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Danish Farmhouse Turned Contemporary Art StudioView 6 Photos

Danish Farmhouse Turned Contemporary Art Studio

At first sight, the plain barn adjacent to Lone and Søren Asmusson’s home in Farum, Denmark, looks like any other thatched barn on a country estate. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that this building is far from standard.
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Lone and Søren Asmusson moved into Posehuset Studio, their country estate outside of Copenhagen, only a few years ago, intending to use the space as a home-cum-art studio. Before long, however, their artistic endeavours expanded beyond the dedicated music studio and artist workrooms inside their home and began encroaching upon their living space. The couple turned to the barn adjacent to their farmhouse, and with the help of the VELUX Group in Denmark, remodeled the existing building into a multi-purpose artists’ workspace.

The family’s country estate is the oldest home in Farum and sits on the outskirts of the town. Before the Asmussons bought the house, it was owned by an elderly woman with a passion for plastic bags, who called her home ‘Posehuset,’ or bag house. Today, although the name remains the same, the studio is host to a diverse range of artistic activities and music productions.

The family’s country estate is the oldest home in Farum and sits on the outskirts of the town. Before the Asmussons bought the house, it was owned by an elderly woman with a passion for plastic bags, who called her home ‘Posehuset,’ or bag house. Today, although the name remains the same, the studio is host to a diverse range of artistic activities and music productions.

The team built the studio within the brick walls of the existing barn. The barn's windows were filled from the inside, and a new roof structure was added and finished with a complex system of black aluminium plates. These were fit with solar modules and windows in order to supply the interior with the maximum amount of light, ensuring that the studio can be used without artificial light during daytime hours. The process took over a year, but the resulting studio is an appealing combination of old and new, the aluminium roof seeming to rise out of the barn’s original brick structure.

Although the old window and door openings of the original building remain visible from the exterior, they were covered on the inside with veneer. Instead, large windows on the roof and a clear glass door supply the interior with adequate daylight.

Although the old window and door openings of the original building remain visible from the exterior, they were covered on the inside with veneer. Instead, large windows on the roof and a clear glass door supply the interior with adequate daylight.

Inside the sunlit, unfurnished studio, large mirrors cover the walls and ceiling. The mirrors interact with the flood of natural light, creating complex interplays of light and shadow. The varied effects "match our working method perfectly," says Søren, and "the surprising ways in which nature is incorporated into the room through the roof windows and the reflections of the mirrors excite me over and over again."

The contrast between the barn’s original exterior structure and the new architectural elements is a large part of the finished studio’s charm. The aluminium roof peaks out of the existing façade, providing the traditional barn with an air of modernity.

The contrast between the barn’s original exterior structure and the new architectural elements is a large part of the finished studio’s charm. The aluminium roof peaks out of the existing façade, providing the traditional barn with an air of modernity.

Because of the mirrored interior, the VELUX Group placed the roof windows towards the northeast in an effort to minimize any direct light, and hence uncomfortable heat, within the studio.

Because of the mirrored interior, the VELUX Group placed the roof windows towards the northeast in an effort to minimize any direct light, and hence uncomfortable heat, within the studio.

The new studio was erected inside the existing brick walls of the barn, while the aluminium ceiling was added separately, its angles chosen to ensure adequate sunlight. "The roof breaks the limits of the building and forms a contrast to all the other architectural elements. Even the slope of the new roof is different from that of the main building," says Brian Wendin, architect and daylight consultant at VELUX Denmark.

The new studio was erected inside the existing brick walls of the barn, while the aluminium ceiling was added separately, its angles chosen to ensure adequate sunlight. "The roof breaks the limits of the building and forms a contrast to all the other architectural elements. Even the slope of the new roof is different from that of the main building," says Brian Wendin, architect and daylight consultant at VELUX Denmark.

Inside the studio lies a spacious, light-filled interior. It is the perfect place for Søren’s comedy shows, sketches, and music, but also provides a calm, pleasant space shared by the whole family. "Our kids enjoy being in there and playing or falling asleep on the floor as well," says Lone.

Inside the studio lies a spacious, light-filled interior. It is the perfect place for Søren’s comedy shows, sketches, and music, but also provides a calm, pleasant space shared by the whole family. "Our kids enjoy being in there and playing or falling asleep on the floor as well," says Lone.

Emily Shapiro
Emily is a design historian, teacher, and writer/editor.

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