Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: See Inside a Danish Designer's Open-plan Flat
Tour this Scandi-chic home in Copenhagen and be inspired by the open-plan layout and beautiful nursery
In his work as creative director and vice president for Rosendahl Design Group, David Andersen has the daily responsibility for developing products from diverse and colourful designers like Bjørn Wiinblad and Kay Bojesen. But as soon as you cross the threshold of the designer’s own home in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, you discover that the universe here is anything but colourful. In fact, you have to look carefully before finding something that is not black or white. “I work with a lot of different products, materials and colours during the day, so when I get home, I just want the my interior to be calm,” David Andersen explains.
Andersen describes his home as “simple, stylish and quite masculine” - and admits he loves Danish design. “My home is peace of mind for me. I get a sense of security and happiness when I get home because I have exactly the things around me that I need,” he says.
“I’m generally very black and white and I’ve always lived very according to these colours and also very organised. I need to know where things are and I don’t like to be surprised when I open a drawer.”
“I’m generally very black and white and I’ve always lived very according to these colours and also very organised. I need to know where things are and I don’t like to be surprised when I open a drawer.”
While some people struggle to relax, if everything is too minimal and ordered, the Danish designer feels the opposite. “For me bits and bobs must be in their right place. Otherwise it creates chaos in my mind. If a vase gets moved just an inch I get annoyed and have to move it back into place. It may sound exaggerated, but that’s how I work and I always have a reason for placing things exactly where they are.”
Andersen, originally from the city of Odense, has lived in a number of different locations during his 18 years in Copenhagen. To be precise he has had 26 different homes in the capital.
Before moving into his current home, he lived in a big old apartment with wooden panels, but the simple style of his current and newly renovated apartment fits his personality much better.
“The old place had a lot of history and was very charming. But it was also very run down and in need of a lot of TLC. I’m not much of a handyman. I can assemble a bed and do some paint work but I don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to bigger renovating projects,” David Andersen says. “I’m pretty good at creating and visualising the projects and enjoying the result. But I’m fine with letting someone execute the middle part of the process.”
Before moving into his current home, he lived in a big old apartment with wooden panels, but the simple style of his current and newly renovated apartment fits his personality much better.
“The old place had a lot of history and was very charming. But it was also very run down and in need of a lot of TLC. I’m not much of a handyman. I can assemble a bed and do some paint work but I don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to bigger renovating projects,” David Andersen says. “I’m pretty good at creating and visualising the projects and enjoying the result. But I’m fine with letting someone execute the middle part of the process.”
But what does the black and white-loving designer do if he falls in love with furniture or accessories that happen to have other colors?
“Then I paint it,” he says promptly and admits at the same time he sometimes makes decisions a little too fast.
“Not long ago, I painted the countertops in the kitchen black. But when I woke up the next day, I was shocked by what I did, so I had to get a carpenter to come and grind the countertops down.”
“It’s not like I decided beforehand that I only wanted things in black and white. It’s just the two colours I’m automatically attracted to, “he says.
Bar stool: ‘About a stool’ fra Hay.
“Then I paint it,” he says promptly and admits at the same time he sometimes makes decisions a little too fast.
“Not long ago, I painted the countertops in the kitchen black. But when I woke up the next day, I was shocked by what I did, so I had to get a carpenter to come and grind the countertops down.”
“It’s not like I decided beforehand that I only wanted things in black and white. It’s just the two colours I’m automatically attracted to, “he says.
Bar stool: ‘About a stool’ fra Hay.
Kitchen, dining and living room are all in the same big bright room with sloping walls and loads of natural light from all sides which matches the designer’s temperament and lifestyle: “When I work from home I always sit at the dining table, so this is where I spend most of my time and when sitting here I have complete view of the entire place.”
The carpet underneath the dining table is actually a section of a catwalk carpet originally 20x20 meters that was designed for a fashion show hosted by David Andersen in Copenhagen City Hall in 2013. It is produced by the Danish brand Egetæpper and the pattern of Bjørn Wiinblad has a star in the middle, from which the models all went in different directions. It’s exactly this middle section David Andersen now use in his living room. The dining table he built himself with parts of the kitchen floor from his previous apartment.
Chairs: Y-chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen. Candlestick: Cube from By Lassen. Shuttle: PH from Louis Poulsen. Tree bird: Kay Bojesen.
The carpet underneath the dining table is actually a section of a catwalk carpet originally 20x20 meters that was designed for a fashion show hosted by David Andersen in Copenhagen City Hall in 2013. It is produced by the Danish brand Egetæpper and the pattern of Bjørn Wiinblad has a star in the middle, from which the models all went in different directions. It’s exactly this middle section David Andersen now use in his living room. The dining table he built himself with parts of the kitchen floor from his previous apartment.
Chairs: Y-chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen. Candlestick: Cube from By Lassen. Shuttle: PH from Louis Poulsen. Tree bird: Kay Bojesen.
The pattern of the large square artwork on the wall is called ‘Cross and Cross’ and was designed by Nanna Ditzel in the 1950s.
“It’s a pattern we use on jars, vases and so on when we launch new products from Nanna Ditzel at Rosendahl. I think it’s very artistic and I had a feeling it would fit perfectly into the roomhere, so I got it enlarged and built in an appropriate size,” David Andersen tells.
The black floor vase is from Holmegaard.
“It’s a pattern we use on jars, vases and so on when we launch new products from Nanna Ditzel at Rosendahl. I think it’s very artistic and I had a feeling it would fit perfectly into the roomhere, so I got it enlarged and built in an appropriate size,” David Andersen tells.
The black floor vase is from Holmegaard.
“Sofa: Designed by Børge Mogensen. Floor lamp: ‘Panthella’ by Verner Panton for Louis Poulsen.
“Everything I have on display here in the living room, books and other things, are items I use in my work in one way or another. At the moment I am designing four new vases for Christmas 2019, and as you see I have a lot of vases here at the moment. If you come a month from now it will look different for sure. But it will always be black and white. “
Andersen’s decorating tips:
1) Decorate with personality. You can always buy cool and trendy furniture if you can afford it. But you will be more happy and at home if there is personality. Yes, I have some pieces of expensive furniture, but the dining table is made from an old kitchen floor, and it’s the combination that gives history and personality.
2) Never mix different woods and wood colours. The worst thing you can do is to have different types of wood in the same room. It can be very disturbing when it comes to interior designing.
1) Decorate with personality. You can always buy cool and trendy furniture if you can afford it. But you will be more happy and at home if there is personality. Yes, I have some pieces of expensive furniture, but the dining table is made from an old kitchen floor, and it’s the combination that gives history and personality.
2) Never mix different woods and wood colours. The worst thing you can do is to have different types of wood in the same room. It can be very disturbing when it comes to interior designing.
Although Andersen actively uses his home when designing and developing new products, the apartment rarely plays role in relation to the finished design.
“I can easily sit and work with designs thinking they would fit well here. But I never make designs for my own home.”
“I can easily sit and work with designs thinking they would fit well here. But I never make designs for my own home.”
However, he has had the opportunity to put a black and white mark on for instance the wooden figures of Kay Bojesen. The zebra was launched before Andersen joined Rosendahl, while the black bird, launched inspiring 2017, is his invention.
“But it is clear that the products must be true to the original designer. If I walked in and painted Bjørn Wiinblad’s figures black and white, he would turn in his grave,”
“But it is clear that the products must be true to the original designer. If I walked in and painted Bjørn Wiinblad’s figures black and white, he would turn in his grave,”
The bedroom is monochrome, like the rest of Anderson's home, though he has used more calming grey tones here, rather than black.
Vugge: Oliver Furniture.
Vugge: Oliver Furniture.
Living in a black and white world may not be difficult when there is only one person to mess it up, do the cleaning and make the interior decisions.
But soon Andersen’s home and lifestyle will put to a bigger test than ever before, because soon he will become a father. Andersen is having a child with a close friend and admits that this will have a big impact on his current lifestyle.
“Of course a lot of things will change when I become a father - both in terms of everyday life, but also in relation to my home and the interior design,” he says.
But soon Andersen’s home and lifestyle will put to a bigger test than ever before, because soon he will become a father. Andersen is having a child with a close friend and admits that this will have a big impact on his current lifestyle.
“Of course a lot of things will change when I become a father - both in terms of everyday life, but also in relation to my home and the interior design,” he says.
Next to the bedroom is children’s room, which is pre-decorated with the most necessary furniture, although Andersen admits, “I find it hard to decorate a room for a child, I haven't met yet.”
Kay Bojesen’s wooden animals take pride of place in this room,
“they were originally designed for children, before they became design objects as they are today,” Andersen says.
Bed, changing table and high chair: Flexa
Kay Bojesen’s wooden animals take pride of place in this room,
“they were originally designed for children, before they became design objects as they are today,” Andersen says.
Bed, changing table and high chair: Flexa
Seagull mobile by Kay Bojesen
Whist Andersen’s home is immaculately tidy now, he is aware that this will all change very soon, but he is looking forward to the new arrival. “I’m guessing there’s much more to focus on when you have a child to worry about. I probably won’t care about the decor or be upset about a pile of LEGO bricks.”
Bench: Oliver Furniture. Posters: Sketches by Kay Bojesen.
Bench: Oliver Furniture. Posters: Sketches by Kay Bojesen.
What do you find most inspiring about David Andersen's chic apartment? Let us know in the comments
Occupation: Textile designer
Location: Frederiksberg with a view of the local park, The Gardens of Frederiksberg
Size: 125 Square meters