A Clever Niche Makes This Kitchen the Focal Point of the Home
Oak, brass, concrete and a comfy daybed take center stage in this Danish architect’s kitchen
When Line Frier, an architect and the owner of Frier Architecture, drew up the plans for this classic Scandinavian kitchen for her home in Denmark, the overall aim was to create a space that would be welcoming and practical at the same time. “We wanted a modern, functional kitchen with a calm and harmonious atmosphere,” she says.
She combined three materials: oiled oak surfaces, brass handles and a concrete countertop. “The common denominator is that they are quality materials that age beautifully. The glow of the oak is especially alluring and adds life, warmth and visual depth, with its beautiful veined pattern,” Frier says. All the wood surfaces were made by Till Olesen, a carpenter from MoreWood.
It was important for Frier that the kitchen should fit into the house’s existing decor and work as an integrated part of the adjacent living room. “We kept the internal lines from the original kitchen interior but added new built-in elements, such as the niche between the kitchen and the living room, to make the most of the space and create different degrees of intimacy in the room,” she says. The side niche was an opportunity for her to make the kitchen look more spacious and, above all, to frame the view into the living room and garden from the kitchen, and vice versa.
The side niche, which provides a natural and elegant transition between the kitchen and the living room, is integrated into the cabinet wall. It is one of the most important elements of the design: “The lounge area is a very successful spatial element — I will go so far as to say that it has become the center of our family life,” she says.
“The side niche invites you to sit down, put your legs up and enjoy a cup of coffee. The kids climb on it, and it is a place where stories are told. It also now makes it a little cozier to fold the laundry,” she says.
“The side niche invites you to sit down, put your legs up and enjoy a cup of coffee. The kids climb on it, and it is a place where stories are told. It also now makes it a little cozier to fold the laundry,” she says.
Because the house is relatively small, Frier had to reflect on how to create new storage options. “In a house of only 89 square meters [about 958 square feet], storage options are essential. Therefore, I focused on getting plenty of storage in closed cabinets. However, one of these was designed to be open so you can display personal items in it,” she says. The open shelf is visible from the living room, as this photo shows, through the gap to the left of the niche.
Faucet: Vola
Faucet: Vola
Renovating a kitchen in a villa from 1947 was not without complications. “A house from the 1940s comes with many distortions — the floor is warped, and none of the walls are straight. Obviously, this adds extra challenges,” Frier says.
Another challenge was the 14-foot concrete countertop, which was poured on site because of its length. Despite the inconvenience, the architect considers it to be an important element. “The raw and unpolished concrete is a great contrast to the [rest of the decor], and it makes the kitchen feel like a place that can really be used,” Frier says.
Radio: Bang & Olufsen
More
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Space Savers: Consider the Beauty of Built-Ins
Another challenge was the 14-foot concrete countertop, which was poured on site because of its length. Despite the inconvenience, the architect considers it to be an important element. “The raw and unpolished concrete is a great contrast to the [rest of the decor], and it makes the kitchen feel like a place that can really be used,” Frier says.
Radio: Bang & Olufsen
More
How to Dress Your Daybed
Space Savers: Consider the Beauty of Built-Ins
Kitchen at a Glance
Who cooks here: Line Frier and her family
Location: Risskov, near Aarhus, Denmark
Size: The kitchen is about 17 feet (5.2 meters) long and consists of two parallel main elements with a depth of about 2 feet each. The kitchen and living room are connected by a built-in sitting niche-daybed.
Architects: Frier Architecture
Year of construction: 1947
Kitchen renovation: 2014
Project price: About $21,900 for both the kitchen and the adjacent bathroom, which was renovated at the same time
“When we started the renovation, the house had a small, closed-off kitchen with a waist-high counter, as kitchens used to be built in the 1940s. The previous owners had given it a face-lift in the ’90s, so it had a red countertop, laminated cabinets and a very messy look overall,” Frier says. In order to get her dream kitchen, the architect needed to come up with a new design and new materials.
Appliances: Smeg