Impressed by your historical approach to why things are, as they are. How old is your building? Also impressed with the camera view from the inside of the dumpster.
Thanks Peter! We're glad you liked the camera shots and we love history, so being in Denmark and learning more about Danish history is very cool for us. It was really interesting to learn about how the typical Copenhagen apartment evolved over the years. Often we look at only what is different and not why it's different. Our building in Vesterbro was built in 1889, so the bathroom was retrofitted and the area also changed a lot over the years.
Question for you about the absence of built in closets and storage units in bedrooms: At timepoint 03:25, may I ask where you got the lovely mirrored storage cabinet, which I assume doubles as a closet? It looks smashing! Or, if you did not buy it, did such come with the apartment and bedroom?
If you are moving to Denmark and want a bigger appartement, try looking away from the city centers. Or try "andelsboliger" this is a large house that you share with 1-2 neighbours, each with your own floor. Or "rækkehuse" if you really want a garden of your own.
Sitting here in my high ceiling-crown molding-white walled-small kitchen-small bathroom-balcony facing the courtyard-Copenhagen apartment and just nodding lmao. I think the most egregious example of how older buildings tend to get renovated in kind of a funky way I've seen here has to be the time I went to look at an apartment that had a huge living room, a huge bedroom, a relatively big kitchen but then a cupboard sized bathroom with only a sink and a toilet and absolutely no space to also install a shower head anywhere (which is otherwise pretty common and what I currently have at my place). Clearly they used to shower in the courtyard. The dude had installed a standalone shower cubicle right in his bedroom and when I asked about humidity damage he just kind of shrugged 😂 that, along with it being right on top of a bodega made me go 'I'm desperate, but not THAT desperate' lol
Hahaha, we have seen those types of renovations. A friend of ours rented an apartment in Østerbro for six months and he had the standalone shower stall in the bedroom set up haha. At least he wasn't over a bodega 😂 tak med nej tak
There are a lot of places with balconies in the front part of a building. It just depends on the area of copenhagen 🙂 I have one in the front and one in the back
I’m finally at a point in my life where I need to start planning to move from home and have been considering moving to Denmark for some time now. This video has done really well in giving me some tips and information!
So happy we could offer some insights! We love living in Denmark and will have some advice in other videos on our channel and will have plenty more in future videos (like our monthly budget while living in Copenhagen for example). Feel free to reach out if you have any questions we can help you with or if there's anything in particular you'd like to see us cover on here 😀
My Grandmother who passed away in 1980 live in the same 2 room Copenhagen apartment for 50 years, The one thing I remember as a kid visiting her was that very tiny tiny bathroom/shower that was originately a very tiny tiny closet. Ha' en god dag.
Wow, what a cool old apartment that must have been! Those innovative showers are so neat to look at and it's funny how creative people got in designing them. Også, tak og i lige måde! 🇩🇰😀
Alexandra, thank you so much for your kind message. We really really appreciate it and hope that we can be useful for new arrivals to Denmark. Living abroad isn't easy (as you know) so we really hope it helps others 😀
You're right, that can still be true. We always try to reverse that trend, but in both Denmark and America, every party is centered around the kitchen (even if we put the bar in another room) 😂🇩🇰
The hall way is also for fighting intruders, a tradition left over from medieval times, that's why all rooms lead to it. Also have you noticed that all spiral (helix) stairs go clockwise ? That is so the intruder has to fight with his off hand, and the defender can use full force with his right arm, true facts... ;)
That's super interesting! We had heard about the spiral stairs going clockwise for sword hands being free. The hallway/entryway origin we just learned about. Thanks for sharing that really cool fact! We are total history nerds, so this is really fun to learn.
There are actually three "general" types of apartments in Denmark. We have the style that you're living in, many apartments dating back to the 1970's, when there were a lot of demand on resedential. And then we have the modern ones. But the style you're living in is the most common one. 😊
Just to ad; the "fire escape" was also build, so that you could use the toilet in the courtyard. You know, before having toilets / showers in the apparment. "Back in the days" women would probably clean and dry clothing in the courtyard as well, and would use the back entrance for that (and not the formal entrance) :)
@@RobeTrotting When apartments were heated by small coal or cox burners in each room they were also a way of keeping all that messy dust off the main entrance staircase. Also, the back stairs led to the attic where there'd often be a "drying space" for drying your laundry during the (MOST!) seasons when drying your laundry outside was perhaps not possible. They were never built as fire escapes - because that just wasn't a thing 120 years ago when many Copenhagen apartments were built. They were just back stairs, or a service entrance. Elderly friends of mine have worked as delivery boys in the 50s and 60s, and they were under strict instructions to only ever use the back stairs - and that wasn't just in post apartment buildings, but everywhere.
When I visited my grandma as a kid and went playing in the courtyard the ‘ backstairs’ where usually called kitchen stairs, as it’s most often placed in the kitchen.
Oh that's super cool to learn. Thanks! It makes a lot of sense that something like coal would come in that entrance AND that explains it also being fireproofed if it was stored there too. I guess we jumped to a conclusion - it's always really nice learning more in the comments. Thank you again :)
@@RobeTrotting It's also the reason why many apartments have such weirdly shaped bathrooms. It's the old kitchen stairs that have been split in two and converted.
Just recently found you guys and I love your videos! I was born and raised In Denmark but have lived the last 25 years in Louisiana. So happy y’all are enjoying your life in Denmark 🇩🇰
Back in the day there were apartment buildings that did not have shared showers or bathrooms. People had to visit bathhouses. Now those bathhouses were not the type we have today. They were for the whole family.
Actually to confused evereyone - we have 2 different ways of naming floors in Denmark - yes I know confusing. We call them stuen, 1. sal 2. sal and so on, like ground floor, 1. floor and 2. floor. But we also use the word etage = story - and it that case we say 1. story, 2. story, 3. story. And yes Copenhagen have alot of 6 story apartments but 3 stories are more common in appartments outside due to local rules. So ground floor = stuen = 1. etage and then 1. floor = 1.sal = 2. etage. Who ever said Danish is easy. But rest assured when people say like I live on first they mean 1. floor 1 over the ground floor.
What I always notice about americans decorating is the lack of wall decorations, you do have a few pictures but i noticed a few bare walls. Overall a very good video 👍😁
Hej Thomas! That's interesting, we never intended to keep them blank, but it's probably because we moved in the autumn and have been a bit nervous to fill the wall space - we are indecisive decorators haha
Your apartment is beautiful. Prices are going up on apartments these days, so if You bought yours, it's an advantage. Renting an apartment or a room is so expensive, in Copenhagen. My daughter lives in Copenhagen, so I learned that from her. They live in an old building too, with thick walls and a nice park nearby. Those old houses are much nicer, than new buildings. New ones are of course easier to maintain, in the beginning, but soon reliabilty becomes a bigger issue, compared to old houses, that are well looked after and modernized.
Thanks a ton! So happy to hear you're enjoying them and that we're representing things well. We're trying new things every week to keep perfecting the video part 😀
Almost like a lot of older apartment buildings in New York then. Mid-sized walk-ups with small, dark apartments - no balconies (unless you count the fire-escape as one) and no courtyard (they call it light well!) and the higher floors ones being preferred for light, security and privacy. The apartments don't usually have an entry or foyer either as they take up precious footage. Kitchens and bathrooms are basic and minimal. Basically I think all big city apartments are fairly similar - minimal room for maximum price.
I have just found your channel (as a relatively new transplant to Copenhagen myself, though I'm Canadian). I loved this video!! The apartments here are something else. We're in a more modern one at the moment but I'm definitely jealous of the older apartment ones too (though I guess each has their own advantages). Anyway, I'm rambling, but writing to say great video and I'm your newest subscriber 😊👌
The memeries i have from that yard. i remember when they startede renovations, the had a mountain of rockwool. It was fun to play in but the itch after !!! you live and you learn :)
Things are definitely different, and we had a few adjustment pains along the way, but the minimalism and simplicity of our living space is really nice. We didn't arrive with that mindset though haha 😂
Oh wow, glad to know we aren't alone! Come to think of it, I remember them being similar in Delhi. We've seen a lot of interesting bathrooms here, but it basically comes down to function and minimalism helps with smaller spaces. Thanks for watching :)
As a Swede living in a modern building - White walls are the standard, It is neutral and you can put whatever you want on them,. I have been thinking of getting some cool wallpaper, but that is a lot more to restore later. Yes, if the walls were darker then I would feel even more depressed this time of the year. Even as a Swede I generally take my shoes off, unless I'm in a hurry. I want to minimize the dirt that I bring into my apartment. From time to time, I walk into the hallway to make sure that I have turned off the lights or so. It totally depends on the weather and so. I just wish that I had been able to automate more!
Ahh home designs... many danes loves old antics so some homes are heavy to be in (old dark and massive funitur) but usualy that is in the older buildings that have not seen a massive renovation... on that note... love your videos, and more then welcome for a coffe if you are close by billund/Esbjergs
Great video guys. Been watching you for a while now without realising you live right next to Rysensteen gymnasium haha. I'm a student there. Keep up the great work
Thank you so much - and that's so cool that you attend Rysensteen Gymnasium, it's so close! So glad you're enjoying the videos and we'll keep them coming. Thanks for the kind words :)
About the left and right (til højre, til venstre), there are other configurations, it's just that it's less common. A good deal of apartment buildings also have a "Midt for" or "MF" for short. I've also encountered the long hallways with a lot of apartment, but mostly for student apartment buildings, they typically are numbered or lettered from A to Z instead of the left and right.
4:35 manny of those consisting of many small rooms are actually two or more old apartments (often made for the poor people) that have been combined for bigger ones. While those with bigger rooms, are where the rich people lived in some cases they have been divided into more than one apartment as they are too expensive for most people. Of cause that's only true for the old apartments from 1930 and before.
I've just got a new appartent, with DANNEBROG-windows like yours. Last two places I lived had "modern" windows. I hate them! All of them! Dannebrogsvinduer are the BEST, as you open at little or a lot, below or above, but most importantly, you open the side, that fits the wind direction. Danish design at it's best 😉
@@RobeTrotting I've been homeless (by choise!) for 8 months. Being homeless in Denmark is quite different, I tell you. You wouldn't believe the bureaucracy it brings! Was that a subject for you to take up? Hus Forbi would welcome you with open arms, if you did a video about the magazine. and... foreigners have been asking how we give money to our homeless, as we never seem to carry any cash. The answer is - wait for it - MobilePay! That should turn a head or two in the US?🤣 Homeless - not phoneless!
Just discovered your videos - they’re great! Might be fun sometime to show the layout of the bathroom with the shower head over the toilet. I don’t think most Americans can conceive of the idea of the whole bathroom getting wet and essentially *being* the shower!
Very nice and your positivity is admirable. Methinks, however, you've been talking to people who've been guessing rather than knowing. You are right to say that in the past, the lavatories were in the yard, and then were moved inside, but the shower in the basement is a nonsense. In the past, for one, Danes would usually bathe once a week, and, for two, there were many 'badeanstalter', which were public baths. No swimming pool, just showers. (It's the same in the older parts of North African cities, for example, where many 'common' people bathe in a public facility.) I don't know if any of the old 'badeanstalter' still exist, but they used to be widespread. I remember being in Copenhagen more than thirty years ago, when several friends lived in flats with no bathing facilities (not in the cellar either), and they didn't think it was odd at all. In emergencies, they'd do what was called 'etagevask' (storey-wash), which was performed in the kitchen, standing in a basin, and washing each 'storey' of the body. Many flats also had no central heathing, but only kerosene stoves. These things, are perhaps a thing of the past now, don't know.
I read a book from ww2 about saving money once. a suggestion was instead of taking a bath every month cut it down to every 1½ months or even only every 2nd month. No wonder these old apartment didn't originally have a bath/shower
That's funny, and good advice if you're rationing water haha. We have definitely gotten used to life without a bathtub, but it's a nice treat when we're traveling or visiting the States and can use one.
@@RobeTrotting Apartments that were build decades before private bath/shower can have them in weird places, shower in the bedroom, shower in the kitchen, old broom closet converted. I've seen a toilet/bathroom only accessible trough the kitchen. Do enjoy a nice bathtub when available
@@himtraldi Yes, it's interesting to see and the creativity is impressive. We've seen some bedroom showers and the bathroom hose types but haven't encountered a kitchen-accessed toilet yet.
@@DebrianaCarter That would be so cool! We just watched something about the work culture at Lego! I hope you can make the move someday. Denmark is so great :)
Also, they don't tend to fly higher than the ground floor unless there are tall trees. Had an apartment in Lyngby close by Dyrehaven, but since we were above ground floor, we could easily have our windows open most of the time.
Wait a minute i think i recognise that area, u guys live next to central station right? I moved to Copenhagen with my parents in 2016. Would be cool to hangout with u guys one of the days when u have time! I really love your channel and have a few questions, let me know if that's something u guys would be willing to do!
Hey Daniel, you’re right. We’re right in Vesterbro. Thanks for the kind words, we’re glad you found our channel and feel free to shoot us a DM or email :)
Oh very cool! We LOVE the neighborhood, we felt really lucky to find a flat here. Of course, we moved in August, so we only had a few months to really explore the neighborhood before lock down 2 haha.
As much as I’d love to live in Denmark, I could not give up my personal space. My house would be probably six or seven apartments. The bathroom seems medieval 😮!
I lived shortly with a guy, where the toilet was in a tiny closet besides the bed, you could just fit in and sit and there were no sink. (You had to use the kitchen sink) We had to shower in the basement, and the door was ofcause broken so you could not lock it.. fun times?.. noooo, i would never, be able to live in copenhagen after growing up in the 'outer city'? Normal appertments are way bigger and better in my opinion 😅👌 We talk alot with people living in the city and are blown away by the prices they pay for an appartment 😲 Rødovre and Hvidovre isent that bad again 😏👌
WOW, that apartment sounds wild. We've heard so many stories of the... creative Copenhagen bathroom 😂 Personally we couldn't deal with a bathroom that was that "untraditional" but props to those who can because, as you said, prices are high enough in the city center.
@@RobeTrotting i have a friend who shares a space smaller than ours with 3 other girls, its super nice but I cant imagen not being able to withdraw a 100% but I also am a person who needs to charge up after everytime i have been social 😅👌 We have 85 kvm, 3 rooms, a hallway, kitchen and a bath big enough for two people in the shower 🤣👌 and we do not pay anyware near as much as our friend in the city... I think our rent is around 7000 with everything but elektricity? As far as I know its a fair amound 😁 we do also live 10 min away from the little harbor we have in Hvidovre 🥰👌
Damn you guys are in a primo location. I hope you don't have the "all in one" bathroom! Seeing that for the first time is shocking. In my host-family's house in Gentofte, which I think was built 1915, it had a fairly spacious bathroom with a bathtub but no standup shower. I usually used the shower in the basement laundry room, although it was freezing down there. Bill
It is so strange to hear you say that there are no long corridors with appartments, . When you read about the bad slums of ages past, one of the horrors mentioned is those corridors. They were fire traps. Both because one blocked staircase could trap a lot of people, but also because they mean one sided appartments. If the fire brigade with their ladders could not get at the yard side of the building, they could not help people in those appartments. An important point in the renovation of the slums was making all appartments two sided.
toilets are often very small, small I mean pull your pants down before you back in and close the door. sink in the kitchen and a freestanding shower in the spare bedroom. all in one room, luxury
That thing about taking off the shoes is a hotly debated topic. Literally, it has been debated in popular radio shows, and I’m firmly on the side that unless you’ve just stepped in something filthy, or we have one of the increasingly rare snowfalls, you should keep your shoes on. I always encourage our guests to do that 😊
Oh yes, it's interesting how strongly people feel about this one! We figured it's because of the vintage flooring and how beautiful it looks in so many homes.
@@jeannek.srensen856 True. But when you have visitors who have dressed up nicely, it sort of ruins the impression if they have to change to socks. Otherwise, I don't advocate that you walk around in hard-heeled shoes :-)
Not just in Denmark - it's almost everywhere. Of course, in Japan and the Far East, it's pretty much a given that you take off shoes inside the house lest you are considered uncivilized. However, it is spreading like wildfire everywhere now and especially in the US. I personally don't like the habit and don't do it at home and don't ask visitors to take their shoes off - yes, I do have nice wooden floors. I am not comfortable walking around without shoes in other people's home either but of course I do it if they ask me. I dread the habit though - come Summer when people go about in sandals and flipflops (yikes) and then come to your house to go around barefoot!! ick, ick, ick and eeww!
My partner is going to work in Cph, he is looking for a furnished apartment. Do you have any reference rental in Fredericksberg, Cph? Budget around krr 10k/mo. Thanks
That sounds a bit low, but we are not experts. For reference, when we first arrived in 2017 we had a furnished apartment in the city center and paid 15k/mo for a 3 room apartment, 2BR and about 80 m2. We know some friends who found a temporary furnished apartment in Fbrg through Airbnb but we aren’t sure what their rent was.
Not necessarily! Growing up we had to remember which of our friends lived in "take your shoes off". houses and which ones lived in "not a big deal, you can leave them on". And for parties especially you would never take shoes off. All our socks were boring until we moved over here :)
@@RobeTrotting it is worth mentioning that it also depends on where you live, if you are likely to walk in mud and dirt, then you wont be welcome with shoes, but I've been places where it was okay
That's true, but it's super humid and "buggy" in most of the States so by contrast we don't think there are a lot. I guess it's all what you're used to haha.
BTW! I know it's a "non-issue", but I'm a guy who "bat's for the other team" :-D ! But I really like your posts :-) ! They are so Effing informative ;-) Good job guys ;-) ! Keep it up :-) ! Please stay :-) !!!!!!
@@KHValby Never an issue! Every team needs its batters haha :-) Thank you so much for your positive response, it really is awesome! We'll definitely keep the videos rolling out and we'll be staying in Denmark as long as we can because we really love calling it home :-D
@@RobeTrotting Oh, I see. Thank you so much for your timely reply to my commentary. Wow, buying a flat is considerably more expensive, eh? Say, what incentivised you two to want to buy versus rent a place, please?
@@RobeTrotting I watched your upload very carefully. Simply the door to your front entrance made me feel I know that place, and truly enough, when I saw the courtyard and your kitchen in your apartment, there was no doubt at all.. You really can't live more in the center of the city, and yes it is a small world 😀
Hi guys. Really like your informative videos. They'll be a great help for others coming here. A few pointers you may want to consider : You're never really looking into the camera but a few cm askew. It gets a rad, annoying when watching for a while. Maybe leave out the "thank god you're here..!"? It's VERY American and... sorry.. annoying! Good luck! 🌞🙌😊🙏
Impressed by your historical approach to why things are, as they are. How old is your building?
Also impressed with the camera view from the inside of the dumpster.
Thanks Peter! We're glad you liked the camera shots and we love history, so being in Denmark and learning more about Danish history is very cool for us. It was really interesting to learn about how the typical Copenhagen apartment evolved over the years. Often we look at only what is different and not why it's different. Our building in Vesterbro was built in 1889, so the bathroom was retrofitted and the area also changed a lot over the years.
Question for you about the absence of built in closets and storage units in bedrooms: At timepoint 03:25, may I ask where you got the lovely mirrored storage cabinet, which I assume doubles as a closet? It looks smashing! Or, if you did not buy it, did such come with the apartment and bedroom?
If you are moving to Denmark and want a bigger appartement, try looking away from the city centers. Or try "andelsboliger" this is a large house that you share with 1-2 neighbours, each with your own floor. Or "rækkehuse" if you really want a garden of your own.
Sitting here in my high ceiling-crown molding-white walled-small kitchen-small bathroom-balcony facing the courtyard-Copenhagen apartment and just nodding lmao. I think the most egregious example of how older buildings tend to get renovated in kind of a funky way I've seen here has to be the time I went to look at an apartment that had a huge living room, a huge bedroom, a relatively big kitchen but then a cupboard sized bathroom with only a sink and a toilet and absolutely no space to also install a shower head anywhere (which is otherwise pretty common and what I currently have at my place). Clearly they used to shower in the courtyard. The dude had installed a standalone shower cubicle right in his bedroom and when I asked about humidity damage he just kind of shrugged 😂 that, along with it being right on top of a bodega made me go 'I'm desperate, but not THAT desperate' lol
Hahaha, we have seen those types of renovations. A friend of ours rented an apartment in Østerbro for six months and he had the standalone shower stall in the bedroom set up haha. At least he wasn't over a bodega 😂 tak med nej tak
There are a lot of places with balconies in the front part of a building. It just depends on the area of copenhagen 🙂
I have one in the front and one in the back
I’m finally at a point in my life where I need to start planning to move from home and have been considering moving to Denmark for some time now. This video has done really well in giving me some tips and information!
So happy we could offer some insights! We love living in Denmark and will have some advice in other videos on our channel and will have plenty more in future videos (like our monthly budget while living in Copenhagen for example). Feel free to reach out if you have any questions we can help you with or if there's anything in particular you'd like to see us cover on here 😀
5:35 - My man really committed to this shot!
Full access 😂
My Grandmother who passed away in 1980 live in the same 2 room Copenhagen apartment for 50 years, The one thing I remember as a kid visiting her was that very tiny tiny bathroom/shower that was originately a very tiny tiny closet. Ha' en god dag.
Wow, what a cool old apartment that must have been! Those innovative showers are so neat to look at and it's funny how creative people got in designing them.
Også, tak og i lige måde! 🇩🇰😀
I think you guys will be very useful for the new generation of expats! I wish you had a channel when I moved in to DK 8 years ago! You are wonderful!
Alexandra, thank you so much for your kind message. We really really appreciate it and hope that we can be useful for new arrivals to Denmark. Living abroad isn't easy (as you know) so we really hope it helps others 😀
big mistake @5:30: I have NEVER been at a party that did not end up with the kitchen being STUFFED with people :D :D
You're right, that can still be true. We always try to reverse that trend, but in both Denmark and America, every party is centered around the kitchen (even if we put the bar in another room) 😂🇩🇰
The hall way is also for fighting intruders, a tradition left over from medieval times, that's why all rooms lead to it. Also have you noticed that all spiral (helix) stairs go clockwise ? That is so the intruder has to fight with his off hand, and the defender can use full force with his right arm, true facts... ;)
That's super interesting! We had heard about the spiral stairs going clockwise for sword hands being free.
The hallway/entryway origin we just learned about. Thanks for sharing that really cool fact! We are total history nerds, so this is really fun to learn.
Sucks though if you’re left handed 😄 Btw. love your apartment 🕯🌻 and a great channel, good job guys 👍
@@kim_denmark Only devil spawn are left-handed. I should know; I live with one.
Watch out @@Sigart I'm left-handed myself ;-) :-)
@@kim_denmark I did notice a certain... infernal inflection from your post :P
There are actually three "general" types of apartments in Denmark. We have the style that you're living in, many apartments dating back to the 1970's, when there were a lot of demand on resedential. And then we have the modern ones. But the style you're living in is the most common one. 😊
I like the minimal decor of no picture on the wall behind you at the end XD
Just to ad; the "fire escape" was also build, so that you could use the toilet in the courtyard. You know, before having toilets / showers in the apparment. "Back in the days" women would probably clean and dry clothing in the courtyard as well, and would use the back entrance for that (and not the formal entrance) :)
Oh wow, thanks for adding this - that makes so much more sense now that we think about it. It's basically a courtyard "back door" from each apartment.
@@RobeTrotting When apartments were heated by small coal or cox burners in each room they were also a way of keeping all that messy dust off the main entrance staircase. Also, the back stairs led to the attic where there'd often be a "drying space" for drying your laundry during the (MOST!) seasons when drying your laundry outside was perhaps not possible.
They were never built as fire escapes - because that just wasn't a thing 120 years ago when many Copenhagen apartments were built. They were just back stairs, or a service entrance. Elderly friends of mine have worked as delivery boys in the 50s and 60s, and they were under strict instructions to only ever use the back stairs - and that wasn't just in post apartment buildings, but everywhere.
When I visited my grandma as a kid and went playing in the courtyard the ‘ backstairs’ where usually called kitchen stairs, as it’s most often placed in the kitchen.
Oh that's super cool to learn. Thanks! It makes a lot of sense that something like coal would come in that entrance AND that explains it also being fireproofed if it was stored there too. I guess we jumped to a conclusion - it's always really nice learning more in the comments. Thank you again :)
@@RobeTrotting It's also the reason why many apartments have such weirdly shaped bathrooms. It's the old kitchen stairs that have been split in two and converted.
Just recently found you guys and I love your videos! I was born and raised In Denmark but have lived the last 25 years in Louisiana. So happy y’all are enjoying your life in Denmark 🇩🇰
Back in the day there were apartment buildings that did not have shared showers or bathrooms. People had to visit bathhouses. Now those bathhouses were not the type we have today. They were for the whole family.
Actually to confused evereyone - we have 2 different ways of naming floors in Denmark - yes I know confusing. We call them stuen, 1. sal 2. sal and so on, like ground floor, 1. floor and 2. floor. But we also use the word etage = story - and it that case we say 1. story, 2. story, 3. story. And yes Copenhagen have alot of 6 story apartments but 3 stories are more common in appartments outside due to local rules. So ground floor = stuen = 1. etage and then 1. floor = 1.sal = 2. etage. Who ever said Danish is easy. But rest assured when people say like I live on first they mean 1. floor 1 over the ground floor.
Oh good call, we definitely forgot to include stuen and mention that three-story buildings are common elsewhere. Great points :)
You should consider doing a mentioning of the traditional lye and soap treated wooden floors. Something I only have encountered in scandinavia.
Yes, very true - and we need to do it soon so maybe in an instagram live 😀
What I always notice about americans decorating is the lack of wall decorations, you do have a few pictures but i noticed a few bare walls. Overall a very good video 👍😁
Hej Thomas! That's interesting, we never intended to keep them blank, but it's probably because we moved in the autumn and have been a bit nervous to fill the wall space - we are indecisive decorators haha
Your apartment is beautiful. Prices are going up on apartments these days, so if You bought yours, it's an advantage. Renting an apartment or a room is so expensive, in Copenhagen. My daughter lives in Copenhagen, so I learned that from her. They live in an old building too, with thick walls and a nice park nearby. Those old houses are much nicer, than new buildings. New ones are of course easier to maintain, in the beginning, but soon reliabilty becomes a bigger issue, compared to old houses, that are well looked after and modernized.
the videos are getting better and better! well done guys! its a really honest and fair and realistic video. great job!
Thanks a ton! So happy to hear you're enjoying them and that we're representing things well. We're trying new things every week to keep perfecting the video part 😀
Almost like a lot of older apartment buildings in New York then. Mid-sized walk-ups with small, dark apartments - no balconies (unless you count the fire-escape as one) and no courtyard (they call it light well!) and the higher floors ones being preferred for light, security and privacy. The apartments don't usually have an entry or foyer either as they take up precious footage. Kitchens and bathrooms are basic and minimal. Basically I think all big city apartments are fairly similar - minimal room for maximum price.
I have just found your channel (as a relatively new transplant to Copenhagen myself, though I'm Canadian). I loved this video!! The apartments here are something else. We're in a more modern one at the moment but I'm definitely jealous of the older apartment ones too (though I guess each has their own advantages). Anyway, I'm rambling, but writing to say great video and I'm your newest subscriber 😊👌
Thanks for showing us your apartment... you have a great apartment...
The memeries i have from that yard.
i remember when they startede renovations, the had a mountain of rockwool.
It was fun to play in but the itch after !!!
you live and you learn :)
Wow! Very different from what I’m used to. I guess Americans could learn a thing or two about from our friends in Copenhagen.
Things are definitely different, and we had a few adjustment pains along the way, but the minimalism and simplicity of our living space is really nice. We didn't arrive with that mindset though haha 😂
5:56 lived in an apartment with a shower like that, I found it kind of practical as you could de everything at once in the morning. :P
Well done, guys! I thought the shower over the toilet thing was only in Asia! We call them wet-showers and a lot of places them.
Oh wow, glad to know we aren't alone! Come to think of it, I remember them being similar in Delhi. We've seen a lot of interesting bathrooms here, but it basically comes down to function and minimalism helps with smaller spaces. Thanks for watching :)
As a Swede living in a modern building - White walls are the standard, It is neutral and you can put whatever you want on them,. I have been thinking of getting some cool wallpaper, but that is a lot more to restore later. Yes, if the walls were darker then I would feel even more depressed this time of the year.
Even as a Swede I generally take my shoes off, unless I'm in a hurry. I want to minimize the dirt that I bring into my apartment. From time to time, I walk into the hallway to make sure that I have turned off the lights or so. It totally depends on the weather and so. I just wish that I had been able to automate more!
Love that glass block shower wall.
Thank you 😊
Ahh home designs... many danes loves old antics so some homes are heavy to be in (old dark and massive funitur) but usualy that is in the older buildings that have not seen a massive renovation... on that note... love your videos, and more then welcome for a coffe if you are close by billund/Esbjergs
OMG, i lived in your house as a kid.
Nåååå!!!!! That is so cool!
Great video guys. Been watching you for a while now without realising you live right next to Rysensteen gymnasium haha. I'm a student there. Keep up the great work
Thank you so much - and that's so cool that you attend Rysensteen Gymnasium, it's so close! So glad you're enjoying the videos and we'll keep them coming. Thanks for the kind words :)
About the left and right (til højre, til venstre), there are other configurations, it's just that it's less common. A good deal of apartment buildings also have a "Midt for" or "MF" for short. I've also encountered the long hallways with a lot of apartment, but mostly for student apartment buildings, they typically are numbered or lettered from A to Z instead of the left and right.
My fire escape has been removed and instead I have a small kitchen, where it used to be.
guys ur videos are amazing!!!!
Thank you so much 😊 and thank you for watching 🙏
4:35 manny of those consisting of many small rooms are actually two or more old apartments (often made for the poor people) that have been combined for bigger ones. While those with bigger rooms, are where the rich people lived in some cases they have been divided into more than one apartment as they are too expensive for most people. Of cause that's only true for the old apartments from 1930 and before.
I've just got a new appartent, with DANNEBROG-windows like yours. Last two places I lived had "modern" windows. I hate them! All of them!
Dannebrogsvinduer are the BEST, as you open at little or a lot, below or above, but most importantly, you open the side, that fits the wind direction. Danish design at it's best 😉
That is Danish design excellence at it's VERY best - so true 😀🇩🇰❤ Congrats on your new home Ane-Louise and thank you for watching!
@@RobeTrotting I've been homeless (by choise!) for 8 months. Being homeless in Denmark is quite different, I tell you. You wouldn't believe the bureaucracy it brings!
Was that a subject for you to take up? Hus Forbi would welcome you with open arms, if you did a video about the magazine.
and... foreigners have been asking how we give money to our homeless, as we never seem to carry any cash. The answer is - wait for it - MobilePay! That should turn a head or two in the US?🤣 Homeless - not phoneless!
Just discovered your videos - they’re great! Might be fun sometime to show the layout of the bathroom with the shower head over the toilet. I don’t think most Americans can conceive of the idea of the whole bathroom getting wet and essentially *being* the shower!
It is such a crazy concept! We need to find a friend with such a setup - you can't believe it until you see it!
@@RobeTrotting Yes, please do a video on that! I'm choosing my apartment in Odense right now, and I *NEED* to learn how that works!!!
Nice Job! Loved seeing you and the tour! Well done! If I ever move to Denmark, I'll feel prepared! :)
So glad you enjoyed it! You would love it here and we would help you find the perfect place :)
Very nice and your positivity is admirable. Methinks, however, you've been talking to people who've been guessing rather than knowing. You are right to say that in the past, the lavatories were in the yard, and then were moved inside, but the shower in the basement is a nonsense. In the past, for one, Danes would usually bathe once a week, and, for two, there were many 'badeanstalter', which were public baths. No swimming pool, just showers. (It's the same in the older parts of North African cities, for example, where many 'common' people bathe in a public facility.) I don't know if any of the old 'badeanstalter' still exist, but they used to be widespread. I remember being in Copenhagen more than thirty years ago, when several friends lived in flats with no bathing facilities (not in the cellar either), and they didn't think it was odd at all. In emergencies, they'd do what was called 'etagevask' (storey-wash), which was performed in the kitchen, standing in a basin, and washing each 'storey' of the body. Many flats also had no central heathing, but only kerosene stoves. These things, are perhaps a thing of the past now, don't know.
I read a book from ww2 about saving money once.
a suggestion was instead of taking a bath every month cut it down to every 1½ months or even only every 2nd month.
No wonder these old apartment didn't originally have a bath/shower
That's funny, and good advice if you're rationing water haha. We have definitely gotten used to life without a bathtub, but it's a nice treat when we're traveling or visiting the States and can use one.
@@RobeTrotting Apartments that were build decades before private bath/shower can have them in weird places, shower in the bedroom, shower in the kitchen, old broom closet converted. I've seen a toilet/bathroom only accessible trough the kitchen.
Do enjoy a nice bathtub when available
@@himtraldi Yes, it's interesting to see and the creativity is impressive. We've seen some bedroom showers and the bathroom hose types but haven't encountered a kitchen-accessed toilet yet.
Thanks for the video! I can't wait to be able to live in DK
You're most welcome! Are you moving here? It's a fantastic place to live :)
@@RobeTrotting I absolutely want to! I’m hoping to figure out a way I can. I would love to be a graphic designer for the Lego Group
@@DebrianaCarter That would be so cool! We just watched something about the work culture at Lego! I hope you can make the move someday. Denmark is so great :)
4:04 there are a lot of mosquitoes in some places, but probably not in Copenhagen as it takes small pools of stagnant water.
Also, they don't tend to fly higher than the ground floor unless there are tall trees. Had an apartment in Lyngby close by Dyrehaven, but since we were above ground floor, we could easily have our windows open most of the time.
Wait a minute i think i recognise that area, u guys live next to central station right? I moved to Copenhagen with my parents in 2016. Would be cool to hangout with u guys one of the days when u have time! I really love your channel and have a few questions, let me know if that's something u guys would be willing to do!
Hey Daniel, you’re right. We’re right in Vesterbro. Thanks for the kind words, we’re glad you found our channel and feel free to shoot us a DM or email :)
@@RobeTrotting sure will do, shall i write to u guys on instagram?
huh. you live close to my aunt. its a nice neighborhood. hope you like it there
Oh very cool! We LOVE the neighborhood, we felt really lucky to find a flat here. Of course, we moved in August, so we only had a few months to really explore the neighborhood before lock down 2 haha.
As much as I’d love to live in Denmark, I could not give up my personal space. My house would be probably six or seven apartments. The bathroom seems medieval 😮!
I love watching you're videos.....I say this with love, but they remind me of Sheldons "Fun with Flags" Vlogs :D
What's the standard size of apartments and the going rate?
I lived shortly with a guy, where the toilet was in a tiny closet besides the bed, you could just fit in and sit and there were no sink. (You had to use the kitchen sink) We had to shower in the basement, and the door was ofcause broken so you could not lock it.. fun times?.. noooo, i would never, be able to live in copenhagen after growing up in the 'outer city'?
Normal appertments are way bigger and better in my opinion 😅👌
We talk alot with people living in the city and are blown away by the prices they pay for an appartment 😲
Rødovre and Hvidovre isent that bad again 😏👌
WOW, that apartment sounds wild. We've heard so many stories of the... creative Copenhagen bathroom 😂 Personally we couldn't deal with a bathroom that was that "untraditional" but props to those who can because, as you said, prices are high enough in the city center.
@@RobeTrotting i have a friend who shares a space smaller than ours with 3 other girls, its super nice but I cant imagen not being able to withdraw a 100% but I also am a person who needs to charge up after everytime i have been social 😅👌
We have 85 kvm, 3 rooms, a hallway, kitchen and a bath big enough for two people in the shower 🤣👌 and we do not pay anyware near as much as our friend in the city... I think our rent is around 7000 with everything but elektricity? As far as I know its a fair amound 😁 we do also live 10 min away from the little harbor we have in Hvidovre 🥰👌
Great work, guys!
Thank you, we're glad you like it :)
Damn you guys are in a primo location. I hope you don't have the "all in one" bathroom! Seeing that for the first time is shocking. In my host-family's house in Gentofte, which I think was built 1915, it had a fairly spacious bathroom with a bathtub but no standup shower. I usually used the shower in the basement laundry room, although it was freezing down there. Bill
Hi Guys. Love your videos - keep it up!!
Tak Henrik 🇩🇰😀
Love to see the vids! Good job
It is so strange to hear you say that there are no long corridors with appartments, . When you read about the bad slums of ages past, one of the horrors mentioned is those corridors. They were fire traps. Both because one blocked staircase could trap a lot of people, but also because they mean one sided appartments. If the fire brigade with their ladders could not get at the yard side of the building, they could not help people in those appartments. An important point in the renovation of the slums was making all appartments two sided.
Nice job!
Thank you! Cheers!
Living in the ground floor and the 1st floor as I do makes it even more confusing 😀
And there’s no white walls in my kitchen and my bedroom is 19m2. I live very atypically. 😃😂😅
toilets are often very small, small I mean pull your pants down before you back in and close the door. sink in the kitchen and a freestanding shower in the spare bedroom. all in one room, luxury
Hej Nini, Copenhagen bathrooms have really been an interesting difference haha. There are definitely some bonus points for creativity! 😂
Love it!❤
Glad you like it! So much is the same here but so many little differences keep it interesting.
That thing about taking off the shoes is a hotly debated topic. Literally, it has been debated in popular radio shows, and I’m firmly on the side that unless you’ve just stepped in something filthy, or we have one of the increasingly rare snowfalls, you should keep your shoes on. I always encourage our guests to do that 😊
Oh yes, it's interesting how strongly people feel about this one! We figured it's because of the vintage flooring and how beautiful it looks in so many homes.
As Copenhagen apartments are definately not sound proof, ìt's common courtesy to take off your shoes....think of the people in the apartment below 😊👍
@@jeannek.srensen856 True. But when you have visitors who have dressed up nicely, it sort of ruins the impression if they have to change to socks. Otherwise, I don't advocate that you walk around in hard-heeled shoes :-)
Not just in Denmark - it's almost everywhere. Of course, in Japan and the Far East, it's pretty much a given that you take off shoes inside the house lest you are considered uncivilized. However, it is spreading like wildfire everywhere now and especially in the US. I personally don't like the habit and don't do it at home and don't ask visitors to take their shoes off - yes, I do have nice wooden floors. I am not comfortable walking around without shoes in other people's home either but of course I do it if they ask me. I dread the habit though - come Summer when people go about in sandals and flipflops (yikes) and then come to your house to go around barefoot!! ick, ick, ick and eeww!
My partner is going to work in Cph, he is looking for a furnished apartment. Do you have any reference rental in Fredericksberg, Cph? Budget around krr 10k/mo. Thanks
That sounds a bit low, but we are not experts. For reference, when we first arrived in 2017 we had a furnished apartment in the city center and paid 15k/mo for a 3 room apartment, 2BR and about 80 m2. We know some friends who found a temporary furnished apartment in Fbrg through Airbnb but we aren’t sure what their rent was.
you don't remove your shoes when visiting a friends house in the US?
Not necessarily! Growing up we had to remember which of our friends lived in "take your shoes off". houses and which ones lived in "not a big deal, you can leave them on". And for parties especially you would never take shoes off. All our socks were boring until we moved over here :)
@@RobeTrotting it is worth mentioning that it also depends on where you live, if you are likely to walk in mud and dirt, then you wont be welcome with shoes, but I've been places where it was okay
what there is not alot of bugs in Denmark ?? they have not lived in the country side in Denmark that is for sure.
That's true, but it's super humid and "buggy" in most of the States so by contrast we don't think there are a lot. I guess it's all what you're used to haha.
lovely apartment ya got there :D
*lives in 70 year old apartment building with bathtub and feeling totally modern rn*
A bathtub?! Ugh, so jealous 😂
@@RobeTrotting The worst part is that I don't use it XD I have lived here for 15 years and I may have tried a soak three times.
Whip-itts?
Lol i used to live there too, same courtyard at least.
Really? That’s so cool - we would have been neighbors 😃
Do you own the appartement?
As always! Spot on ;-) ! Are you sure You guys aren't Danes ;-) ?
**checks passport** 🙁 no...
haha, we aren't but we try to be quick learners 😀
@@RobeTrotting Well anyway. Your Danes - in Heart, in my book ;-) ! Your "keepers" :-D :-D !
BTW! I know it's a "non-issue", but I'm a guy who "bat's for the other team" :-D ! But I really like your posts :-) ! They are so Effing informative ;-) Good job guys ;-) ! Keep it up :-) ! Please stay :-) !!!!!!
@@KHValby Never an issue! Every team needs its batters haha :-)
Thank you so much for your positive response, it really is awesome! We'll definitely keep the videos rolling out and we'll be staying in Denmark as long as we can because we really love calling it home :-D
@@RobeTrotting Stay as long as you want ;-) ! Your the type of expats, Denmark needs and wants ;-) ! Welcome to the Family ;-) !!
A building with six floors is called a six floor building. The top floor would obviously be the fifth floor.
Having lived in London I suspect "small" might be "massive' to me
Google “Copenhagen bathroom” 😂
What is your rent, please?
We bought our flat, so we it’s a little different.
@@RobeTrotting Oh, I see. Thank you so much for your timely reply to my commentary.
Wow, buying a flat is considerably more expensive, eh?
Say, what incentivised you two to want to buy versus rent a place, please?
I actually know that courtyard.. that means you are neighbor to my cuisine.
No way! What a small world, there are quite a few buildings that share the courtyard so we probably are their neighbors 😃
@@RobeTrotting I watched your upload very carefully. Simply the door to your front entrance made me feel I know that place, and truly enough, when I saw the courtyard and your kitchen in your apartment, there was no doubt at all..
You really can't live more in the center of the city, and yes it is a small world 😀
It's just a stones throw away from "Kødbyen" and a lovely place in the city..
super 👍👍👍👍👍
So … i live close to skagen… and i can sya this… my apartment is cheap… typical and…. Not minimalistic…😂
Nice - we need to plan a trip to Skagen :)
Looks quite grim.
Oh.
Hi guys. Really like your informative videos. They'll be a great help for others coming here.
A few pointers you may want to consider : You're never really looking into the camera but a few cm askew. It gets a rad, annoying when watching for a while.
Maybe leave out the "thank god you're here..!"? It's VERY American and... sorry.. annoying!
Good luck! 🌞🙌😊🙏
Ill like to add that we acually didnt get to see the kitchen or the bathroom. I dont know if it was in purpose, but it was to bad imo.
Cool video. Nice apartment. Thanks
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it 😊