A POSTCARD LED TO A DREAM HOME
Crowning a hilltop surrounded by woodland to the north of Copenhagen lies a compact two-story 70s home. To Maggie and Jesper Kempinska-larsen and their children, it’s their dream home – at least after a patient wait, a stroke of luck and a comprehensive and extremely successful renovation.
MAGGIE KEMPINSKA is a 46-year-old visual artist, writer and graphic designer, photographed here together with the family’s 8-month-old Havanese puppy, Lilly. THE HOME OF THEIR DREAMS was built in 1972 atop a hill, nestled in a scenic woodland area. The 1,700 m2 hilltop property slopes quite a bit, but ends on a flat piece of land where the family can play football and sunbathe in the hammock. The family’s next project is to replace the exterior wall on the first floor with slim, upright wood panelling.
Nine years ago, as Maggie Kempinska and Jesper Kempinska-larsen were walking through the woods, they once again laid their eyes on the white “James Bond house”, as they had dubbed the 1970s home which they often passed by. The couple lived close by, but that particular house had caught their eye many times before. It was during that walk that they decided to finally act on their dream to live in the little white house on the hill. They wrote a postcard to the owners, asking whether they would be interested in either a house swap or selling their house, and slipped it through the letterbox. They did not hear back from the owners for a full eight years, until one day they suddenly received an e-mail that they were finally ready to sell.
“At the time, we were actually fine with our current home, but when the e-mail suddenly landed in the inbox, we thought to ourselves that this must be a sign,” says Maggie.
“It kicked off a three-month long negotiation, and there were a lot of emotions involved, but fortunately we got the house in the end and managed to sell our old one pretty quickly. And then it was time to start the renovations,” says Jesper, who is partner at Holmris B8 and makes interior designs for hotels and restaurants.
“Suddenly, we found ourselves with an authentic 70s-style two-storey home where nothing except the kitchen had been refurbished in 45 years. The floors had rust-coloured quarry tiles, and all the rooms and walls were small. There was also visible wiring, low doors and three types of wooden floors on the first floor. It all needed an overhaul, especially the three bathrooms and kitchen, which was from the 90s. So, we partnered up with Jonas Bjerre-poulsen from Norm Architects, and the first step was to sort out the issue of materials,” says Jesper. The very first thing they did was cover up all the rust-coloured floor tiles. “We’re especially happy with the grey ceramic tiles that Jonas pushed for. We’ve chosen them for the entire living room floor as well as all the bathrooms and kitchen,” adds Maggie.
The ceiling beams were sanded down and the ceilings lowered with spot lights installed all over the house.
“At the end, we considered painting them white, but that would’ve immediately killed the 70s look and been a massive mistake,” acknowledges Jesper.
The big kitchen/dining area was originally split into three rooms. The family decided to tear down two walls and instead install two laminated wood beams, which they struggled to pigment in the exact “orange” glow to match the rest of the beams in the house.
Oak, laminated wood, ceramics, linen, wool and brick became the building blocks of their new home, in a colour palette of black, white, grey, beige and all sorts of wood. This colour scheme was accented with shades of green from the many plants positioned around the house.
“We moved in here from a very colourful home, so we had nothing for the walls. That’s why I had to create something new on the spot,” adds Maggie, who makes art and graphics on commission.
As for the exterior, a balcony forms a ring all the way around the first floor of the house, from which the family can take in the surrounding views from every angle. The terrace on the ground floor is no less than 120 m2 and has been used for a lot of gatherings and the family’s Havanese puppy, Lilly, has been busy marking the big 1,700 m2 garden as her territory.
THE HALL IS ADORNED WITH BEAUTIFUL MATERIALS, lovely new Danish design classics and Maggie’s own art prints, creating a striking first impression. Armchair from &Tradition, designed by Space Copenhagen. Marble side table from Gubi. THE ENTRANCE had rust-coloured quarry stone tiles and light-brown window frames. Today, the floor is covered in grey 80x80 cm ceramic tiles from Kronos Gent leading up to the stairs. Maggie’s art is omnipresent in the house, and all of it was specifically made for their home. VIEW FROM THE DINING AREA TO THE KITCHEN. Chairs from Hay, models Result and Soft Edge, frame the beautiful extendable dining table from Walter Knoll. The Multi-lite lamps hanging over the dining table are from Gubi, and the elegant bar cart is from Stellar Works.
TWO DOORS FROM THE KITCHEN provide direct access out to the spacious terrace. The striking linen curtains that elegantly flow all the down to the floor are sewn from Kvadrat textiles. The built-in ‘pocket cabinet’ for keeping all the “ugly” kitchen items such as the coffee machine, blenders and juicer stowed away turned out to be a brilliant solution to maintain a clean, tidy look in the kitchen. THE KITCHEN and all the cabinets in the house were designed by the owners, made from white-pigmented oak and produced at Holmris B8’s factory in Silkeborg. The kitchen island is made from the finest grey-brown marble, Piedra Grey, by E. Nielsen and weighed about half a tonne. It took an eight-man team of movers to move it into the kitchen. The lighting in the house was the result of a collaborative effort with Flos.
A LOOK TOWARDS THE KITCHEN from the L-shaped living room, where the influx of light creates a striking impression and where the tall New Order bookshelf from Hay functions as a modern type case packed with the family’s favourite items. The nest of tables is from the German furniture maker Walter Knoll. “WE WANTED TO stay true to the house’s original style and age. That’s why we chose to go with a lounge-like 1970s style in the living room,” says the couple. The Togo sofa from Ligne Roset ties the living room together with help from the iconic Arco lamp from Flos, designed by Archille and Pier Castiglioni. The Trisse tables in three sizes are designed by Nanna Ditzel. LOTS OF GREEN PLANTS in front of the big windows help bring the outdoors inside the living room with a cosy open fireplace.
THE LAMINATED WOOD BEAMS found throughout the house have been kept in their original shape and colour. They only sanded them down to make them less “orange”. The same goes for the 1972 wardrobe closet. The couple designed the lamp themselves with help from Frandsen Project. The couple placed a small Mater stool at the end of the stairs, under Maggie’s graphic artworks. A PEEK through the bedroom/office. It shows how bright and airy the atmosphere has become after the renovation and as a result of sticking to a small number of materials and colours for the entire house.
A HALF WALL functions as a headboard and room separator. The desk is on the other side. The bed has been positioned in the centre of the room, enabling a 180-degree panoramic view. The bedspreads are from Hay and Rue Verte, the tables are from Hay and designed by the Bouroullec Brothers. They bought the carpet in Morocco and found the lamps at Frandsen. The walls are decorated with Maggie’s own art. “That was my ‘veto card’, positioning the bed in the middle of the room. Well, that, the Togo sofa and Arco lamp. I didn’t really feel strongly about the other stuff,” Maggie confesses. Fortunately we’ve share the same taste, so interior design isn’t a bone of contention in this household!” adds Jesper. “THIS IS PRIMARILY MY WORKPLACE. It’s where I tinker with graphic design jobs, and also where I’ve been working on my first crime novel,” says Maggie. The desk wall is actually a headboard from Holmris B8. The desk lamp is from Gubi, and the Kevi office chairs are from Engelbrechts. A handful of Maggie’s many black & white art prints decorate the wall. The mirror to the far right of the picture is from Casamilano.