Exclusive! Taapsee Pannu on her Denmark home: There's a lot of history involved

Taapsee Pannu and Mathias Boe are restoring their vintage 1907 home in Denmark, incorporating vintage furniture and Indian art.

Taapsee Pannu who has been dividing her time between Mumbai and Denmark since she started dating and now post marriage to Danish badminton player Mathias Boe, says they are in the process of finishing the interiors of their vintage home. Opening up on her new home for the first time, she says, "It is a huge house that was built around 1907. There's a lot of history involved and we wanted to restore as much as possible, there's vintage furniture that's been there for decades, which I did not want to get rid of. We requested the previous owners to let us keep it. Labour is extremely expensive in Denmark and transportation, storing things in warehouses costs a bomb so people prefer to sell their stuff. We were lucky to inherit all the vintage lamps, furniture, paintings and chandeliers, it goes with the vintage theme of the house, classic Danish designs." She adds that the new elements include paintings by Indian artistes, collections from their travels, a new staircase and additional bathrooms.

Taapsee's house in Denmark

Taapsee says having help from Mathias's father who was a former architect goes a long way, since the couple is doing the decor themselves. “What is strange for Danes but normal for us Indians is that Mathias's parents live with us, they have their own space on the ground floor, their bedroom, living room, dining and lounge area. It's the most Indian thing I brought into the house and it took us a while to convince them because it's not so common to live with grownup kids in Danish culture. Since we keep travelling we wanted someone to come home to, and it's a beautiful feeling, it truly feels like home, ” says the actor.

Speaking about their taste in interiors Taapsee says, "Mathias and I have some common tastes but in some matters we agree to disagree, However he's left most of the interiors to me and his parents, who were also kind to let me decide. However, I discuss with everybody before making any decision." She adds that while Denmark is "poster perfect" the language barrier is a challenge. “I didn't feel the need to learn the language until the past few years when we bought the house and had to interact with the locals, read documents so I thought it's a good idea to know Danish, I can understand and construct basic sentences.”

Taapsee in Denmark

Speaking about how she divides her time between both countries she says, “It depends on work. We are lucky that most shoots happen in winter as that's the best season to shoot in India. Very rarely do we have shoots in the summer and rainy season, which is when it is summer in Denmark. We end up spending time in Denmark during peak summer and return to India when the rains subside.”

Sharing her love for Denmark as well as India she says, "In Denmark, the air feels so good and so does the water. There's a certain dopamine in the air, it gives you a high breathing that air and living that life, which can be addictive. I look forward to turning my life upside down when there, you need to do everything yourself, cooking, cleaning, from buying a milk carton to bread and butter. We cycle at 6am to get groceries. If you need to fix something, you have to hammer the nail yourself. In India it's easy to get support for your smallest of needs, unlike Denmark but in Denmark it' the DIY life."

The actress reveals when she's back in India, desi food is all she needs on her platter, she says, “I try and have Indian for all meals, right from breakfast of chila and upma, to khichdis. I enjoy food in Denmark, which is different and nice but in India my menu from morning to night is desi food. I love the festive period here, full of dance and music constantly running in the background. I love putting up diyas, drawing rangoli, which I have been doing since I was a child. These rituals are not of tangible consequence but make me feel at home.”