24 Hours With… Sophie Bille Brahe
With a keen eye for elegant-yet-contemporary heirloom pieces steeped in celestial storytelling, it’s no surprise that Sophie Bille Brahe’s beloved eponymous fine jewellery brand skyrocketed on graduating her master’s in 2011. The descendant of a pioneering astronomer, Sophie creates mystical and heavenly works of art that are out of this world, transporting you to the finest stratospheres via delicate, diamond-encrusted stacking pieces with a masterfully minimal feel. The stars have aligned and the Danish designer is welcoming us into her captivating universe.
“Starting the day with a coffee.”
“No better way to start the day than with an ocean swim.”
“All ready for meetings in the office.”
“My daughter Beate could spend hours in the sun.”
MORNING
What time do you wake up and what's the first thing you do when you get up?
I’m up early around 6AM every morning. I always start with a coffee while listening to birdsong in the garden.
Do you have any morning rituals?
I start the day by serving “hotel breakfast” for my children - they pick their own choices off the menu. It’s a morning ritual that I have been doing for some time, my kids love it and it sets the tone for the day.
Where do you live and how long have you lived there?
I live in a house in a seaside suburb of Copenhagen which we bought some years ago.
Favourite thing about your neighbourhood/where you live?
Kids running in the streets and the smell of the ocean.
What does your average day look like?
After breakfast, I drop off my children at school and daycare. Then I head to the office for meetings or work in my atelier. I pick up my children in the afternoon, often we go swimming in the ocean or take a walk in the forest near our house. I always try to spend as much time as possible outside with my children every day. I prepare dinner for my family, and often family or close friends join in.
Describe yourself in three words…
Determined, gentle, and considerate.
How would your friends describe you in three words?
I hope they’d describe me in the same words!
“I love having lunch at my brother’s restaurant.”
“Days spent with my sister-in-law and her children.”
“Spending time outside is a habit I’ve kept from my father.”
DAYTIME
What is your idea of a perfect day?
It would start with a swim in the ocean with my family. Then we would all gather for lunch at my brother’s café, Atelier September, located near our house, a little north of Copenhagen. We’d end where we started, taking a dip in the ocean and spending the evening at the beach.
When you’re not working, what do you do for fun?
I love to dine out, preferably several times a week.
What did you do on your last day off?
I went to Tivoli with my children where we met with my brother, Chef Frederik Bille Brahe, and his wife and children. We watched the pantomime theatre and ended the day at Grøften for dinner.
What do you need more time for?
To collect my thoughts, making space for new inspiration to emerge.
What was your route into design and how did you begin your brand?
I grew up surrounded by creativity, I was always using my hands: I loved drawing, I loved making things. I knew that I wanted to be a jewellery designer from a young age, however I never had a dream of owning my own brand. After completing my master’s at the Royal College of Arts, I made some pieces and people wrote about them. Suddenly, there was some interest, and then it all took off.
One thing you can’t live without?
Collier de Tennis Royale. It’s the only jewellery you need!
What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What gives you goosebumps?
I laugh with my best friend Marie-Louise Mogensen, founder of the sustainable and leisure-wear label Baserange. I cry when I see someone or an animal in emotional or physical pain. I get goosebumps by watching the Opera.
“I love having dinner at restaurants with my friends and family.”
“Tonight, I’m Caro Editions, my sister-in-law’s brand.”
“The perfect evening always ends on the beach, watching the sunset.”
EVENING
What’s on your bookshelf?
Vivian Woolf crime novels (a guilty pleasure), and Elsa Beskow which I read for my daughter.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I always listen to the radio. It’s my background music.
What do you usually do for dinner?
I love to cook spaghetti dishes for my children, using tomatoes from my parents’ back garden. Growing tomatoes was a passion of my father’s and that has turned into a family tradition. We pick tomatoes from the back garden and cook them with garlic and sage for the most wonderful tomato sauce for the freezer.
What’s your favourite restaurant? And what do you eat/drink there?
Apollo. I love my brother’s food, and I always order artichokes and champagne with ice.
Do you have any evening rituals?
I collect my thoughts at night by cleaning and sorting the laundry while listening to the radio. I like preparing for a new day!
What time do you go to bed and what's the last thing you do before you sleep?
I usually go to bed around midnight; however, I never really have a fixed habit. If I’m in the middle of creating a new collection, I often stay up very late and wake up early again in the morning.
What do you dream about?
For my two children - Beate and Johan - to grow up with the freedom and confidence to do what they want to do.
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Pieces Of Me… Sophie Bille Brahe
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