Meret by Xen Nefedova in Copenhagen

“I prefer to take photos of people in their homes, for the interior to become a part of the mosaic that the resulting photos are. I shot the first part of this series on the top floor of a tall building in the Bellahøj area of Copenhagen.

Xen: What are your memories of this place?

Meret: I have a lot of good memories.

After I had just moved to Denmark, I started to date a guy who lived in this apartment. We stopped seeing each other after a few weeks. But maybe 1-2 years later, my new partner at that time moved into the apartment. So, I’ve slept in more than one bed in that apartment ;).

It’s a small world in Copenhagen - everyone kind of knows each other.

X: What do you think of this kind of building?

M: At first, it didn’t seem so appealing to me. 

But now, after I have been spending more and more time in and around them, I like them a lot. I find them charming and with a lot of soul. 

They are the first skyscrapers built in Denmark in the 50s.

I love the view of them when I bike home from the city to my place. It's a great contrast with the row of old townhouses and the skyscrapers in the background.

Next time, I'm taking photos of Meret in her little cottage with a garden, five minutes away from the previous location.

X: How did this cottage change your experience of life?

M: I feel my life has become a little bit quieter, I would say.  You feel like you are in the countryside.  

And I've started to make buns in the morning after I moved here, and also I've made apple sauce from our apple trees. I guess that the true Hausfrau in me has woken up!

X: What is the most important thing for you in a home?

M: That’s a really good question. For me, it’s important that you can sense that people care about the place. That they have put love, time and effort into it, to make it livable, make it a home where there is space for anything important to you.