New York meets Scandinavia - in the heart of Odense

The Scandinavian style is light and simple, which can be something of a challenge if you want a personal home with edge and charm. In a flat in central Odense, the solution is, among other things, a New Yorker-style raw brick wall and Troldtekt acoustic ceilings.

Claus Lund Clausen is a carpenter and owner of the company GLANT, which refurbishes and converts homes on Funen. In 2017, he bought a town house in the heart of Odense which he has since divided into three owner-occupied flats, keeping the ground floor flat for himself.

“In fact, it wasn’t my intention at all to live in the flat. I bought and renovated the property with a view to selling it again, but suddenly the ground floor flat became available, so I moved in,” explains Claus Lund Clausen.

Covering 115 square metres, the flat is divided into two bedrooms, a kitchen/living room and an entrance hall with a vaulted ceiling. In addition, it has a large basement, which he uses as an office.

Flat with a difference
The property is situated on one of Odense’s most popular streets, and its angular shape and the steps down to the basement create lots of charming nooks and crannies. However, while renovating the flat, Claus Lund Clausen still devoted considerable thought to how he could make the flat edgy and personal.

 “When refurbishing an entire flat, you can quickly end up with something resembling a new-build with white walls, plasterboard ceilings and light kitchen units. That didn’t interest me in the slightest,” he says.

Even before he knew that he was going to move in, Claus Lund Clausen therefore decided to have a raw brick end wall in the kitchen/living room, exposed beams in the basement, Troldtekt acoustic panels and a kitchen island with two different styles.

Best of both worlds
The result is a flat with a raw New Yorker-style look, yet one which also exudes Scandinavian simplicity. If you ask Claus Lund Clausen, the ceilings help to break the clean white surfaces, while at the same time ensuring superior acoustics – which is why he has opted for Troldtekt in every room in the flat.

“The ceilings contrast extremely well with the grey concrete floor in the kitchen/living room, and uniquely compared to many other flats, lots of people can sit around the dining table without suffering poor acoustics. The same is true of the entrance, and for that matter everywhere else in the flat,” says Claus Lund Clausen.