Part of an artists’ colony dating from the 1950s, this Danish summer house was always going to have a creative spirit
KITCHEN
Plenty of beautiful ceramics are on show. ‘It’s a shame to have them hidden away,’ says owner Milan. ‘And you use things more when they are in the fore.’
malerlandsbyen, the artists’ colony outside the Danish village of Veksø, was founded in the 1950s. The houses here each share the same DNA – huge panoramic windows that make the fecundity of nature part of each building’s identity – and the architecture itself seems to blend with the landscape. For the artists who have lived here over the last seven decades, light has been their most precious, lasting resource.
Imbibing in this artistic haven, associate professor at the University of Oslo, Milan Obaidi, and chief physician and psychiatrist, Clas Winding, found the house they envisaged their long-term future in, but it bore little resemblance to the original architect Ib Kofod-Larsen’s vision. ‘It was a dated house when we bought it, but with a lot of potential,’ says Milan. ‘Extensions had been made in the 1970s and 1980s with materials from the different time periods, so it did not connect in style at all. We knew we were going to rebuild, but wanted to stay here a bit before we got started, to get to know the house. It felt like a shame to just tear it down and build a new one because it has so much history. We chose instead to collaborate with Kim Pretzmann Olesen from Nordpil Arkitekter.’
Kim, an architect who is determined to avoid any of the highbrow connotations of his profession, runs a practice with an egalitarian and sustainable focus.
‘When I met Milan and Clas, I’d just started out and didn’t have a portfolio to speak of but there was a shared creative chemistry between us and they trusted me. The later additions to the house had been done badly but we were all eager to preserve the original soul of the building,’ Kim explains.
‘Converting summer houses into year-round residences can be challenging but we added huge amounts of insulation in the ceiling and walls. The façade now has a new breathable plaster surface. Where previously the old house had been a puzzle of small rooms we opened them up to get as much light an
