The family’s new extension draws nature inside

In Jelling, the Due family lives in rural surroundings, and they have made the most of this with their new extension: one with Troldtekt panels, which was awarded no less than two architectural awards by Vejle Municipality.

In Jelling outside Vejle, the five members of the Due family have added 100 square metres to their abandoned country property with a new extension built next to their existing house.

"We bought the property eight years ago, while we were still students. Even back then, we wanted an extension for when we had children. We started building, and in the spring of 2022 our new extension was completed," says Jacob Due.

In terms of shape and colour, the new building depends on the architecture of the main house, but in terms of materials there are decades between the two, as steel covers both the roof and facades, and large windows dominate the gable of the extension.

LOOP Architects designed the family’s extension, which has been awarded both the Vejle Prize 2022 and the Borgernes Arkitekturpris (Citizens' Architecture Prize) 2022 by Vejle Municipality.

Taking advantage of surrounding nature

Jacob Due explains that the family’s primary desire was to draw the surrounding nature inside:

"We have lovely nature all around our house, and we like the fact that you can sense it wherever you are in the house. There are no neighbours and we can see the children running around and playing outside. Therefore, the task was to create a high level of transparency in the extension.

The extension provides long views through the house and out to the surrounding fields, which also lets in plenty of daylight through the large windows.

Warm materials

The materials that stand out most in the extension are the oak floors, recycled beams and facades and built-in shelving systems in wood. At the same time, the walls and decor are kept light and simple.

“Some materials are just more genuine and provide more cosiness and warmth, and they patinate beautifully, even if they get stained and scratched,” says Jacob Due, adding:

"We are very playful and creative people. Our homes can be nice and new, but there should be room for us to grow as a family and experiment with the interior design. Everything doesn't have to be perfect."

Troldtekt makes room for gatherings

For the extension, the couple chose white Troldtekt acoustic panels:

"My wife has four siblings and I have five brothers. This makes for some big family gatherings, which is why we needed to build something that could accommodate many people without compromising on acoustics. That is precisely why we chose Troldtekt," says Jacob Due, and continues:

"Many guests mention the great acoustics when they come to our home. We also notice it in our daily lives. Especially if we’ve visited someone with plasterboard ceilings."