We’ve long written about the work of Dinesen, a multi-generational, family-owned Danish company specializing in exceptionally wide plank wooden flooring. In 2017, we covered the restoration of the Dinesen family house in southern Jutland. In the early 2000s, the Dinesen family, then headed by forth-generation Thomas Dinesen, implored architect Jørgen Overby to restore the house to its roots with a thatched roof, historic windows, dormers, fireplaces, and a carpentry kitchen.
Two decades later, the company is in the hands of fifth generation Dinesen, Hans Peter Dinesen, and the historic 1885 residence has evolved from a private family home into a brand showroom and guesthouse. For this, Dinesen partnered with Copenhagen-based architecture and design studio Mentze Ottenstein to reimagine the estate with respect for Overby’s original restoration. Here’s a view into the updated interiors.
Photography by Monica Grue Steffensen for Dinesen.
Above: The Dinesen house is located near the company’s manufacturing facilities in Jels, Denmark.
Above: The southern Jutland longhouse is marked with a historic thatched roof and locally-produced bricks made from clay sourced from the moraine landscape and farm.
Above: The flooring is Dinesen Douglas Classic wood, in place since Overby’s initial restoration. The walls, previously all in soft white paint, are redesigned in a rich, earthy palette from Blēo.
Mathias Mentze and Alexander Ottenstein, who maintain a research-oriented practice, incorporated historical references through in-depth research and the introduction of additional material and ornamental qualities. While the house displays Dinesen collaborations throughout the years, the space is designed to evoke a sense of home rather than the typically impersonal quality of a showroom.
Above: The dining room is kitted with custom shelving by Mentze Ottenstein made of ash with an oil finish resembling amber and a grain pattern reminiscent of black elm. Hand-turned walnut and pear bowls from Georgia were designed by Peter Møller Rasmussen and Christian Vennerstøm; bespoke chairs are by RønholtKurz.
Above: Another custom ash cabinet from Mentze Ottenstein in the doorway where a view of the connecting longhouse rooms is exposed.
Above: Another dining area showcases the dining table and bench from 2024 Pawson Furniture Collection for Dinesen by famed British architect John Pawson.
Above: The Pawson collection is designed in Dinesen Douglas Classic with shade detail in Dinesen Oak, finished in Dinesen Light Oil, and upholstered in Kvadrat Maple 0112 by Åsa Pärson. “Everything about these pieces is pared back to the logic and poetry of the wood,” writes Pawson.
Above: The architects commissioned Jamb in London to source one off antique pieces such as this hallway bench.
Above: The kitchen of handcrafted Garde Hvalsøe cabinets are painted green as a nod to the countryside location. The cabinets are fitted with custom walnut and pear knobs.
Above: The continuation of Georgian wood bowls are displayed on glass shelves in the kitchen; above is a row of Alexander Kirkeby glassware.
Above: The staircase and glass elements throughout the house were designed by artist Nina Nørgaard.
Above: The staircase continues with a custom surround designed in almond-shaped cutouts.
Above: The hallway into guest spaces is coated in a deep ochre paint color from ceiling to walls. “We’ve maintained a consistent color for door frames and ceiling beams while introducing a gradient from brighter colors to darker, cozier tones,” explains Mentz Ottenstein.
Above: Custom bed frames and a block side table with an Alexander Kirkeby vase.
Above: Another view of the guest room reveals almond cutouts echoed in the footboard design. The table lamp is part of the Vessels for Light series from Christian + Jade.
Above: Having functioned a private estate for so long, connecting rooms in the house were previously similar in style. Mentze Ottenstein revised the rooms as separate spaces with individual character, with more color, and by creating hidden rooms within.
Above: A custom alcove bed also in golden ochre. Throughout the house and guest rooms, Dinesen material samples are displayed in frames from Cassetta.
Above: An antique children’s desk and chair sourced by Jamb.
Above: Leaf print wallpaper and custom built-in bunk beds.
Above: An antique chair and cabinet in the upstairs hall.
“Like any home, the Dinesen Country Home is an ongoing story, a sum of fragments and lives lived as objects have been added and taken away, and replaced by unique items accumulating over time,” Hans Peter Dinesen describes. “We hope that the house will, to an even greater extent, form the setting for countless visits and events of the next several years. The house represents, in the same way as the family’s history, a love and care for traditions and wood.”
Above: A wide view of the south Jutland longhouse.
For our previous posts profiling the Dinesen brand and flooring, see our posts:
