Englishman in Nyhavn

Jack escaped Brexit Britain in October 2019 to forge a new life in Copenhagen. In this column, he outlines the challenges expats face when integrating into Danish life. Jack (jacksgard@gmail.com) co-hosts the comedy podcast ‘Butterflies on the Wheel’, which is available on all major podcasting platforms

I’d not only have my first pint, but meet the love of my life, smoke a pipe, get into a fist fight, and be recruited to MI5 after winning a card game against a shadowy stranger. All on the same night.

At the very least I expected them to be places where I might get drinks bought for me by kindly strangers who would share their life stories with me in a way that somehow wasn’t boring.

So it was a harsh awakening to realise my experiences of English pubs tended to lean a little more towards avoiding the 20-something-year-old city wankers doing coke in the toilets of a Wetherspoons.

What bodegas basically are

PERHAPS the most pleasant surprise that I’ve had since moving here is that my naïve expectations of pubs, and what they could be, actually do exist. They’re basically what bodegas are.

Bodegas, for those new to the city, are tiny little wooden shacks that have the ability to make you forget your night and make your clothes smell of cigarettes for up to four weeks. They are staffed by friendly people who can usually be found lighting their cigarettes from the embers of the cigarette they just finished smoking.

I would estimate – genuinely – that about 50 percent of the times I have been in a bodega, a stranger has bought a drink for me. And to confirm, this is not due to any kind of innate charisma. I have not once had a drink bought for me in any other context before and, furthermore, I have been told by several trusted sources that I come off as a bit of a dick.

Where magic happens

BUT THERE is this vibe when you enter these tiny little places, where people are almost forced to be social with one another – probably due to each establishment only having room for about two and a half tables, so you often have to share.

And look, it’s not all rosy either. I’ve had several deeply strange, uncomfortable conversations with regulars, including most recently when a demonic looking woman with cement mixers for vocal chords took me by the hands and informed me that ‘Hell’ was a real place and underneath one of the oceans – I can’t remember which.

But then again, who wants to have conversations with boring people? Pubs and bodegas exist to create interesting social connections between weird people, be they friends or strangers. And there is something about the not-somodern-day bodegas, some magical quality unknown to anyone, that makes people bond and talk and share and overshare and argue and fight and, oh, it’s booze, isn’t it … Yeah, it’s booze.

Conrad the Contrarian

An Actor's Life

Crazier than Christmas

HOW IS DESIGN defined? One could argue it’s everything from constructing a website and haute couture, to deciding on the interiors or architectural plan of a whole building – and everything in between.

For me design is about expression of feelings, culture and impressions, but how do these expressions come to life? For many of us, it is based on our experiences sprinkled with our creativity.

Having been fortunate to travel and live around the world over the years, embracing cultures, local architecture, styles and ways of life has shaped the way I design and shape handmade jewellery.

Using an extraordinary palette

WHEN I moved to Denmark in 2012, I fell in love with the old architecture and the vibrant colours.

Coming from San Francisco, California, where everything is bold and bright, I was surprised to see the array of muted colours that existed amongst the apparel and interior design.

Since then, much has changed, but my first impressions have played a significant role in my approach toward my own jewellery design work (bellaandjulesjewelry.com) .

I am naturally influenced by the signature bright yet laid-back California style, and I am simultaneously intrigued by the simplistic, minimalistic Scandinavian approach.

Creating unique experiences

IT HAS become apparent to me that somewhere along the way I have been able to marry the two through my own creative expression at home and with my jewellery design.

My beads are sourced globally. I use recycled glass beads from Ghana, which are unique, colourful and bold, along with bone beads from Nepal, which are simplistic and minimalistic. Merging the bright, vibrant and bold colours from California and Ghana with the simplistic Nepalese beads and Scandinavian designs has enabled me to fashion unique creations.

In the end, design is about allowing us to express ourselves. My goal is to bring different cultural designs together, creating a unique experience for women who wear my jewellery to express themselves through my creations.

It is not about fitting in or following a specific colour or template, but about helping create that unique feeling that allows us to thrive with confidence.

Melting pot of cultures

SO, WHAT happens when a group of foreigners move to a new country and immerse their international experience, history, culture and design ethos into a new culture?

How does it evolve and fit into this new envi-

Julia Fazio Design Undefined

Leaving her career in corporate marketing behind in Silicon Valley, Julia embraced her dream of designing and creating her own jewellery line when she relocated to Copenhagen in 2012. She combines a laid-back but vibrant and chic California style with Danish minimalistic and high-quality fashion. Find her designs at bellaandjulesjewelry.com.

ronment? I went straight to the source and spoke to three entrepreneurial expat businesswomen in Copenhagen.

MUGASKA and Roses’, and Geoffrey will also be on display at Art Escape Studios (Blegdamsvej 68, Cph K) for a solo exhibition, opening on April 1.

“Afterall, in Denmark and design, there must be ‘Hygge’,” she concludes.

GRECH & CO

When Joanna Mugford (mugaska.com) moved to Copenhagen from Poland, one of the first things she did was take a deep breath of the fresh air and hop on a bicycle. She remembers being in awe of the thousands of cyclists making their way around what is one of the greenest cities in the world.

“It is fascinating how cyclists in Copenhagen can carry anything and anyone on their bicycles the whole year round – regardless of the weather. It started to reflect in my artwork and resulted in the design of a digital illustration, ‘Cyclists of Copenhagen’,” she recalled.

Bee inspired

THE DANISH influence and inspiration didn’t stop there. She began volunteering as a local honey producer at Bybi in Copenhagen, where she designed a series of paintings featuring her creation, Geoffrey the Beekeeper.

Invited to take part in the Garden and Flower Festival at Tivoli in the autumn of 2021, she painted a photo stand-in, which kids and adults enjoyed by taking photos of themselves as a beekeeper or a bee.

Busy bees

THE INSPIRATION continued with Little Square Bee, which later turned into the ‘Bee Friendly Badge’ sticker. Its simple design reflects Danish directness. The Bee character also took part in a NFT project, @bees_and_the_city, which included a design of animated bees on top of pictures of Copenhagen – all in collaboration with photographer Natalya Tarankova. Walking, flying and honey-drinking bees took part in Copenhagen-themed exhibition ‘Bikes

As an interior architect who has lived and worked around the world – in Poland, Switzerland, the US, the UK, Denmark, to name just a few – Maja de Silva (majadesilva.com/ interiors) has learned about and experienced different cultures while working with many internationals.

Today, she has settled in beautiful Copenhagen, where she designs homes, combining all the styles that influenced her living abroad.

A playful approach

“LIVING in a country with such a history of design is a big challenge, but that's what I love most. I'm very passionate about interiors and I've created a style where I mix and play with various trends, colours, furniture, fabrics and more,” she explained.

“I bring together the Danish classic, simple, timeless style by adding pops of colour in accessories, wallpapers, art, furniture and accent walls. When designing spaces for my clients I want them to feel comfortable, to reflect their personality and to make the designs feel cosy and practical.”

Last, but not least: Hygge!

MAJA HELPS her clients to create beautiful spaces at their homes or businesses, finding the right balance of colours and proportions to bring unique style to the surface.

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Janet Grech founded GRECH & CO (grechandco.com) in Denmark in 2015 – a family lifestyle brand where Nordic simplicity meets California dreamin’. Now raising five children in Denmark, she sees fashion as a means of merging the nostalgia of her 1980s and early ‘90s California childhood with a Nordic experience of family-hood.

Familial influences

"FASHION is so much more than expression. GRECH & CO is inspired by the modern family. It is solid colours in simple form, timeless patterns and prints. Sunny, playful, bold – yet simple and transitional,” she explained.

Janet designs with a ‘less is more’ philosophy, and a ‘being kind to our environment’ approach is woven into the threads of each design. Raising multiple children is also a large inspiration behind the designs of the brand.

Making an impact

STYLE does not need to be compromised for function or practicality, she contends. The idea that one single item, such as a water bottle, can be equally loved and used by both mother and son, for example, can be quite impactful for both our personal economies and our environment.

And so, it is with great pleasure that Janet would like to welcome you into the GRECH & CO universe where practical pieces of magic meet everyday life.

IN PREVIOUS columns, we’ve looked at a simple but effective approach for embracing green habits and a sustainable lifestyle, when you are unsure where to start and are overwhelmed with the information around: Understanding the ‘5Rs' (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot). But how do we know what is sustainable and what is not, and which R to apply? Sustainability is a broad term and it includes several aspects, such as climate, circularity, biodiversity, social and other elements. As a common consumer in today’s world, how can we make the most conscious decisions whilst keeping the holistic sustainability view in mind? Let us try to understand our consumables.

Asking the right questions

WHEN YOU’RE meeting a date or interviewing a new teammate, would you not ask this question: “So, tell me about yourself?” After all, we try to understand a person as much as possible before we open our life or workplace to them. But why is it that when it comes to products or services brought to us by multibillion-dollar companies, with their green-washed ads and big bold letters flashing “Natural & Green” all over the label, we trust them immediately? Are we asking them enough questions?

We use a variety of products throughout the day, starting with our toothbrushes to the clothes we wear, but how many times do we think about where it comes from? What is its story? In this column, I would like to introduce you to a five-question framework I use @greenbyhabit to understand my consumables.

SRUTHI SURENDRAN BUILDING GREEN HABITS

Sruthi, from India, moved to Denmark in 2014 to pursue a career within green energy technologies (biofuels, waste treatment, offshore wind). Through her passion project greenbyhabit.com, she supports others keen to embrace greener habits. Follow her on the Instagram handle @greenbyhabit, where she shares her sustainability journey and breaks down these topics in a more fun and simplified format

What is it made of?

JUST GRAB the first thing close to you and ask this question: Is it made of paper, metal or plastic?

Is it a durable material like stainless steel that can be reused several times? Does it have fossil fuel sources like plastics? Is it infinitely recyclable like glass or aluminum? There is not a perfect sustainable source or product, as everything uses resources, but some are better than others. Appreciating that any product utilises resources from nature also helps us to be mindful of how much we consume.

How is it packaged?

PACKAGING is very important in many cases for the safety and integrity of the product, but also in many cases unnecessary or overdone. Let’s look at what can be bought package-free in our local community – from bulk shops or local vegetable vendors. Let’s choose products with better packaging, such as reusable or recyclable options, or (better still) ones that hardly use any, like solid soaps over liquid ones.

How far has it travelled?

MANY A time, when we look for the best or cheapest options to buy a product on the internet, it might end up from halfway across the world, which means transportation emissions on their way to us. Trying to buy locally, eat seasonal produce, and support local businesses can go a long way.

How is it made?

THIS QUESTION covers the social and ethical aspects of sustainability. Do we want to support brands that compromise human dignity and safety in their production? Were workers paid fair wages? Fast fashion brands are notorious for compromising these.

What happens after its use?

IT IS EQUALLY important to look at how the product/material will be handled after its use. Can it be disposed of or upcycled safely, or will it continue to linger around in the environment? Can the material be recycled in your local area or will it end up in a landfill or incinerated?

Asking these questions equips us as consumers with choice, so we can refuse to buy – or at least reduce our use of – products with an unacceptable history or overexploited source, thus making conscious decisions that keep the planet and our fellow-beings in mind. These questions may not be perfect, but they have helped me be more mindful.

Check out @greenbyhabit on Instagram for short videos and fun reels that discuss each of the five questions in detail.