Holy house: this Danish home brings together minimalism and hygge
Danish architect Lars Gitz is better known for his pristine, brilliant white volumes, so this new built house in Aalborg for businessman Henrik Klindt Petersen and his daughter is somewhat of a departure from his signature style; yet Hasseris House is all the more special for it.
Petersen collaborated closely with Gitz in creating a low and elegant, tactile brick composition that features large expanses of glass and carefully crafted openings that frame both the views out and the owner’s passion – his cars, a Porsche and an original 1976 vintage Jaguar. It is also the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the seasons through the large windows towards the rich garden – another of the owner’s specific requests.
Sitting in a part of town made up largely of traditional housing, this design is a meticulous balance of private and public, transparent and opaque parts. And the team certainly hit the right note, as the design swam through the planning process, winning the Municipality of Aalborg’s prize for architecture along the way.
The owner seems more than happy. ‘I am very satisfied with the result and I like how the house is cautious, closed and almost a little shy in its expression towards the road, while the appearance from the garden side with the beautiful glass fronts is much more magnificent, tall and proud’, he says.
Inside, Hasseris House is an expert mix of minimalism and hygge. In fact, the house’s smooth Dinesen flooring was specifically chosen for this reason. ‘I decided to go with Dinesen Oak for this house to add some warmth and coziness – or ‘hygge’ as we call it in Denmark’, explains Petersen. ‘It has been very essential for me not to create an all white house, since the volume of the house is so big.’
The interiors were largely decorated by Petersen himself, who is passionate about design and travel and takes inspiration from the fine hotels and restaurants he encounters in his trips. He is also an art collector who enjoys showcasing his newly acquired pieces in his home. So, the interior features modern Danish art next to Kvadrat fabrics, a bespoke Minotti sofa and a custom made kitchen by Ove Skou.
Going the extra mile to create something beautiful and unique was just what one might expect from this enterprising team, who went on to use Dinesen Oak for several of the house’s built in furniture too, such as the wine room shelving and the bedrooms’ headboards.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Lars Gitz Architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Explore 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the interiors Estrid Ericson has crafted
‘A Philosophy of Home’ explores 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the daring vision for interiors its founder Estrid Ericson developed
By Diana Budds Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Mast, the emerging masters of floating architecture
Danish practice Mast is featured in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Jens H Jensen Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A redesigned Aarhus showroom reinterprets Danish history through modern context
Danish architecture studio Djernes & Bell transforms the Aarhus showroom for Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe by blending old and new
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Minimalist Heatherhill Beach house was conceived with an 'essentialist mindset'
Heatherhill Beach house by Norm Architects in Denmark's Vejby is designed as a minimalist retreat conceived with an 'essentialist mindset'
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
3XN exhibition in Copenhagen discusses architecture through our senses
3XN exhibition 'Aware: Architecture and Senses' opens its doors at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Opera Park in Copenhagen is an urban green island where ‘nature comes first’
The Opera Park creates a new urban green lung near Copenhagen's fast-developing Paper Island district, courtesy of Danish architecture studio Cobe
By Ellie Stathaki Published