A Playful Home with Eva Bo Geisler
After falling in love with a 1967 house, architect Eva Bo Geisler and her family decided to leave city life behind and create a home of their own. Slowly renovating the house with respect for its original character, they have found a balance between thoughtful design and the playful, ever-changing nature of family life. We stepped inside to talk about creating a home that inspires both grown-ups and children, the role of imagination in play, and finding room for creativity in the everyday.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your family?
I’m a mother of two boys - Filip, who’s almost one, and Hektor, who’s seven and a half. My husband, Nikola, and I are both architects. Two years ago, we moved out of the city after falling in love with a 1967 house with a dreamy garden, where we love spending most of our free time together. We’re gently renovating it, with respect for its original architecture and character.
As an architect, how does your professional approach influence the way you think about your own home? And what’s important to you when creating a home for you and your family?
It’s difficult to separate the two, because being an architect is such a big part of your identity. It shapes the way you think, not just at work, but in how you approach life in general.
In fact, I often think about it the other way around: how can I bring the way I think about my own home into my professional work?
For me, a home is a personal space where memories are created. It’s filled with meaningful objects and should give you a sense of belonging and well-being. This is something I also try to bring into my approach to every project. I believe a space should engage all the senses and create a feeling of well-being. I also strive to create strong spatial identities that make projects and spaces feel personal, distinctive and memorable.
With such a considered approach to architecture and interiors, how do you balance your love of design with the spontaneity, playfulness and everyday messiness that come with having children?
I’m sure it can be super annoying as a child to have architect parents because we seem to control a bit too much how our home should be. Choosing stone flooring might not be the first choice for most families with young children, but for us, it’s important to look at what feels right for the house in a the long term, rather than focus only on what works best for the next couple of years.
Still it’s important for us to create a home that feels relaxed and where kids feel like they can be playful. Children’s needs and preferences change so quickly, so we like to keep things flexible. We have a movable cork play mat for Filip, along with boxes where we put away his toys in the evening - making the house feel a little less messy, at least for a while!
We’ve chosen to have an open kitchen, even though it can easily become a mess. For us, the benefit is being able to spend time together in the same space, whether someone is cooking while others are playing or working. Children often just want to be where the adults are, so having a flexible space where everyone can be together works really well for us.
What does a playful home mean to you, and how does play find its way into your home?
For me, play is very much about being creative and using your imagination. Children are often more interested in things that have been packed away for a while than in the toys that are always available. A box of toys brought out onto the floor is often the most interesting. Hektor often turns our living room into a den or a ship, using all the chairs and furniture he can find. Suddenly, the whole room becomes something completely different. It can be a mess for a few hours, but that’s part of the fun - and the next day, we start all over again.
What’s been the kids’ favorite way to play with MODU since bringing it into your home?
Hektor loves being creative, and he’s had so much fun discovering all the different things he can build with MODU. He enjoys following the instructions and building the designs, but he also loves experimenting and coming up with his own creations. I think that freedom to build and explore is what makes it so much fun for him.
For more glimpses into Eva’s inspiring home, follow her on Instagram here.
