ARNE AKSEL: Just to kick things off, you are mostly known for your distinctive style and approach to fashion. Do you see a relation between how your fashion taste influences your interior design? Does your taste in these different fields compare?

MJ: “ I believe that aesthetics revolve around you. To me, working in the fashion industry was never really a choice, but something that just naturally established itself into my life. I’ve always been fascinated with the beauty and the idea of creating some kind of stage, or setting around myself to play in - my background in musical theatre surely captures the fact that I’m a dramatic person who loves characters. Therefore the relation between fashion and interior is undeniable; both exist in the minefield of comfort versus taste and are an unavoidable part of life. I mean, you undeniably have to wear clothes and have to have a place to live.

ARNE AKSEL: That makes a lot of sense. You are living in a very central and busy part of Copenhagen, but still, entering your apartment feels very soothing and comforting. It is like you escape the buzz for a second. Still, your home is, in a very charming and playful way, quite visually demanding. What kind of feelings do you want your interior to evoke in other people?

MJ: “ First of all I have to say that I am so happy that you feel that way, and I do too! I want my home to be warm and loving. It’s my place to live and relax, but it’s also my workspace, meaning I spend a lot of time here. I’ve spent a great deal of time and thought before I started creating and decorating my space, for it to meet all of my needs. It’s important for me to feel inspired in my home, So, therefore, it changes a lot. Throughout the years it almost feels like the furniture moves around. Or, at least that’s what I tell the people getting stressed over my moving-around-obsession.

ARNE AKSEL: let us talk about your bedroom - my favorite room by the way - here you have layered out green TIBER curtains, with AIR curtains in a light pistachio tone. What were your thoughts behind this match? And on a more general level; What do you think the spatial qualities of a bedroom should be?

MJ: Well, you encouraged me to choose with emotions, a philosophy that totally captures my aesthetic philosophy. I’m a mood and lighting nerd, and I had the idea that pairing the green wall color with the two-toned green curtains would create a “waking up in a Spring Forest” kind of feel. It worked better than I could have ever imagined. I literally feel like a fairy princess every single morning waking up in my bedroom. The bedroom is the ultimate space for calmness and, living as central as I do, I need to easily be able to cut out city noise and the curtains are like a getaway from everything outside.

ARNE AKSEL: Well, I have to say that you have an expert eye for color combinations - is there some rule of thumb you could share with our followers? Because we feel that many traditional “no-goes” concerning color combinations have vanished lately. Like blue and yellow for example. Or red and pink.

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MJ: Blue and yellow actually work amazing together, right? I believe that choosing different objects in shapes and colors of your intuition is how to create the ultimate personal style. The perfect color combinations sometimes revolve around or run away from the traditional no-goes. But a little go-to tip, if you’re a less experienced decorator, is to work around one or two tones, color-wise.

ARNE AKSEL: That is a great tip. One last question, do you have any interior dreams that you are holding back from executing on? Fear exists in all of us, but how and when do we move out of our comfort zone? Sometimes I get the feeling that people are too afraid of being “judged” by other people, and that the result of that fear is that their interior ends up looking quite dull. Do you see it in the same way, and if yes, what would you say to those people?

MJ: No. Never. If I had the resources I’d probably build a rollercoaster from my apartment down to the street and integrate it with my interior. I love being innovative and surprising with my decorations. The bold, brave interiors of the Memphis movement are an inspiration of mine. That’s something I look up to and strive for; making interior fun. At the end of the day, our home is our main stage to play upon.

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