An architect’s own home

Close to Rebild National Park lies this carefully designed, newly built villa. The house was designed by the architect Lotte Holmgaard Stær, who fell in love with the scenic surroundings on the outskirts of Støvring in northern Jutland and overlooking an area of protected countryside. Here, everyday life with school-age children can be combined with peace and space for reflection, and she also runs her own architectural firm at the address.

The architecture of the house reflects a clear understanding of and respect for the location and the surrounding landscape. The house opens up towards the countryside, and it is clear that the lines of sight have formed the basis for the architecture. The different levels in the house, which follow the sloping terrain, accentuate the connection to the landscape, and allow a sense of fluid coherence between the levels and the exterior areas around the house.

Kolumba bricks with their characteristic elongated format underscore the horizontal narrative even before entering the building, and the brick walls also continue inside. Beautiful concrete floors in all rooms and outdoor spaces emphasise the sense of fluid coherence, which is further enhanced by white Troldtekt acoustic panels on all the ceilings. Stær Arkitektur has deliberately chosen acoustic panels without bevelled edges to create a homogeneous look that makes the ceilings appear as a series of joined surfaces.

A link between architecture and nature

The house’s two large, covered terraces are both accessible from the large kitchen/living room on the lower level. The children’s activity room also has a view of the terrace as well as direct access to the garden. The sitting room and bedrooms are placed one level up from the kitchen/living room, but without being disconnected from the heart of the house.

Lotte Holmgaard Stær runs the architectural firm Stær Arkitektur, and often works from home. She finds that customers are often inspired by her family’s home, where high-quality materials have been combined to create an environment that feels both timeless and atmospheric.

“As an architect, you create the framework for people’s lives, and my vision as a self-employed architect is therefore to do all I can to get it right,” says Lotte, adding: “I focus a lot on how details affect the overall look, and in the creative process I therefore try to integrate the aesthetics with functional aspects and technical considerations. A home should be beautiful, but the task is only accomplished if it also works in practice. Therefore, good acoustics are an important element, and I’m a big fan of Troldtekt, as the acoustic ceilings allow one to use harder materials elsewhere, as we have done in our own house.”