Small Story by Oliver Furniture; furnishing by chance

Setup by chance

Location: Østerbro in Copenhagen
Family: Line, Thomas, Svend and Einer
Home: An apartment in a listed building

There is a time and a place for everything. This is the mantra in the home of landscape architect Line Stampe Dahl, her husband, entrepreneur Thomas Bisballe, and their sons, Svend (7) and Einer (4). Not in a pragmatic sense, but more in a relaxed way; we see where the moment takes us. This can mean spontaneously jumping in the car to spend a weekend at the family's summer house north of Copenhagen. Or when Line talks about how the many beloved pieces of furniture found their way into the home - many of them by chance. Or how in 2020, during the Covid lockdown, an iPad suddenly found its way into the household, which is relatively common these days, and small children are often more tech-savvy than their parents.

“In lockdown, where we are all at home all the time, we reached our limits in terms of stimulating our children,” laughs Line. The fact that the family doesn't own a TV makes it all the more impressive. There is no deep answer to this decision - it's just that Line herself grew up in a home without a TV, so she and Thomas decided that this would be good for their family too. “If the boys don't watch TV regularly, it's very special for them when a TV is turned on. Svend often comes home from friends and talks excitedly about playing PlayStation, and I love hearing about it.”

The family lives a slow rhythm; one day at a time, without having too many plans in the calendar. They let their intuition guide them in everything, from dinner to vacation plans. They take their time so that there is enough room for spontaneity. That doesn't mean that they aren't an active family: quite the opposite, Thomas is a keen sportsman while Line is passionate about knitting. In addition, both spend a lot of creative time with the boys. Line particularly appreciates the spaciousness of the home. The generous amount of space means that they can be together, but also have a certain amount of open space where children can play and parents can work or rest undisturbed. "For me, this is the epitome of a functional home - lots of small rooms within the rooms where different activities can take place," she says. But lots of space can also create a lot of chaos - especially when children are at work.

For Line, an orderly environment equals an orderly mind, so it was really important to incorporate plenty of clever storage space - in particular, Oliver Furniture's simple and practical shelving units, which can be used to store everything from toys to vintage ceramics, crockery, books and other bits and bobs, are fantastic. "I have to admit, I'm the type of person who tidy up before I go to bed. It just makes me feel better knowing that we'll all wake up in the morning to a clean and tidy apartment," she says. Line describes the apartment's decor style as a "somewhat random affair", partly due to the unfortunate deaths of several family members within a short period of time. "Suddenly we were left with heirlooms from three different houses. We could never part with this furniture, so we decided to make the most of it in our own home.

“I prefer to save up some money and buy good quality, preferably Danish design, rather than compromise with cheaper solutions. I love the idea that our furniture has had a previous life. Thomas and I are not particularly careful with our furniture either, and we don’t mind at all when scratches and dents tell the story of our family. For example, when our youngest son found out that he could draw with my knitting needles on our Spanish Chair by Børge Mogensen. This may have lost some of its monetary value, but the intangible value is all the greater.” A few new pieces have also found their way into the home: A large, spacious sofa that Line doesn’t love, but has realized is simply the best thing for the family. “My husband has an adult daughter from a previous relationship who doesn’t live with us , and when we’re all here, it’s just nice to have a sofa where we can all get cozy together. It’s a compromise for the family,” she says.

The youngest member of the family, 4-year-old Einer, recently got a new bunk bed.
bed that embodies everything Line loves about good design: high-quality craftsmanship with oak details that add real value to her children's lives. After the new bunk bed is installed, big brother Svend, who has his own room, sneaks into his little brother's bed every night. "It's so sweet," says Line, smiling. "And I can attest to the quality, as I often end up there myself - because the children often come into our bed at night too," she laughs.

Considering history is also an important part of Line's professional life as a landscape architect. She works mainly with smaller urban areas, such as town squares, playgrounds and older streets. "I think a lot about the cultural history of a place, and any changes I make are based on the greatest respect for the past. I consider what was there at the origin of a place and how I can incorporate this into a new and contemporary context without neglecting the history. It is comparable to the considerations that went into the renovation of our apartment and how I think we design our lives: with space for stories to unfold freely."

Oliver Furniture visited: Landscape architect Line Stampe Dahl (34) and entrepreneur Thomas Bisballe (43) with his sons Svend (7) and Einer (4).

Text: Marlene Toldbod Jakobsen

Photo: Anders Hviid-Haglund

Styling: Line Øhlenschlæger