Hands down, the personal homes of architects and interior designers are among our favorites to cover. They tend to be less polished (in a good way), less trend-motivated, more interesting than projects for clients. This converted barn by Danish architects Elisabeth A.P. Eriksen and Mads Bay Møller is an example of the magic that can happen when design professionals turn their expert gaze to their own homes. “We wanted to do the things that we, as architects, aren’t always allowed to do [when working with] clients,” they share.
For Elisabeth, the remodel was an especially personal one. She grew up on the farm surrounding the barn in Svartingehus, an old fishing town on the island of Bornholm in Denmark, and as an adult, she would return with Mads and their kids to spend summer holidays there. During those stays, “we would imagine how we could transform the barn [which was being used as a garage and storage space] into a home for our family,” she says. “We had a vision to show the possibilities of transforming old agricultural buildings instead of tearing them down and building new.”
That became the guiding principle of their remodel: “We wanted to keep as much of the barn as possible. That meant, for example, reinforcing the interior barn wall with steel beams, so it wouldn’t collapse. The contractors were shaking their heads at us—normally they would just tear it down and build a new wall. But for us it was important to use as much of the existing resources as possible; plus, the old wall showed the history of the barn and gave it a tactility, which is difficult to achieve in new buildings.”
Elisabeth and Mads also prioritized sustainable design, “experimenting with raw surfaces and using as many natural materials as possible,” all while trying to stay within a tight budget (Ikea to the rescue!). Below, they give us a tour of the newly transformed home for their family of four—plus cat and three Indian runner ducks.
Photography by Elisabeth A.P. Eriksen. (Follow them on Instagram @laden_svartingehus for all the details.)
Above: Elisabeth and Mads painted the exterior with a natural paint they mixed themselves, composed of lime powder and oxide red and yellow ochre pigments. The red is close to the original color of the barn. The new steel roof will last a lifetime. (Steel is among the most sustainable materials for roofs because it is long-lasting and can be recycled.)
Above: The glass front door leads to a simple entry. Behind the curtain, brought from their prior home and repurposed here to serve as a screen, is extra storage space, a washing machine, and—surprise—their refrigerator. The couple opted to conceal the refrigerator here to keep the kitchen, which is just beyond the entry, streamlined.
Above: The entry hall steps down to an open concept layout that comprises the kitchen and living and dining areas. A piece of granite, salvaged from their excavation, is a perfect, artful, literal stepping stone.
Above: A semi-open staircase bisects the first floor. On one side is the kitchen; on the other, the living and dining spaces. Under the concrete floor is radiant heating, powered by an air to water heat pump.
Above: The infamous load-bearing brick wall that Elisabeth and Mads insisted on retaining. They also chose to not paint over it, preferring the time-worn, rough facade to a smooth new finish as a reminder of their home’s former life as a barn.
Above: The pair designed the kitchen to be minimalist and functional. On one side of the run of cabinets—Ikea’s Kungsbacka fronts in anthracite.
Above: On the other side, pine plywood shelving. The overhead lights are the Benjamin pendants from Frandsen. The stainless steel hood vent is from Witt. The stainless steel countertop was fabricated by a local metalworker.
Above: “The walls downstairs are insulated with Ytong blocks, consisting of sand, lime, and water, and are Cradle to Cradle-certified. They’re lightly polished with lime adhesive, so that the seams between the blocks are still visible.”
Above: A low plywood console/bench for books, artwork, and record albums lines the far wall of the living area. The swinging wall lamp is by Flos.
Above: The wood window frames are all painted RAL 3012 on the inside, “so it mimes the red colour of the lime painted outer facade.” The new windows are all from Rationel Vindeur‘s Aura line.
Above: All the pine plywood throughout the home is from Sweden and left untreated. “We didn’t want a lot of paintwork and also we appreciate the natural patina of the pine wood. The only plywood we have painted is the floor on the upper level and the ceiling in the bathroom. They are painted with pigmented linseed oil, to make them more resistant to water.”
Above: “We didn’t put any new openings in the façade; we only used the openings that were already there as a design dogma for ourselves.”
Above: Elisabeth and Mads designed their dining table. The Top Pendant light is by Zero Lighting; the vintage Magnus Olesen chairs were purchased from the local hospital when it had a sale to offload old furniture.
Above: The second floor, which holds three small bedrooms and a family room, is completely lined in plywood. “We wanted a difference between the two floors. The lower part has a more raw look of lime paste and stone. And the upper part has a warmer and cosier atmosphere of wood.” The floor here is treated with linseed oil.
Above: While they worked with the original window and door openings on the first floor, on the second floor, Elisabeth and Mads allowed themselves to add new openings, here in the form of skylights from Velux. Pictured is their daughter Stella’s sewing corner.
Above: Stella’s sweet room. The pine storage piece is Ikea’s Ivar cabinet.
Above: The two kids have the larger bedrooms, while the couple is content with this private sleep nook. The Grasp wall light from Frandsen is rechargeable, a necessary convenience when there are no nearby outlets (yes, even architects make remodeling mistakes).
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