A couple of months back I paid
Uri Golman and Helle Olsen a visit in their little cabin in the woods in North Zealand, Denmark. For those of you not familiar with the Danish duo - they are bad*ss award-winning wildlife photographers on a journey to "document the beauty of the natural world and inspire people to take care of the planet." Their current project '
Wild' documents the last untouched areas of the seven continents of the world with an aim to help people reconnect their hearts and minds to the ancient love of nature under the proviso "what you love - you will protect". As I pulled up outside their home, I felt a million miles from civilisation even though Copenhagen was a mere 35 minutes away. Built from Larch wood, their 65 square metre (700 square foot) cabin is surrounded by dense woodland enjoyed by a multitude of birds, hare, deer, hedgehogs and other curious creatures. Inside, what the little wooden cabin lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in charm! Every room is furnished with fascinating artifacts picked up on travels, including remnants from the past, tools used on expeditions, tribal gifts as well as ethically sourced feathers and furs. The palette is earth - with notes of red and brown. Welcome inside the world of
Uri Golman and Helle Olsen!
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| Iranian cushions line the back wall atop a Muskox fur from Greenland. |
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| A mask from Gabon, Central Africa |
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| The paddle was used to navigate the White Nile in Uganda on a mission to find a Shoebill. An Indian water urn has been placed beside an Iranian saddle bag which is used for storage. |
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| A woodburning stove adds much needed heat in winter time. |
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| The pair brought back the huge machete (right) from Borneo where they were photographing orangutans - "local people use it for chopping branches, picking fruit or digging in the ground. We use it for ice-cream!" |
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| A leather chair from Helle's Grandparents has been draped with a sheepskin. The futon is lined with Iranian cushion. |
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| Churchill snow shoes from Arctic Canada are stored on the wall of the cabin. |
In the winter the cabin stays toasty thanks to central heating and a woodburning stove (look how pretty it looks in the snow! I think I might just have to pay Uri and Helle another visit later this year!)
While the pair relayed fascinating stories from their travels, Uri clicked away and Helle balanced precariously on beams 2 metres above the room to get the best angle. "She has no fear," Uri confided. "She once jumped into crocodile infested waters to rescue a chimpanzee!"
Their little cabin in the woods might be thousands of miles from the jungles of Borneo and great plains of Africa - but the wilderness they've found in the North Zealand is mesmerising in it's own way - and as they say, there's no place like home!
You can find out more about Uri and Helle's work
here and watch a short film about their 'Wild project'
here (quite incredible!). It's also worth keeping an eye on their
Facebook page for updates (and to catch a glimpse of some stunning wildlife photography, including this
handsome fella!).
I hope their home and worthwhile projects inspire you as much as they do me!
Have a lovely day!
