London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

A Series of Interlocking Gables Create a Light-Filled Family Home in Denmark

A Series of Interlocking Gables Create a Light-Filled Family Home in Denmark

C.F. Møller Architects implements an abundance of brick in an homage to another of their projects, the elegant Aarhus University.

Aarhus, Denmark, known for standout structures like the Arne Jacobsen–designed City Hall, and the sleek towers of The Iceberg apartment complex, is a destination rich with innovative architecture. Here, in a neighborhood thronged with small, single-family residences, C. F. Møller Architects has crafted an inviting, contemporary villa that draws inspiration from Aarhus University.



While "funky white boxes" dominate local residential vernacular, the client for this home craved something different. Klaus Toustrup, partner and architect at the Aarhus office of C. F. Møller, responded in stride. "For us, it was natural to go back in our own history and look at Aarhus University, where a single brick building with composite saddle-roof buildings has formed the architectural foundation for a campus that through more than 90 years of expansion still stands both classic and modern," he explains.



To best complement its surroundings, this same form was embraced for the villa. A quartet of gable-roof volumes, "which contain the individual main functions, are put together so that they adapt to the sloping ground," adds Toustrup.



Nestled at the end of the driveway, for example, are the garage and basement, while a wide brick staircase leads up to the main entrance and into a great room covered in artwork. Situated underneath a sculptural ceiling that curves upward to a skylight, the room opens onto bedrooms and melds various zones, including a minimalist kitchen, a dining area, and a built-in reading nook.



"It has become a great place for both partying and everyday family life," says Toustrup of this vast space. Down a set of stairs off the kitchen, another living area features a large, plush sectional. Floor-to-ceiling glazing grants views over the garden, which is better enjoyed from the alfresco dining table tucked underneath a covered terrace.



Such comfort and intimacy were top of mind for the client who "wanted a cozy setting for family life, a villa that fit into the old residential area, and built-in materials that could stand without major maintenance," says Toustrup.



This is why Toustrup opted for a simple "character-forming" palette. Fashioned out of concrete and sustainable wood, the villa is finished with ruddy bricks on both the facade and roof as an homage to Aarhus University. Yet it also reflects Toustrup’s love of the material: It ages "fantastically and beautifully over time," he says.

The interiors are also characterized by brick, namely on the core that connects the different levels of the abode. Similarly, complementary oak makes appearances both inside and out. In the bathrooms, natural stone with a polished aesthetic contrasts the otherwise rustic material palette.



"Oak has a quality and strength which means that we could use it consistently on floors, ceilings, windows, doors, and furniture," says Toustrup. In combination with the brick and white walls, it conjures a "nice, warm Scandinavian tone."



The family that resides here is quite pleased with the results. "Natural light walks through the various rooms during the day, and especially in our kitchen and living room where the large skylights create an almost magical atmosphere," explain the homeowners. "The many small living spaces in the transition between outside and inside are also elements that give everyone joy-both when the whole family is together or when you just sit alone with a cup of coffee."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
Documents Reveal Mandelson Failed to Declare Epstein-Funded Flights as MP in 2003
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Harris Memoir Sparks Backlash from Democrats for Blunt Critiques in ‘107 Days’
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Japan’s ‘Death-Tainted’ Homes Gain Appeal as Prices Soar in Tokyo
Massive Attack Withdraws from Spotify Over Daniel Ek’s €600M Defence-AI Investment
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
×