A villa designed for its location

A unique location with expansive views inspired the family’s dream villa. Through working on a daily basis in the real estate business, they had many ideas for their new home.

The countryside around Strøby, a small town 40 km south of Copenhagen, inspired the villa’s dramatic and sculptural architecture. The house is made up of individual ‘blocks’, each with its own function: garage, bedrooms, children’s rooms, utility room and living room. The individual ‘blocks’ look as if they have been hewn from brick with large openings for the windows and with sloping roofs. A unifying room in the middle is the ‘heart’ of the villa, housing the entrance, kitchen diner and the lounge/library, and which leads off to the other functions. The central ‘square’ offers views in four directions, and you can follow the passage of light during the day. The living area ‘block’ is one step below the level of the rest of the house and rotated slightly, opening it more up to the main west-facing patio.

Ceiling as architectural feature

The connection between the interior and exterior environments is important in this villa, and is subtly emphasised by the continuation of the black Troldtekt line ceiling underneath the overhang. The ceiling in the main room is completely flat, but follows the primary direction of the house, as the lines run north/south. According to the architectural firm KAARK, which designed the house, the Troldtekt ceiling serves to unify the space and direct one’s gaze towards the surroundings; an idea that is further reinforced by the black colour of the panels. And the black, calm, flat ceiling further enhances the experience of stepping into the other ‘blocks’ with their vaulted ceilings. The result is an appealing dynamic, and of course improved acoustics in the room where it is needed most.

For the architect, the Troldtekt ceiling makes an important contribution, and its structure works well with the dark and varied hues of the bricks, which are used both outside and in the living room.