LIFE INSIDE RED HOUSE
In the second largest city in Jutland, Aalborg, the couple behind the Danish design company Skagerak has found the house they have dreamt of since they were newlyweds pushing a pram around the neighbourhood. Today, the house is the base of the family of four, who all lead busy lives and therefore feel that calm and harmony are paramount criteria for the interior design.
THE RED HOUSE from 1928 stands out on the road. The garden is inspired by English garden design. Inside, a special poetic ambience and calm permeates the home.here IS A VIEW into the dining room with its 51-year-old Y chairs around a one-of-a-kind dining table designed for the family by Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm and a George Nelson pendant hanging from the ceiling. Each room has been given a colour. Here a soft green and delicate rose from Nordsjö.
If a house can have charisma, this is a very charismatic house. Jazz music quietly fills the rooms with atmosphere. And it contributes to the soul that is noticeable the instance you step inside. This house has an aura that emanates from its walls, but also from the people who live here. We are visiting Vibeke and Jesper Panduro, who are behind the design brand Skagerak, and their two children Johanne and Simon. They have found this gem of a house in an upscale, old neighbourhood of Aalborg. It is a very special house, painted red and with all the original, beautiful details untouched – probably designed by architect Ejnar Packness, but no one knows for sure.
Although the family had to endure a major renovation that entailed replacing everything but the old skirting, floors, ceilings and doors, the charm from back when the house was built in 1928 is intact. The basement has been excavated; new windows, kitchen and bathroom have been installed together with new electricity; and the 300-m2 house has been given a brand new layout.
“We used to live in an architect-made house in the country with tall floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of space, but we missed living in a house with more warmth and intimacy. We also missed the city, and simply needed a bit of life. As young students, we strolled around these streets with our pram and dreamt of living here some day”
Today, the couple lives a mere 900 metres or a few minutes’ drive from work at Skagerak’s head office.
Some of the standout features in this home are the fantastic wood ceiling and the beautiful floors as well as the old doors and door handles. The couple has also chosen to paint the house using colours from Nordsjö and Kabe Copenhagen, giving each room its own distinct colour. This earned them the Danish Painters Guild’s colour scheme award.
“The bold choices are what thrill me the most every day. Not any of the safe choices we made. For instance, I enjoy the green tabletop in the kitchen. Why always go with grey or white?” she asks rhetorically.
You might be tempted to believe that the couple has made a home full of their own furniture and designs. This is not the case. Everything has been brought from their former home and is a patchwork of new and old. However, once in a while, they bring home some of the new Skagerak designs to test their functionality in their own everyday life.
“I love all my things,” smiles Vibeke, confirming that every object in this house has been purchased with love. She is experienced at finding things and is always on the lookout. This is eloquently manifested inside the house.
VIBEKE’S MOTHER’S OLD Y CHAIRS FROM 1967 stand in the dining room. In the corner, you can just make out Jens Quistgaard’s wooden buckets. On the wall hangs a small section of a painting by Cay Brøndum, which is an interpretation of P.S. Krøyer’s famous Skagen painting Hip, Hip, Hurrah. BOWLS from Skagerak’s new collection. A CALM READING CORNER with Wegner’s Flagline chair from PP Møbler. THE ORIGINAL MARBLE FRAMES in black, brown and, here, soft rose have been retained in each of the three en-suite living rooms.
THE LIVING ROOM with its stunning, chequered wooden floor and ceiling lies in the former best room/dining room. The Delphi sofa is from Erik Jørgensen, the pillows are from Svenskt Tenn and Aiayu. The polar bear on the Kjaerholm table – a gift from Vibeke to Jesper – marvellously shows old gems can easily become modern, given the right context. The TV, a Serif from Samsung, is designed by the Bouroullec brothers. The chest is vintage. The rear room serves as an office and yoga room with an old post-office desk that comes from Vibeke’s mother.
THE KITCHEN tells a story about the family. It sets the scene for togetherness, conversation and good times. The room is almost rural, inviting you to sit down and take your time. Vibeke and Jesper designed the kitchen themselves and had a local carpenter make it, just as they had a local bricklayer lay the tiles in a herringbone pattern. An alcove has been built in the corner with pillows from Svenskt Tenn and Aiayu, which adds to the kitchen’s nostalgic feeling. The small round table is from &tradition. THE TABLETOP of green marble has been cut at a stone mill, and the sink from Ono has been hand-forged to measure. ON CORK SHEETS above a patinated wood board and a Georg stool from Skagerak hangs a gallery of polaroids from the family’s latest trip or experience. SOMEWHAT UNCONVENTIONALLY, the kitchen has no wall cabinets and no refrigerator. The latter has been replaced by four cooling drawers, which means that Vibeke and Jesper have had to downsize and carefully consider what they need to keep.
A RUSTIC TUB made by a cooper in Central Jutland dominates the bathroom. The towel dryer is an old model from Skagerak. THE HALLWAY IN THE BASEMENT serves as a gallery with paintings and framed posters. IN PAST TIMES, the basement was a guesthouse. Each room had its own number. Luckily, the doors and keys have survived, and today the bathroom lies behind door no. 13. INSIDE THE YOGA ROOM. a Reykjavik daybed designed by Included Middle for Skagerak stands against a wall, which is painted in a blue from Kabe Copenhagen.