COASTAL BEAUTY
JEWELLERY DESIGNER CHARLOTTE LYNGGAARD’S COASTAL HOME IN DENMARK IS INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTIFUL NATURE THAT SURROUNDS IT.
Jewellery designer Charlotte Lynggaard finds inspiration in the nature surrounding her family home in leafy Skodsborg, north of Copenhagen.
NATURE IS THE COMMON thread that weaves through Charlotte Lynggaard’s world. It’s her retreat and integral to her sense of wellbeing, inspiring the way she lives in her family haven on the Danish coast. It’s also her creative inspiration as the internationally renowned creative director at Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen, the family-owned jewellery business founded by her father in 1963, and since 2008, purveyor to the Danish Royal Court. Charlotte’s close connection with the natural world and an appreciation for high quality and timeless beauty is as evident in her home as it is in her exquisite jewellery designs that feature details from nature. When Charlotte started out, her career in design could have taken several pathways, but eventually she chose to follow her father’s footsteps as a goldsmith, and joined Ole Lynggaard in 1992. “When I was 21 I didn’t know whether I wanted to be a fashion designer, goldsmith or an artist.” Jewellery, she explains, is precious and permanent, and her fascination is for the materials. She enjoys turning the gem stones and metal that come from nature into works of art, often inspired by flora and fauna. “Jewellery is special because it’s personal; there’s a story, and when you buy a piece it’s forever. Each time I do a new collection I don’t forget about the old one, for me every collection is serious.” Today, Charlotte and her husband Michel Normann, chief commercial officer of Ole Lynggaard, and their children Sofia, 21, Laura, 19 and Julius, 17, live in leafy Skodsborg, north of Copenhagen. Nature surrounds their home of 22 years, an old timber summer house overlooking the waters of Øresund Strait flowing between Denmark and Sweden, and backed by Dyrehaven — a forest of grand old oaks that was once part of the hunting ground of Danish royalty and now a UNESCO World Heritage site with roaming deer. The Hermitage, a royal hunting lodge is in the heart of the forest. “We have the sea in front and the forest in the backyard and around us,” she says. “I love to be in my house; I really feel it’s a place where I can get the space and peace I need.” Over the years the house has grown apace with their family. When Charlotte and Michel bought the house it was small and typical of Scandinavian summer houses. “A fantastic lady and her husband lived here, she was an actress and very eccentric, and the house was quite small,” says Charlotte. “For the last 21 years we have been building and developing the house — whether it’s a new bathroom or kitchen or bedroom. Actually we are always building and making a new room, or a new space... we are that kind of people, we like to build and develop things. “When we started we were a small family, now the children are big and need more space. They have a lot of friends so the house needs to feel comfortable whether it’s just my husband and me, or when we have a lot of people.” Charlotte loves to cook and the hub of the house is the kitchen, a long, airy room with a high ceiling and blond timbers accommodating a long table down the centre where the family gathers. They built the room onto the original home. “We wanted to make a big area where we could have big dinners. Very often we have spontaneous dinner parties where the neighbours and the children and their friends and family come by, and there are all generations. It’s great that we don’t have to rebuild everything to host everyone; it’s easy to seat a lot of people very quickly.” While Michel doesn’t cook as often, he is a keen fisherman. “He likes to fish, and then he does some sort of fish dish, and I’ll do the green stuff,” she says. “This weekend my husband and son went fishing and caught a whole lot of fish — then the whole weekend they planned how to cook the fish.” >
Outside, the weathered timbers give the house a look of romantic rusticity, while inside, uncluttered spaces with white walls, pale timber floors and large windows looking out to sea, create a light, airy feeling. “The light is very important, and when I’m drawing I need light,” says Charlotte. Charlotte loves natural materials and the calming tones of grey and blue that pick up on the changing seascape. “I like colour and to be surrounded by different materials, but when I come home I need to relax and because it’s a summer house and you have nature outside, I use natural colours.” Flowers bring nature even closer to her. “I love flowers, and enjoy having them in the house — they’re always flowers from the forest or garden, they make me happy.” There is a strong Scandinavian aesthetic in this crisply pared back and elegantly designed interior, but so too is there space for family heirlooms, mementos and other style influencers from her travels — particularly from Japan, which is a favourite destination. “I’ve been travelling there a lot, and I think it’s so inspiring. I bring things home from all over the world which have a story for me.” Baskets and hats from Australia are also on display. Charlotte and Michel visited last year to spend Christmas with daughter Sofia. Sofia, who is now studying fashion design in Copenhagen, spent eight months on sabbatical in Australia. She worked part-time in the Ole Lynggaard Sydney store, which was opened in 2013 by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and did courses in watercolour painting, sketching and drawing at the National Art School. “Sofia travelled around Australia with the daughter of the family that she lived with, whom she now refers to as her ‘Australian sister’. They visited beautiful locations, from Tasmania to Uluru and also spent some time helping out on a farm owned by my brother’s best friend near Canberra. She loved it so much,” says Charlotte. Back at home Charlotte starts off each day communing with nature. “I’m an early bird because the mornings are beautiful where we live. Every morning, I get up and go for a run, and then go to work, which is half way from here to Copenhagen.” She takes special pleasure in the days that she works from home. “I go for a walk in the forest so of course there are details in nature which are in my designs. I think having nature close by means I am inspired by the leaves and the branches, but also the atmosphere and how you feel being in nature. It’s about the space, and the happiness.” For information about Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen, Sydney, telephone (02) 9283 4757 or visit olelynggaard.com