Home tour | A reinvention of a 1960s house

I tend to veer towards period properties, but this contemporary bungalow instantly caught my eye when I spotted it on the website of Danish interiors magazine Bo Bedre.

Located by a lake to the north of Copenhagen, it sits within a 1960s shell that has been transformed into a sleek family home by architects Ernst + Kindt-Larsen. The house coils around the water, with a split-level floorplan to accommodate the sloping ground of the shore, and its design makes the most of the fabulous setting.

The boxy forms of the original structure have been blended with natural materials and swooping curves, and there’s a strong focus on light and texture throughout. All the rooms are orientated towards the lake, with large glass panels that let light flood inside. White walls and concrete floors reflect rays from outside, and they contrast beautifully with the grooved fir and larch panelling and the dark wood of the kitchen and bathroom units.

The open-plan design means you can gaze out at the water from most areas of the house (including the tub!), but features such as the double-sided fireplace keep it feeling cosy. The furniture – a mix of family heirlooms and design classics – also manages to be homely without detracting from the architecture; my favourite pieces are the Kubus by Lassen candleholder in the sitting area and the Wegner Y-chairs around the dining table. Useful storage nooks help to avoid clutter, and the walls have been kept art-free in order to draw your eye out to the lake.

All in all, it’s a wonderful reinterpretation of 1960s architecture, don’t you think?

Photography by Pernille Kaalund for Bo Bedre