City Life, Children, and a Longing for Nature: Stina Bothilde on Making Life’s Pieces Fit Together

Would you rather listen to the article? It’s also available as a podcast episode – listen to episode 2 of “Sommerhusliv” here.

A little while ago, we had the pleasure of speaking with vacation home owner and influencer Stina Bothilde Rossen, who owns the vacation home “Huset på Emmasvej.” Stina and her husband, Thomas, bought their apartment in Frederiksberg while they were expecting their first child, intending to stay in the city for a couple of years—or maybe five—until their son started school. But as we all know, life doesn’t always go exactly as planned.

“Now he’s nine and will soon be in fourth grade,” Stina says with a laugh, sitting in the corner on the beautiful built-in bench with light streaming in through the tall windows in the kitchen. Her hair is pulled up into a low bun, and on the table stands a fresh bouquet of tulips in a vase. Behind her hangs a brass clock, swaying beneath the preserved stucco on the ceiling.

She’s candidly let us in on the fact that the bench we’re sitting on hides everything from china to a vacuum cleaner and all sorts of other odds and ends tucked away in this old Frederiksberg apartment—you have to make use of every nook and cranny you can when you live in an apartment.

> Then the apartment’s value went up, and everyone thought we could cash in and move out to a house. But we just weren’t there yet. So we used the equity to buy a summer house instead.

“Since then, we’ve had another child, who’s also starting school here this summer. So we didn’t end up leaving the city, and at some point we had to figure out for ourselves what we were going to do. All our friends have moved away from here, but we didn’t really feel ready to let go of the city. Two years ago, we had to reevaluate everything, including our work situations. Where do we work? Should we move based on that? And what makes sense? We wanted to stay here in the city, so we started looking for summer homes instead.”

The Idea of a Summer House

“Back when we bought the apartment, I was working in Ballerup, and I remember several of my coworkers asking how we planned to make it work—an apartment, a child in the city, and no car. But I don’t think we ever saw that as a limitation. Then the apartment also went up in value, and everyone thought we could cash in and move out to a house. But we just weren’t there yet. So we used the equity to buy a summer house instead. I can’t think of anything I find bad about living in the city with kids.”

The space in the apartment that serves as both a gathering place for the family and a home office.

What made you decide to do that?

“I think it was all that thinking about how all our friends had moved out of the city because they wanted to get out before their kids started school. But we had kids earlier than almost all our friends, so ours had already started school. We weren’t quite as flexible when it came to moving, so our son would definitely have to change schools. And he could probably handle that if it were important. But when we really thought about it, it just wasn’t. We tried looking at listings in Roskilde, for example, and it just didn’t feel right. It didn’t resonate with us.”

The beautiful surroundings and interior of Stina’s summer house. Photos: Stina Bothilde Rossen

“That’s when we rented a summer house and realized that what we were looking for was nature, not a yard. There are so many people who talk about needing a yard to let their kids run around in, but we don’t. At all. But now we also spend time in the living room, and we can open our back door, and there are just four steps down to the backyard. We didn’t miss having a garden. We missed nature. We do have parks and things like that. But we missed the ocean and the forest,” says Stina.

“By the way, it was also a Landfolk vacation home we rented—it’s called Betty Blue and, like ours, is located by Sejrø Bay. It must have been in August 2019 for a weekend. And that weekend, everything just fell into place. We felt so at home, and so calm. And the kids were just so… There was something that made us come home. There, we found that peace we were probably missing, but didn’t quite know where to find, or how to get.”

It Had to Feel Like Freedom

After taking sick leave due to stress and anxiety, it was especially important to Stina that the summer house become a place where she could find the peace she needed.

“There were various aspects we considered when thinking about what I could handle. It had to feel like freedom, after all. There was the financial aspect, for example. Thomas was very worried that buying a summer house would tie us down—especially since I was going to have to cut back on my hours. So that was the whole practical side of it. But beyond that, I think going through that illness really fueled the dream of a summer house.”

> If we’d moved into a house with a yard, we’d just stop taking those deep breaths at some point. Then the problems would just follow us there. Everyday life would follow us there.

We ask Stina how she experiences their family life at the summer house, and whether it contrasts with the life they lead in Copenhagen on a daily basis. She tilts her head slightly and answers, “Both, really.” “There are definitely some things that make the kids really, really excited to come to the summer house,” she says.

The family’s summer house in Odsherred, “Huset på Emmasvej.” If you’re curious to experience the house yourself you can book it through Landfolk here. Photo: Stina Bothilde Rossen

“But I think it’s more about the atmosphere. I think the kids can sense that we’re more relaxed. In a different way. And more approachable. They get a few more ‘yeses’ than ‘nos’ when we’re at the summer house. ‘Yes, go outside and hammer a nail into a board.’ Just do it. At home, I often catch myself saying ‘maybe’ or ‘in a little while,’ or ‘I just have to…’ And there’s less of that at the summer house. There, it doesn’t matter as much that a game of Monopoly takes a couple of hours, because we don’t have to do anything. “In a way, I’m more inclined to say that everything will work out. I don’t know why—after all, it can’t go any worse than wrong, and then we’ll just have to figure it out if something happens.”

You’re not so afraid to hand the kids a hammer at the summer house, because whether the nail gets driven all the way in might not be that important?

“That’s part of what gives it its charm. There are things that are cracked and stuff anyway. It’s okay if it’s a little wonky.” According to Stina, the house on Emmasvej helps the whole little family thrive better. “It creates a better balance. Even though we love the hustle and bustle here in the city, we sleep just a little better when we’re at the summer house—we breathe a little more deeply. If we’d moved into a house with a yard, we’d eventually stop breathing all the way down into our bellies, too. Then the problems and the daily grind would just follow us there. So being able to unplug on Friday afternoon, close the door, and drive off—that’s a form of family meditation for us. Getting to a place where we don’t have the same obligations.”