A Copenhagen Horse Stable Is Transformed Into a Sophisticated Scandinavian Home
Clean lines, natural materials, and high-end design infuse new life and warmth into a historic villa in Copenhagen.
Presented with the rare opportunity to renovate one of Copenhagen’s few remaining preserved villas, Danish design studio Frama thoughtfully transformed an old horse stable into an elegant modern home for a design-minded couple.
Located in a courtyard near the Copenhagen Lakes, the Stable House originally served as stables for horses that carried water from the lakes.
Erik Lefvander
The clients, Sofie Bull and Morten Sørdahl, had been familiar with the firm’s more experimental work, but it was a visit to Frama founder Niels Strøyer Christophersen’s home—a minimalist Copenhagen apartment artfully converted from an old watchmaker shop—that convinced the couple of a shared design ethos.
The interior combines midcentury objects with more contemporary elements. In the living room, a rare vintage Shell chair by Hans Wegner sits beneath a brass mobile by Danish designer Toke Lauridsen.
Erik Lefvander
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"They appreciated the honest materiality we work with and the straightforward approach to architecture and furniture-based solutions," explains Head Designer Cassandra Bradfield. "That said, they wanted us to create solutions with a sleek attention to all details. Natural materials, but in their most perfect form."
Working in close collaboration with the couple, Frama planned the redesign of the interior section by section, while leaving the protected heritage facade, built in 1878 by Georg Møller, intact.
Soap-washed pine flooring features throughout the home.
Erik Lefvander
A peek at the office space with a Frama-designed leather-and-brass desk. The ground floor also houses the kitchen, dining area, and living room.
Erik Lefvander
Named the Stable House after its former function, the two-story home features an office space on the lower level and the sleeping quarters upstairs.
"We went rather slow, discussing each piece in depth, making it, and moving on to the next to ensure a tight collaboration—and to ensure cohesiveness," adds Bradfield. "Due to the sloping ceiling and the existence of ceiling beams, placing anything in the space is dramatic because it takes up a lot of visual and (physically usable) space. So, in this sense we wanted to tailor every solution to be in dialogue with the architecture."
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"The house itself is deceptively compact," say the designers. "This is partially to do with the sloping roof line, which creates its own beautiful geometry."
Erik Lefvander
The daybed and shelf library are available in Frama’s Permanent Collection.
Erik Lefvander
The meticulous design process spanned nearly three years, and it led to the creation of custom furnishings (Frama works in multiple creative disciplines—from interior design to furniture and lighting design). The custom-made pieces are complemented with designs from Frama’s permanent collection, as well as other designs by Vitra and Artek.
Frama built this custom bed frame from white-oiled Douglas fir. The hanging beside lights are by Giopato & Coombes.
Erik Lefvander
Custom Frama shelving provides space for a minimalist wardrobe.
Erik Lefvander
Clean lines and a minimalist palette of natural materials, shades of cream, and brass accents help focus the eye on the building’s existing geometry—from the sloping roofline to the curved windows.
Pivoting brass shutters were custom built to highlight the shape of the windows. They can be turned to block views for privacy.
Erik Lefvander
To highlight the ceiling beams and preserve a sense of spaciousness, the architects inserted an oak-framed glass partition that delineates the bathroom area—the interior of which is dressed in floor-to-ceiling terrazzo molded on-site.
A view of the bathroom with a freestanding tub and brass fixtures from the bedroom area.
Erik Lefvander
"The bathroom is deceptively simple...the materiality glides from the floor to the walls, seemingly without end," explain the designers, who add that the bathroom is their favorite part of the project. "The floor curves up the wall, creating the appearance of a singularly molded terrazzo room, with a solid terrazzo sink jutting out."
The bathroom is lined with on-site molded terrazzo made from white cement and bits of yellow and gray stone.
Erik Lefvander
A solid terrazzo sink juts out from the wall with an integrated wooden drawer. The mirror conceals an oak cabinet.
Erik Lefvander
"We added simple transitions within the space, such as a delicate brass line from floor to wall which creates a gesture between the bathroom area from the shower and tub ‘room.’ The stones and details are more beautiful the closer you get to it."
"The idea was to execute the terrazzo material in the finest way possible without any seams, and deliver a warm but minimalist bathroom," explains Frama.
Erik Lefvander
Pictured here is the door to the bathroom. White curtains inside the bathroom provide privacy.
Erik Lefvander
Related Reading:
Light-Filled Family Home Renovation in Copenhagen
A Cramped Attic Became a Sunny Dining Room in This Copenhagen Tudor
An Old Factory in Copenhagen Is Now a Photographer's Dream Home
Project Credits:
Interior Design: Frama Interior Architecture / @framaprojects
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