Menne’s unusual (and budget) apartment makeover

Tones of soft pink and copper prevail in Menne Bartelsman’s city apartment.

Determined to have a bath in his home, Menne sourced an old tub from a farm, spray-painted it, and installed it in the living room. The copper showerhead is purely decorative.

“On most of my travels I’m backpacking so I don’t have much room for souvenirs,” Menne says. “That’s why I always buy old pictures at antique markets – they fit into my bag.”

Eclectic pieces come together to create an art installation, while an old leprosy poster features Menne’s favourite interior colours – coppery green and soft pink.

Menne bought the large oil painting above the living room sofa in Bolivia. “Everything was incredibly cheap, which made me greedy,” he says.

Chairs and stools in the living room do double duty as small tables.

Menne likes to group together small pictures by theme – in this instance, hair! The chair came from Menne’s grandparents.

An old carpenter’s workbench has found a new lease of life in the kitchen. Menne glued metallic copper panels onto the cupboards, while the wall was finished in concrete paint.

This wooden kitchen utensil box was used for storing oysters back in the day.

The stove in the kitchen was one of the very few items that Menne bought new.

“When I have visitors, the favourite place to gather is definitely the kitchen table,” Menne says. The [Hay](http://www.hay.dk /?utm_campaign=supplier /|target=”_blank”) copper candleholder was a Christmas present; a sliced tree trunk acts as a decorative and functional coaster.

The hallway cabinet was a gift from Menne’s mother – he painted it grey and filled it with oddities, including dolls from South Africa.

At the apartment’s entrance, Menne had copper tubes – left over from work in the kitchen and living room – made into a coat rack, with hooks for hanging.

The delicate wire work is a souvenir from Africa.

Menne’s penchant for taxidermy is evident in the bedroom. “My biggest desire is to buy a stuffed flamingo!” he says.

FLOOR PLANS: A. entrance B. bedroom C. dining D. kitchen E. bathroom F. living room G. bathtub H. hallway