She’s one of those souls who make things happen for herself—working with event production, DJ-ing, making kombucha in a jiffy. CHILI BENDT has a lot on her mind. She lives with her musician husband Gustav, and son Kurt, in a house typical to the era of modernistic functionalism in Enskede just south of Stockholm.
INTERVIEWED BY KArolina borg PHOTOGRAPHy IDHA LINDHAG/Agent BAUER
Hello Chili, how are you? “I’m great! Life is slowly getting back to normal after a rollercoaster spring due to Covid-19.”
Sounds good! So how do you spend your time nowadays? “Working, spending time with my boys, singing lessons, DJ-ing occasionally, and hanging out with my friends and family.”
Tell us about your work. Is this your childhood dream? “For years I thought I wanted to be a fashion designer. It turned out not to be my thing at all. I’m now working with event production within the fashion, music, and lifestyle industry.
What’s your vision when it comes to your creative process? “I love to create innovative events together with creative-minded people. Brilliant ideas rarely come from just one person. I have some amazing and creative people in my life that I get inspired by every day. Genuine people, driven by humbleness and integrity. Also, I don’t believe in just doing one thing for life. I’m too restless for that. So, since this summer, I have started my journey of becoming a forensic scientist.”
That sounds amazing. Who were you as a child? “I was a lone wolf as a child and didn’t play a lot with kids my age. I think it had to do with me having older siblings. I didn’t relate to kids my age. I listened to more mature music, had other interests, and my older sister was my biggest idol.”
And who are you now? “Fearless, curious, restless, confident, and artistic.”
“We bought the house in 2019 and started renovating immediately. In addition to all the boring major investments such as, drainage, pipes and electricity, we decided to move the kitchen. We chose to preserve as many interior details as we could from the 1940s. I like that we kept the functional style and managed to match it nicely with modern lampshades and furniture.”
In the house from 1940s lives Gustav, Chili and Kurt. Gustav is a saxophonist, musician and was one of the initiators to the legendary music club ‘Club Killers’ in Stockholm.
What makes you smile? “My kid and my family.”
Your darkness? “I’m never satisfied.”
Do you have any guilty pleasures? “Candy and shoes.”
What has motherhood brought to your life? “To let go of being in control.”
Your three most frequent thoughts right now? “What will the future hold for the world? When will I find balance in life? What is my next project?”
Do you have answers to these thoughts? “I hope we all start taking responsibility for our planet and realize how dangerous it is when we give people with racist views too much power. The world is on fire and everyone has to step up now. This is bigger than us. Consume less, eat better, stand up for the weak. I try not to blame myself and stress over things that I ‘should do’. Children give you perspective, and make you prioritize. It is ok not to go to the gym three times a week. It is ok not to go to the gym in 2 months even. I hurry slowly. During the Covid-19 isolation, I started trying new things, because I felt I was losing my creativity. This summer, for example, my husband tried to teach me to play the saxophone, I took a course in biology and I am about to to take singing lessons. I want to try new things to develop as a person. It does not have to be something work related. It can be something as simple as taking a course in ceramics. I accept when I’m bad at something (*cough saxophone*), I move on to the next thing.
Chili’s Kombucha Recipe
1.5 dl organic sugar 4 bags of organic green tea (not flavored)
2 liters of water
Boil everything together and let cool. Add scoby. Taste after 6-7 days. If it is sweet enough and sour enough, it is ready. Pour into a bottle and season with a sprig of rosemary, ginger, berries or leave as it is.
“Kombucha Brewery is something my father-in-law introduced me to. In addition to the beneficial properties and good taste, I like that with each brew, a new Scoby (bacterial culture) is created that you can give to a friend. I have shared with several and now have a large Kombucha family.”
“The kitchen in walnut is from Lucks By Robo. It is climate smart produced in Stockholm. Countertop in Portuguese limestone called Azul Valverde. We chose timeless details in brushed steel that we will never get tired of.
What are you currently listening at? “Just found this New Zealand folk singer-songwriter, named Aldous Harding, and can’t stop listening to her song ‘The Barrel’.”
What does music mean to you? “Everything. Music gives me confidence, makes me happy, and makes me cry. I have a constant soundtrack in my head, that changes after my mood.”
What are you currently reading? “Unfortunately for me, only kid’s books at the moment. But, ‘A Little Life’ has been waiting for me on my nightstand for the past 1,5 years.”
What do you see in the future for you? “I hope to graduate and start working as a forensics scientist. And hopefully, I will finally find the perfect balance between work and my private life. I see us having a house on Gotland, spending a lot of time there.”
The thing you love the most? “My boys. Myself. My family. My friends. My interests. Everything that makes me being me.”
What’s Gustav and your strengh as a couple? “Humor and music. We laugh. We cry. We scream. We care. We dance. There is no filter. He is my heart and my headache.
Tell us about Kurt! “Kurt is a curious 2-year-old who inherited the best of both of us. My stubbornness and Gustav’s humor.”
What do you want to recommend? “People are generally quite anxious and afraid of making mistakes or being bad at something. Move outside your comfort zone and try new things.”☮