hold the power to transform your space with much less money than you might think.

Elevate your kitchen with paint

Paint is one of the most powerful tools in your toolbox if you want to transform a room without having to spend a ton of money. Take a look at the colours and textures (like wood, tile, etc.) in your kitchen and let these guide your decisions.

At Kågården we used ‘Castle Made of Sand’ on the walls and ‘Bean, potato, tomato’ on the doors and panels, which made the room come to life in a whole new way while still honouring the integrity of the original kitchen. The room lacked warmth and natural light, so painting the room in a warm beige, and choosing a deep beautiful green for the doors and panels really brought the room to life and made it feel like a natural extension of the nature surrounding the house.
‘Green and Gold’ was chosen for Påøgård, and was used on the walls to create an interesting contrast to the cream white colour of the rest of the kitchen. This dynamic now highlights the warm wood elements even more.
Choosing to highlight beautiful door frames, wood panelling, tiles and other elements is a really good tool for redirecting attention away from the kind of boring white surfaces.
If you have old and outdated tiles in your kitchen, painting these is a great way to make the space feel more modern. We painted the kitchen tiles at Kågården in the same colour as the walls to create a sense of coherence. Remember to use a proper cleaning agent and paint the surface with a primer to make sure the paint sticks.

Go on a treasure hunt

It’s not surprising that second hand shopping has become so popular in recent years. It truly is a gold mine when it comes to both furniture, textiles and smaller elements like decorations. Not only is it cheaper, buying something preloved also means that your kitchen revamp becomes a little bit more sustainable, and ensures you a truly personal result.

Curate your kitchen with beautiful second hand finds. You are almost guaranteed to find hidden treasures at one of your local second hand stores. We bought ceramics and wooden cutting boards to serve as both decoration and functional items in the kitchens.
A fresh coat of paint is a sure way to make old furniture perfect for your space, so take a look at what you already have or transform second hand furniture.

Explore Kågård and find inspiration for your own transformation.

2. Emphasise personality and style

Functionality is just one of the important aspects to keep in mind when redecorating your kitchen. The kitchen is a place of community – think long breakfasts, cooking together, baking with your kids and reading the newspaper in silence together in the morning.

Here are a couple of tips on how to make it feel more personal:

Decorate open shelves with beautiful ceramics, glassware or objects that deserve a little extra attention.
Hang your favourite paintings, a plate rack decorated with some of your favourite items or other decorative items.

In the kitchen in Påøgård we created a decorative wall piece using a second hand plate rack painted in the same colour as the wall. Not only does this add an interesting effect to the wall, it’s also the perfect way to display your most loved items.

3. Prioritise cosy lighting

Atmosphere is a word that should be kept front of mind when decorating any space and the kitchen is no exception, despite being one of the most functional spaces in your holiday home.

Here are some things to think about:

Make sure there is good lighting in all cooking areas. This is essential.
When we sit down to enjoy a meal together, the atmosphere is of the utmost importance. Combining candles and dim secondary lighting is a really good way to ensure cosy vibes that make you want to stay around the table together for hours.
Utilise the items you have – it’s easy to upcycle old lampshades with a coat of paint. We used ‘Green and Gold’ donated by File Under Pop and painted the lampshades in Påøgård to match the walls. This way they work better with the space and now provide softer light.
Tie in colours from the rest of the interior. At Lundstedet, we replaced the cold fluorescent light in the kitchen, added two new lamp shades and painted them in a colour that was also present in the living room, which created a really beautiful feeling of coherence in the overall aesthetic.

4. Use textiles to create warmth

Nothing quite warms up a space like soft textiles and adding different textures and layers to the experience of a space.

These are some of our favourite ways to do this:

Rugs and runners might be a slightly controversial topic to some, but we believe there is a lot to be gained from beautiful rugs and runners. We integrated jute runners, which are extremely durable, in these kitchens to create a soft and warm atmosphere.
Soft cushions might feel overrated, but aren’t – in our humble opinion. Not only do they add colour to the kitchen, they also contribute to the warm atmosphere.

Visit Påøgård to experience Skovsgaard yourself.

5. Use colours to create consistency

Colour can have a powerful impact on the impression of a room, and playing with the same colour in different parts of the interior is an underestimated tool. Not only does it create a feeling of consistency, it also ties the room together in an elegant way.

We did this by painting the lamp shades in Påøgård in the same colours as the walls, and painted the plate rack in the dining room in Kågården in the same colour as the panels and doors in the kitchen. All the paint colours used in our kitchens were donated by File Under Pop.

6. Pay attention to details

It’s easy to forget the little things when you focus on the bigger picture, but putting effort into the little things can really enhance the experience of the kitchen in your holiday home.

Here are some details you should pay attention to:

Consider whether the faucet needs to be changed. An old, shabby faucet can drag the impression of the room down.
Make sure there is a designated place to hang kitchen towels. This makes it easier to keep the kitchen clean and tidy and also looks beautiful.
Upcycle the handles on drawers and cabinets. At Kågården we painted them the same colour as the cabinets and drawers.
Having a holder for paper towels feels more elegant than just placing it on the counter.

Explore Lundstedet and get inspired by the transformation.

7. Don’t leave anything up to chance

We know that decision fatigue is very real, but leaving things up to chance will ultimately make your kitchen feel less finished. It’s the details that truly hold the power to make a space feel warm, personal and inviting – and it might be easier than you think to really make the room come together!

These are some of our recommendations:

Give everything a home. Making sure everything has an intentional place in the kitchen makes it easier to both find what you need and tidy the space - both for you and your guests.
Experiment with creating the most natural flow in the room, making it easy to move around even when the whole family is gathered.
Focus on finding the balance between practicality and aesthetics.

The list you’ll thank us for later

There are certain things that simply might slip our minds in the creative process of redecorating, so here’s a list of things we don’t want you to miss out on thinking into your solutions.

Recycling. Make it easy for both you and your guests to recycle with integrated easy-to-use solutions.
Make sure that all of your appliances are working properly. Few things are more sad than wanting to make cinnamon buns only to find out that the stand mixer is broken.
Refilling hand soap, finding fresh kitchen towels or replacing the empty bag of coffee beans for a new one should be easy, so think storage of items like this into the equation.
Focus on finding the balance between practicality and aesthetics.

Feeling inspired?
Read more about how to transform the bedroom, bathroom and children's room in your holiday home and apply to become a part of Landfolk.

Denmark's Nature Foundation x Landfolk

This renovation series is a part of the collaboration between Denmark's Nature Foundation and Landfolk. Landfolk has formed a non-profit partnership with Denmark's Nature Foundation to rent out their three holiday homes located at Nature Destination Skovsgaard with the purpose to preserve Danish nature and donate all income from bookings of the holiday homes to Denmark's Nature Foundation.