Gitte Kongstad

I got the 'IKEA Family Life' magazine through my door a couple of weeks ago, and there was a piece in it showing the apartment of Gitte Kongstad. I love her! She lives by the sea, an hour out of Copenhagen and her motto is "ye older, ye more wild!". Her house is so colourful, it's brilliant.

"For me, development and change are fundamental to life. This is how I live. Active, engaged, trying out new ideas and often moving on to the next one even if the last is unfinished. The result can be chaos as I am messy by nature. I have learned to live with my 'disorder' by creating systems so I can find every little thing."

"Using the curtain string as a picture rail lets me change photos without having to make more holes in the wall."

"I've put noticeboards up all around my apartment - by the front door, in the guest room, study and living room. Who can hold all the information they need in their head? A noticeboard is an effective and attractive prompt."

" Humour in design is wonderful. The purple shelves behind my dining table are full of things with humour. Practical solutions can also look good - I play with shelves, turning my things into displays I can change as I like."