For the latest home tour, I’m sharing a house near Copenhagen in Denmark that has been designed with sustainability and affordability in mind. The materials chosen for the home as well as the layout are specifically designed to keep costs down as well as to keep energy costs low, but the result is a spacious, minimalist home with a very striking feature.
Designed by Berlin based architect Sigurd Larsen, the home has a large open plan area on the ground floor to house the living room, dining room and kitchen. The three bedrooms are on the upper level and there’s a mezzanine level above the kitchen. The interior of the home measures 82 sqm (approx 900 sq ft) but it also features an attached greenhouse measuring a further 32 sqm (approx 350 sq ft). The name of this house is Green House, named after the large glass lean-to which is such a great addition for so many reasons.
This large greenhouse serves many purposes — it can be used as a winter garden, a greenhouse or both. The idea of spending cosy evenings in a glass house through winter, surrounded by greenery, is so appealing. And there’s more. This glass house is south facing so that it captures the heat from the sun during the day and keeps the house warm long after sundown. Another huge benefit for energy efficiency.
While we can’t all have glass houses attached to our homes, this idea of having a greenhouse to spend time in throughout the year, is so appealing and completely embraces the Danish concept of hygge. Space permitting, if you have a large enough garden, you can recreate this with an independent greenhouse — big or small. You can find them at places like gardenuniverse.com and once set-up, make it cosy with some plants, comfy seating and lots of blankets and sheepskins.
All the communal spaces like the living and dining areas open into the greenhouse. The south-facing, sloped roof brings in loads of natural light to these spaces. Above the kitchen, there’s a mezzanine level that takes advantage of the high ceilings to create a cosy space that can be used as a study or just a space to relax and watch tv —perfect for those chilly winter evenings. The decor is simple as it’s an example of how you could decorate this home. As with so many Scandi homes, there’s lots of wood and other natural materials.
The interior of the house is lined entirely with birch plywood, giving it a warm, natural feel. On the outside, vertical, untreated larch panels have been used. These panels have been chosen because they will weather to a light silver over time, helping the house blend beautifully with its surroundings which is often a feature of Scandi homes set in natural surroundings.
While there’s lots to love about the simplicity of this home, it’s the glass house and the idea of a winter garden that’s my favourite bit.
image credits: all images via sigurd larsen
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