From university offices to a stunning home
For many years, the functionalist villa had been used as an administration building for Aarhus University. There were computer sockets all over the walls, and the floor was completely covered with linoleum. But with the help of the original architect plans from 1934, Luise Lyngby and Rasmus Kjær have transformed the entire building into a magnificent 2014 style residence.
The interior of the room has been transformed back to its original style, and the original kitchen and dining room have been extended to make a large kitchen-dining area. The kitchen in black oak from JKE Design gives a raw and masculine contrast to the coarseness of the brick walls and the attractive old floorboards that emerged when the linoleum floor was removed.
Just one of the many personalised details is the unique dining table, where the wood has been allowed to retain its natural splendour, giving a stylish interaction of contrasts. The table is made of four-meter long, 150 year old oak planks, which the couple found in LundeborgTræ on the island of Funen. Rasmus has used cream to meticulously polish and treat the table to be able to withstand everyday use in the kitchen.
The kitchen has become the gathering point with wine, friends and food at its centre. Friends are often in the kitchen and Luise and Rasmus cook a great amount of food. Practical solutions and excellent quality are therefore a priority for the couple. The oven is 90 centimetres wide and situated at an ergonomically correct height in the middle of the cupboard wall. This allows space for a functional shelf for cookbooks and knick-knacks and at the same time interrupts the black surfaces, creating interaction in the kitchen.
A surprise behind the façade is the black drawers and an interior with a 100% consistent black style. The black drawers and black drawer systems keep track of everything from pasta to palette knives. Black tabletops go to round off the look. The black allows the design to come across as a beautiful black silhouette by permeating the whole décor.
This successful interior design is a result of years of renovation experience. For although Luise and Rasmus are both only about 30 years old, the functionalist villa in the centre of Aarhus is the third house they have renovated and decorated from scratch. Apart from their great common passion for building and decorating, they also have a joint passion for nature. Rasmus is an avid trophy hunter and this has taken the couple hunting in a great many places around the world. These two hobbies are combined in the kitchen, which is filled with good style and design details, while at the same time containing many elements of nature in the materials. The doors and drawer fronts are mad of black oak and the discrete structure of the wood can be sensed beneath the black surfaces.
Black, strong and beautiful.
The black oak goes to combine nature and succinct elegance with its warm interaction of the wood's grain nestling discreetly beneath the black surface. With JKE Design, the elegance lasts, even though life in the kitchen goes on for many years. We use strong European oak and sort the wood for every kitchen by hand. This means that the structure of the wood is as similar as nature allows it to be. The silky smooth handles, touched by hands on a daily basis, are given an extra strong staining treatment and the entire door is given several coats of lacquer so that the attractive surface stays attractive.
A combination of copper and marble
One of the major trends at the moment is to mix black toner with hot metals or marble. This works well as a contrast as well as an eye-catcher for the jet-black base. Copper, gold and brass are an integral part of today's interior design. Another major trend is marble. This is a luxury material that has returned to home décor after a few decades spent in exile. Marble tabletops or splash panels in marble are a cool contrast to black, but marble can also be a part of the kitchen interior in the shape of attractive products with a simple feel, e.g. lamps, chopping boards or dishes.
