Unlike my own sister and I (whose passions and personalities couldn’t be any more different), Rikke Kristina Flachs and Sofie Flachs Melson have, over the last ten years, turned a shared childhood memory into a thriving interiors business.
As founders of Color & Co, this Danish duo have now brought their fantastic range of natural and sustainably made window blinds to the UK, and I recently got the opportunity to chat with them to find out more.
Here’s what they had to tell me:
Can we start with a little about the both of you, where you grew up, and what inspired Color & Co?
Sofie: We grew up in Hillerød a small town north of Copenhagen. I went on to study graphic design and work as an Art Director in the magazine industry, while Rikke undertook her own successful career in retail.
Rikke: Growing up in the 1980s, our family home, like many others at the time, had natural brown bamboo blinds at the windows. The cosy and warm atmosphere they created was always something we happily reminisced about, whether it was how much fun they were to play with, or how they made us feel like we lived in a wonderful hygge filled home.
So how did you then turn this childhood memory into products?
Sofie: As we got older, we both wanted to recreate this same mood in our own homes and started looking everywhere for something similar. After failing to find the right roller blinds in Denmark we decided to make some for ourselves, launching Color & Co in 2014.
Rikke: To this day our contemporary take on traditional blinds are all designed by us and have Scandinavian style at their heart, but most importantly everything we produce is hand-made from natural materials like bamboo, jute and paper.
What values and principles guide the pieces you make, how and where are they made?
Sofie: At Color & Co we are passionate about sustainability and want to contribute towards a more environmentally friendly world.
Rikke: We want our customers to feel confident when choosing our products so personally visit our workshops in Denmark and the UK regularly where our bespoke blinds are made. We also carefully select responsible manufacturers in Asia who produce our standard size blinds and fabrics.
What would be your top three tips for anyone looking to choose the right blinds for their home?
Sofie: Before you choose specific blind types, start by thinking about what you would like the overall look to be. For a more modern feel we always recommend a chain pull blind, whilst a more casual and laid-back look can be achieved with a cord pull option.
Rikke: From there think about colour, as it’s always a great idea to match the blind with other furniture and decorative pieces in the home. For instance our natural toned blinds work beautifully alongside jute rugs and wooden furniture; while our darker blinds, such as the Black and Dark Brown bamboo are better suited for those looking to create contrast as well as a more contemporary look and feel.
Sofie: Finally it’s important to consider how much light is needed in a room. A roller blind that offers a good level of privacy is perfect for bedrooms, living rooms and areas where sun rays can enter. A more transparent blind is better in rooms where you want to keep the harshest of rays out, but still want to see the beauty of what’s outside.
Lastly, can you tell us a little about what you’re currently working on at Color & Co?
Sofie: At the moment we are working on a new design which will be available from September, and we are very excited about it. We have worked with jute and paper materials separately before, but never mixed the two together. This new design will be a beautiful mix of these natural materials, but in light and dark brown versions.
Thanks again to Rikke and Sofie for sparing the time to talk with me and for those super handy tips.
Want to know more?
To find out more about what we’ve chatted about, visit the Color & Co website.
All images courtesy of Color & Co.
Enjoyed reading this post? Then read my chat with Daniel Baer, Founder and Creative Director of British design brand Monoware.
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