I first came into contact with DETALE CPH when I spent another sleepless night searching for the perfect colour for the walls of the apartment we were just starting to renovate, and I immediately fell in love when I saw the textured paint.

Wall paint is truly one of the most difficult choices in a home, and even as an interior designer with many projects under my belt, there are several things to consider before finding ’the one’. The way light affects a room, how much warmth a colour has or the amount of black in it, as well as how it works with other colours in other rooms - let’s just say its not a decision to be taken lightly.

For this renovation, I was hungry for something different, and with a trip to Italy last year fresh in my memory, I really wanted to find a way to incorporate the signature Italian chalky walls in my own home. I had seen colours with a similar appearance in the work of some of my favourite international interior designers but had yet to find an alternative that would give me exactly the finish I was looking for. Not to mention a product that I could apply myself as a DIY-er at heart, and that’s why I was so excited to find DETALE and their KABRIC-series. Exactly what I had been searching for - the perfect mix of rustic patina and elegance, and so easy to use!

I have to admit - even as a seasoned DIY-er and serial home renovator, I’m always a bit nervous the first time I’m using a new product. I quickly decided to use the ’Roller and filling knife’-technique, I really like the idea of being able to control the amount of texture I leave on the walls by using the filling knife.

Two layers with a quick sanding in between was all that was needed to create the feel of a Tuscan vineyard! Alright, if I’m to be completely honest, a final sanding is recommended but something that I skipped - I loved the structure too much to even consider evening it out!

I tried several shades before choosing the beautiful ’Linen’ for our living room, I love the way it changes throughout the day with the light, and goes from warmer in the morning to cooler during the day, and finally back to a beautiful, light greige towards the evening. The way the structure in the paint catches the light really comes into play as to how the colour is perceived, and as a light addict, I love seeing it change.

’Linen’ is a light grey shade with a touch of beige, and what really drew me to it, in the beginning, was the fact that it felt like chalk in its natural colour. Just raw, natural chalk without any additions. There are so many beautiful colourful shades to choose from, but for me who always love a natural and harmonious base in my interior design, ’Linen’ was a perfect choice.

In the bedroom, we worked with the shade Pale Beach, which originally comes from a separate series of paint. For us, this was the perfect colour to create the rustic, casual, 'Mediterranean meets Scandinavian’ bedroom that I had been dreaming about. After having applied the paint to the walls I was actually so in love with it that I couldn’t stop painting - and decided to paint the wardrobes as well. It turned out as a really successful DIY-project, where we built in a boring IKEA wardrobe and created the feel of a completely custom piece which was completely in tone with the rest of the room.

Painting IKEA furniture is a hassle, I think everyone who has ever tried has come to the same conclusion! Getting the paint to stick to the lacquered surface is no easy job. For me, the key was to sand down the lacquered doors, and then paint at least one layer of primer (not to forget to let it fully dry in between!). After the primer, I went about the doors in the same way as I did the walls, by first applying an even layer of paint using a roller, and then smoothing it out with a filling knife to get the sweeping pattern that I loved. Another light sanding when the paint was fully dry, before applying the last layer of KABRIC paint - and I was done!

I’m so pleased with the result of both the walls and the furniture, I love the warmth that the texture in the paint provides. Every day I feel like I have my own little piece of Italy right here in Stockholm, and I’m so excited to use the KABRIC in future projects of my own as well as with my interior clients!

Lovisa Häger's story is presented by Nanna Pedersen, DETALE CPH. 
If you want to see more of Lovisa's DIY projects, check out her Instagram: 
@an.interior.affair