A 19th-century thatched cottage on the Baltic coast

Having discovered this thatched cottage while holidaying in a favourite spot on the coast of the Baltic Sea, Christine Pink bought it as a weekend bolthole. However, she fell in love with the property and its surroundings and soon gave up city life. Feature Miriam Hannemann. Photographs André Reuter

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Published: Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at 11:39 AM

After 20 years working for a fashion agency in Hamburg, Christine Pink needed a break from the rush of the city. ‘I loved to spend my holidays by the Baltic Sea; I enjoyed the peace and tranquillity, so whenever I could, I’d rent a cottage.’

It was on one of those holiday trips, back in 2007, that she came upon an old house with a ‘For sale’ sign. ‘It was love at first sight,’ she says. ‘I didn’t even have to look around; I wanted to buy it immediately! Initially, I was only planning to use it at weekends.’

The location of the former smithy, built in 1856, couldn’t have been more idyllic: surrounded by fields as far as the eye could see, and a garden filled with mature magnolias and plum trees. It was clear the property had huge potential.

Christine enlisted her father to help with the renovation and together they replaced dated electrics and plumbing; took down walls; exchanged old windows for new ones in keeping with the age of the house; and transformed the old hayloft into a sleeping gallery.

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Next came the decorating, which involved stripping bright orange and yellow paint from the walls and refreshing them with soothing shades of white and pale grey. In the kitchen, terracotta floor tiles that had been laid in the 1980s were replaced with salvaged stone bought at auction. ‘We had to remove the mortar from every single piece,’ Christine remembers. ‘That was quite a business, but so worth it.’

A highlight of the house is its old thatched roof, which was not only still in good shape, but also had a little surprise for Christine once she’d moved in: ‘Lying in the bathtub, gazing through the window, I suddenly saw ducklings falling from the sky! Turns out a duck comes here each spring to lay her eggs in the thatch. As soon as the ducklings are old enough, they jump from the roof and into the garden pond,’ Christine laughs.

The original plan to only use the house at weekends was soon abandoned, and Christine moved into the cottage permanently. ‘I liked it here so much that I didn’t want to go back to Hamburg after the weekends,’ she says.

And once the cottage became her permanent home, she felt it was a bit too small, so in 2010 she added an extension using historically appropriate materials. The newest part of the building blends seamlessly with the rest of the property, and is now a spacious living room, with a wood-burning stove and a little reading gallery above.

The permanent move to the Baltic coast also necessitated giving up her career in fashion. Since then she has become a full-time landlady, looking after several other cottages that she has renovated and now lets to holidaymakers. In 2020, Christine’s partner Oliver moved in and they married two years later.

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Together they have embarked on further conversion work, which saw a second living room converted into a dining room and the attic becoming a study and guest room. Downstairs, an old stable window was fitted into the wall between the kitchen and dining room, to improve the flow of light.

Today, the whole house is furnished in a Nordic brocante style, filled with many finds from flea markets and antiques dealers from Denmark, the Netherlands and France.

Meanwhile, outside, a new terrace was created to better enjoy the view of the fields that runs, uninterrupted, to the horizon. It’s a pleasant place to sit, sheltered from the sea breezes, surrounded by low hedges that look as though they have always been there.

‘During the summer months, the garden is our second living room. We eat and live outside and throw garden parties for our friends,’ says Christine, adding that spotting that ‘For sale’ sign all those years ago ‘was the best thing that happened to me!’

To view Christine’s holiday homes visit derarnisser.de

The thatched cottage was built in1856 and is set within a pretty garden planted with plum trees and magnolias. – André Reuter –
The sunny terrace is sheltered from sea breezes by formal box trees, making it the perfect spot for breakfast in summer. – André Reuter –
The thatched roof of the old cottage came with a surprise for Christine. – André Reuter –
Oliver had the idea of installing old stable windows to connect the kitchen with the dining room and increase the flow of light. The large baroque dining table was bought at auction in Sweden, and is paired with classic 1970s Tulip chairs picked up at a flea market in Hamburg. The cast-iron stove is in working order. Christine bought the Biedermeier portrait at an auction house in England and affectionately refers to her as ‘Madame Champignon’ because of her bonnet. – André Reuter –
The floor tiles in the kitchen came from the entrance hall of an old manor house. – André Reuter –
The top shelf of the antique cup rack is home to an enamel sugar jar and a collection of small porcelain birds. – André Reuter –
Wine glasses are stored in a built-in cupboard behind antique shutters. – André Reuter –
In the extension, which blends seamlessly with the original cottage, a Norwegian Jøtul stove ensures that the light and airy room is cosy in winter. The antique fire surround from Belgium adds a focal point, its mantelpiece an ideal spot for Christine’s collection of French iron amphorae. Steps made from old driftwood lead up to the reading corner under the roof. – André Reuter –
A large linen sofa filled with cushions sits opposite the fireplace, and French windows lead to the garden surrounding the house. – André Reuter –
Christine and Oliver fell in love with the Gustavian display cabinet at first sight. It houses a collection of antique English Staffordshire dogs and various pieces of white porcelain, as well as old stoneware jugs. – André Reuter –
This storage cupboard was created using old shutters that Christine bought in an antiques market in France. It provides storage for shoes, while the top is a display area for decorative apothecary jars and earthenware bowls and pots. – André Reuter –
To maximise the sense of light, Christine chose pale chalky shades for walls and floorboards throughout the house. The Louis XV armchair was reupholstered in simple jute. The tick of the fully working Mora clock, which came from a Berlin antiques shop, adds to the relaxed atmosphere. – André Reuter –
Christine chose a light colour scheme to give the small bedroom a spacious feel, adding touches of warmth with decorative elements such as the gilt-framed baroque mirror. Peonies in a large earthenware pot sit on an old milking stool used as a side table. – André Reuter –
The former stable has been converted into a bathroom and decorated in Christine’s trademark chalky palette, with travertine tiles on the floor. The oval mirror was found at a flea market. The old stable door leads to a walk-in wardrobe. – André Reuter –
The former hayloft is now a cosy spare bedroom and reading nook. Christine bought the putto painting at auction in London and the small Gervasoni ‘Ghost’ armchair came from Italy. The daybed can be pulled out to accommodate two guests and there is a walk-in wardrobe beyond the grey shutters. An old milking stool serves as a quirky side table. – André Reuter –
Elsewhere in the converted roof space there is a small work area below a skylight. The desk was once a butcher’s table, and offers a pleasing contrast to the white Panton chair. Various antique boxes are used for storage. – André Reuter –
A rose arch creates a romantic pathway to a Victorian-style greenhouse surrounded by containers filled with herbs. – André Reuter –
A Maria Theresa crystal chandelier and raven are an unexpected decorative pairing in the Victorian-style greenhouse – the raven is to deter smaller birds that sometimes fly in by mistake. – André Reuter –

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