Nobody Does a Beach House Quite Like the Danes

Jette Egelund, owner of the famed kitchen brand Vipp, builds a summer home that is a master class in Scandinavian coastal living.

Jette Egelund, owner of the famed kitchen brand Vipp, builds a summer home that is a master class in Scandinavian coastal living.
Jette Egelund, owner of the famed kitchen brand Vipp, builds a summer home that is a master class in Scandinavian coastal living.

Welcome to Beach Week, a celebration of the best place on earth.  

In Denmark, summer homes are a way of life for many—and there’s much to be learned from the Danes about coastal living. Take, for example, the summerhouse of Jette Egelund, owner of Danish design brand Vipp, and her partner, conductor Mogens Dahl. It’s a study in embracing and responding to challenging coastal conditions to create a retreat that can be enjoyed all year round.

The summer home is located on the west coast of Zeeland in Denmark. Egelund’s son had also recently built a summer house nearby, and Egelund and Dahl appreciated the work of the architect, Mads Lund.
The summer home is located on the west coast of Zeeland in Denmark. Egelund’s son had also recently built a summer house nearby, and Egelund and Dahl appreciated the work of the architect, Mads Lund.

Sitting at the edge of a dramatic cliff on the west coast of Zealand, the holiday home overlooks the Storebælt, a strait of water between the main islands of Denmark. The couple worked with architect Mads Lund, creative director of Nordic Office of Architecture, to bring their vision to life, and the result is a pavilion-style home that offers a contemporary take on the traditional Danish summerhouse.

The entrance to the home is through a timber-clad passageway that leads to a guest annexe, a utility shed, and the main house. Whilst traditional Danish summer houses are often clad in dark timber, this contemporary interpretation of the typology inverts expectation by using a light Canadian cedar cladding—most expressively in this walkway.
The entrance to the home is through a timber-clad passageway that leads to a guest annexe, a utility shed, and the main house. Whilst traditional Danish summer houses are often clad in dark timber, this contemporary interpretation of the typology inverts expectation by using a light Canadian cedar cladding—most expressively in this walkway.
The holiday home is located in front of a dramatic stretch of coastline on the west coast of Zeeland and boasts spectacular views over the sea.
The holiday home is located in front of a dramatic stretch of coastline on the west coast of Zeeland and boasts spectacular views over the sea.

See the full story on Dwell.com: Nobody Does a Beach House Quite Like the Danes
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