The Student Home: Gunnhildur Gunnarsdóttir

26 year old Gunnhildur Gunnarsdóttir lives in a beautiful apartment on Garðastræti, downtown Reykjavík and is studying at Háskóli Íslands to become a professional therapeutic psychologist. Stúdentablaðið paid her a visit.

What’s your favorite spot in the apartment? I’d be lying if I didn’t say the shower.  Despite the venomous looking green tiles, it feels perfect to me. Being a morning person nothing is more important to me than the morning shower, with the scent of brewing coffee slithering under my bathroom door. The only improvement I can imagine is to bring the coffee pot with me into the shower, but I’m not quite there yet.

What’s your favorite piece of furniture? I guess I would have to my living room sofa and the woolen blanket from ‘Finnska búðin’ that usually accompanies me when I lie there and read.  A good sofa, a good mocha pot and a thick, woolen blanket would get me pretty far on their own.  I also really like my large dining table, which sits many people on many occasions.

What inspires your home decor? I think my inspiration mostly comes from Scandinavian design. I also really like clear-cut design from around the ‘50s. When I travel to other Nordic countries I try to think of some nice things for my home and take some with me, as long as they fit in my luggage. And of course I have wonderful friends and family who inspire me with great ideas and advice.

How would you describe your dream home? My dream home has big windows, good lighting and high ceilings. There would be an open space I could convert into a dance floor on appropriate occasions, and a garden suitable for dining outside in summer (those two days a year we get in Iceland). My dream home would also be close to friends and family, and nature would preferably be right in my backyard.

Interview: Birna Stefánsdóttir
Pictures: Fríða Þorkelsdóttir
Translation: Tómas Ari Gíslason