Anna Norrman

Anna Norrman is actually Swedish, but loves Denmark and the Danes so much that she decided to set up a boutique B&B deep in the Danish countryside, a place where imperfections are celebrated and where the Danish obsession with the colour white is truly challenged. When you stay at The Norrmans, you'll notice that sustainable food and design are a matter of course. For me, creativity is part of my existence. I have always been creative. I think I have something inside me that needs to come out; it's always been there, ever since I was little. Whenever I've had jobs where I wasn't able to be creative, I've always had to do something creative on the side.

We founded The Norrmans three years ago, in the heart of the Danish countryside and in an area where not many Danes tend to go. I like to get out in areas that people don't know a lot about. We dreamt of creating a place that would become a sanctuary. The Norrmans is my sanctuary, and as I'm in charge of the interior design, I often have to think about what others would want and create a world that suits them. I love being creative, and this is my place, where I can do exactly as I please. I love building things up. I rarely stay for long before I move on and start building something new - I'm a sort of creative entrepreneur if you like.

I love getting out into the world and experiencing other people and cultures, especially as we live in such a small isolated world up here in the Nordics. I love picking out different things from different places around the world and throwing them together here at The Norrmans. Everything here is available to buy.

I see the world in colour, and colour means a lot to me. I have studied how colours affect people, and I don't use white. Instead I use many different shades of colour. I also enjoy working with patterns. This is a tricky balance to achieve because patterns can easily become too much, so I always try to find a common thread. How this is perceived varies from person to person. Some people might come here and think what a mess, while others think it's beautiful. That's because colours affect us all differently.

The Danes love white, and they love furniture classics. Many Danes live in a completely different world to me. White is actually a difficult colour, and a colour that affects and stresses us humans. I believe that people benefit from being in surroundings that aren't quite perfect, because then you don't have to worry about ruining anything. I want to have a place where people feel at home, and where they feel they can just be themselves. That's why we created this place, where not everything is perfect, where the floor is cracked, and you can put your feet up on the sofa, and where the kids are free to run around.

I like the Danes' direct manner, and that's why I decided to live here. I really like the culture here, and I like that you can negotiate with Danes, you can't do that in Sweden because everything has to be done by the book. It's a bit cosier and more creative here, and I like that.

We run a kind of eco-system here at The Norrmans, and sustainability is important to us. Our hosts Fanny and Scott come from the Michelin restaurant ‘Relæ’, and use only natural produce in the kitchen. We are passionate about recycling and want to be as self-sufficient as possible with almost no waste. For example, we make our own cheese, we have a large vegetable garden and buy everything else from local farms. All our interior decor and service are second-hand, and we are passionate about all-round sustainability, not just what we consume.

MASAI STORIES are portraits of women’s lives, presented through thoughts and reflections from a group of dedicated and passionate women. The stories reflect on diversity, openness, courage and, not least, the freedom to be and want to be yourself. Through meetings these women, who all inspired us with their life choices and creativity, we wanted to create a special insight into women’s lives. Our stories portray the strength and beauty that emerges when your life passions are allowed to blossom, and when you choose to listen to yourself and pursue your dreams.