A Visit to Finn Juhl's House – The Perfect Day Trip from Copenhagen

As I enter Finn Juhl’s House in Ordrup, I have the rooms all to myself. The guard in the vestibule greets me with a smile and replies to my question if I could take pictures with a soft nod. She offers to hang my coat on the small coat rack. I already feel like a guest in this beautiful house. As I wander around the rooms, I wonder what it would be like to live in a place like this, surrounded by all those beautiful pieces of furniture and art, all designed and curated by Finn Juhl himself. I read that the structure, which was completed in 1942, was planned from the inside out, meaning that the designer considered the interiors and the layout of the rooms before deciding on the outer shell of the house.

The rooms are pristine; furniture and objects are carefully curated and placed to create a sense of balance. There is also this excellent effect I find to be specific to Scandinavian homes: the house is minimal and functional but still feels warm and cosy. This is only supported by the natural forms of Finn Juhl's designs. All furniture displayed in the house is primarily made from organic materials: wood, soft fabrics and leather. It has a lovely patina, too – Finn Juhl lived and worked here until he died in 1989. The architecture itself is characterised by similar materials, like wooden floorboards, brick and stone. Curiously, the master bedroom feels more like a living room. I only recognise the bed right next to the room's entrance at a second glance. More prominent features of the room are the large shelf filled with books that spans the entire wall and a seating area. A large window next to the chimney leads out into the garden.

I have always found visiting the houses and studios of artists, designers and architects inspiring and I have been coveting some of Finn Juhl’s pieces – like the 48 Chair, the Art Collectors Table or his Table Bench – for quite some time. So I was excited to find out during a trip to Copenhagen that Finn Juhl’s House is just a short train and bus ride north of the city. Nowadays, the functionalist single-family home is part of Ordurpgaard, an art museum in Charlottenlund. The museum in itself and its gardens are worth a visit, too. The stately villa and its two annexes – designed by Zaha Hadid and Snøhetta – are home to a vast collection ranging from Danish to French art and temporary exhibitions.