Unplugged sessions With no internet or TV, this eco retreat by the Danish coast allows its owners to switch off from modern life

No internet, no TV, no mobile signal… this colourful home in Danish beach town Tisvilde offers a digital detox for one eco-minded family

Ar c hi t e c t Jeppe

Utzon does not have a car. When he,hispartnerAliceandtheirthreeyear-old son Nord Neri make the regular trip from Copenhagen to the family retreat he created for them, his mother and his two sisters in the Danish seaside town of Tisvilde, they take the train.

It’s exactly the environmentally conscious travel decision one would expect from the co-founder of architecture practice Cold Wet & Dark, whose focus for this multi-generational bolthole was to create a space to enjoy the landscape while inflicting as little damage as possible upon it. The low-energy house has underfloor heating powered by an air-to-water heat pump, while well-insulated windows keep the need to use it to a minimum. From construction to cladding, the build uses only sustainably sourced wood – Siberian larch for the exterior, oak for the windows and doors, and birch plywood for the interior furnishings.

Days here are spent simply. There is no TV or internet, and the surrounding hills block mobile signals, making this the perfect place to switch off from modern life. A swim in the sea every morning kick-starts a connection with nature that continues throughout the day as the family regularly forage for mushrooms and edible seaweed, as well as plundering their fruitful garden to make organic meals. Anything that doesn’t get eaten is put aside for the fox that visits every night at dusk.

The set-up is idyllic, but this home is unlike many eco properties. Here, there is colour, playfulness and personality. ‘Nothing white,’ was the order Jeppe’s mother, artist Barbara Trolle, gave her son before work began. It is her colour choices that set this property apart. Cabinets and wardrobes are finished in a sage green that mimics the wild rye that grows on the sand dunes along the nearby beach. The grass’s golden flowering tips are reflected in the light colour of the birch plywood of the walls and ceilings.

‘As to the red epoxy resin floors, initial inspiration came from a red and black Chinese bowl my mother holds dear,’ adds Jeppe. The bright hue was later changed to the subtler shade that we see today, more like the tone of clay tennis courts. A glass jar on the kitchen counter still holds wooden pegs daubed with colour samples – a lasting testament to the exhaustive research that went into getting the combinations just right.

Jeppe and his mother’s bold colour-blocking approach is perfect for this home that is itself a combination of simplified blocks. One large central section holds the main open-plan living area, kitchen and dining room, while a further two blocks contain, in total, three bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Sliding doors allow the rooms to be closed down for a more private experience, but during the annual Musik i Lejet festival held in Tisvilde, up to 12 people descend on the retreat, making use of not just the bedrooms, but also the large bespoke sofas in the living room and mezzanine. Even at its busiest though, this is still a home built for switching off and enjoying life’s analogue pleasures – whether that be reading a book in the sunshine, listening to music or just peacefully watching the day unfold outside the windows. coldwetanddark.com

UNLIKE MANY E CO PROPERTIES,

HERE THERE IS COLOUR,

PLAYFULNESS AND PERSONALITY

Surrounded by lush woodland, this low-energy house, made up of simplified blocks, is clad in Siberian larch with oak windows and doors, all sustainably sourced

Portrait Jeppe, Alice and Nord Neri take a walk in the dunes, among the abundant wild rye that inspired much of their eco house’s colour palette Living room Custom-made sofas by Jeppe, built from the same birch plywood used to clad the walls and ceilings, offer ample seating in this space. The yellow scroll-like coffee table is also custom-made, while the black ceiling light is from Danish brand Ilva (as is the round mirror in the entrance hall) and the wall lamp is an old Ikea design

Living room A vintage ‘Slæde’ armchair by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia sits by the floor-to-ceiling doors that open on to the garden Kitchen Red epoxy resin floors really shine against the sage-green custom-made cabinetry in this space. On the island, 1950s bowls by Herbert Krenchel pick up on the colour scheme. The red child’s chair is a piece that has been in the family for a long time, while the stool is the ‘AAS 38’ from Hay. For a factory-style aluminium pendant light like this one, try Skinflint