Alken Bed Frame | Oiled Oak
€3.100,00
Photography by Petra Kleis
Petra Kleis is a Copenhagen-based photographer known for her distinctive eye, playful portraits and intuitive approach to people and light. Always observing, always moving, she finds inspiration everywhere — from her daughters and late-evening light to the quiet rituals of home.
In this conversation, Petra reflects on openness, creativity, learning to slow down, and finding moments of stillness in an otherwise restless life.
We love the way you share yourself with the world. Is staying open and honest about most aspects of life a virtue of yours?
Being open has always come quite naturally to me. My mother suffered a lot from depression and always preached that being open about life’s ups and, especially, its downs was a path towards a kind of mental freedom. So I’ve probably always felt that I had “permission” to share whatever I wanted to, especially the heavier things.
Given your known work ethic and high commitment to projects, do you have any signals or routines that prompt you to seek rest after a long day of work?
I’m moving around 90% of the hours I am awake. I have a tendency towards a slight degree of mania and can drive the people around me crazy by constantly fiddling around and doing things. BUT when I’m ready to get into bed, which is usually quite early, I do. I’m very rarely “up” after 9 pm on weekdays. I love lying down and reading a book or watching “TV”. I really value my “downtime”.
You’ve expressed earlier that you want to get better at doing nothing. Have you found a way to enjoy moments when nothing really is going on?
I have! I built myself a ceramics studio at my summer house, which means I can now actually sit still and just make (questionable) ceramics. I especially love making “things” – bananas, papayas, cameras, Crocs, etc. I find it ridiculously fun! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my skills on a pottery wheel are extremely limited.
Related to learning, is there something you have recently unlearned?
I’m constantly trying to “unlearn” having my phone on me all the time. I think those of us who were first-generation iPhone users have a particular tendency to feel that life somehow stops if we’re not constantly checking emails, Instagram, texts, etc. I nearly killed myself on my staircase one morning because I was staring at my phone and missed a step. So stupid! We’re not missing out on anything at all, even if we were to throw that damn iPhone out the window.
Is there a photo you are still chasing, that you have yet encountered or been able to take?
A portrait of Freddie Mercury. Which will probably never happen, sadly, unless I get myself a time machine.
Inspiration is such a fluid thing and seems to change all the time. Is anything or anyone inspiring you this time around?
I’m extremely inspired by Juergen Teller’s earlier work, which to me feels incredibly simple, playful and full of humour.
His opposite, Avedon, also inspires me with his simple, carefully considered and often serious portraits that simply never go out of style.
My daughters are also the “originators” of many of the poses I suggest to my subjects. They are endlessly original!
As a photographer you spend your days observing people, light and places. Has photography changed the way you experience everyday life?
I’m 100% professionally damaged and constantly think in terms of framing and light. I’ve heard from my colleagues that I’m not the only one.
I can get genuinely restless when something brilliant suddenly happens in front of me and I don’t have a camera with me.
I’m also constantly observing colours and light to such an extent that sometimes being in places where, to my sensitive eyes, there aren’t beautiful tones or beautiful light can actually affect my mood.
Lastly, in daily life, we are always curious about people's routines around their beds. Do you have a favourite ritual, either around sleep or wake time, that we should know about?
I’m blessed with an excellent bedroom overlooking a large rooftop terrace with a “garden” that I look after and tend to.
Every Sunday, I change the bed linen and lie in bed in the afternoon, relaxing and enjoying my “garden” from the comfort of my bed – and simply enjoying having absolutely nothing to do for once. It’s a ritual I really cherish and try never to let go of.
