Frame No. 77

The new kitchen had a lot to live up to when Anna and Søren moved back into Anna’s childhood home and decided to replace an old kitchen full of fond memories. Meet a modern family, who has turned a former commune into a multigenerational home on one of Copenhagen’s most attractive addresses.
 
Anna: “We live in a major, yellow brick villa with tall, arched windows in central Frederiksberg. In 1868 the architect Jens Eckersberg designed the property for himself, and a century later a handful of young families – amongst them my parents – acquired the building and turned the former stately villa into a commune. Today the house is a multigenerational home that we share with my mother.”

Anna: “We moved in in late 2020, but the house is by no means new to us. It was my childhood home, and my parents’ have never left the building. We have known the house through many different people, as several of our friends have rented parts of it throughout the years. Our kids have come here since they were born, and now it is our turn to move in and share the historic surroundings with my mother. I loved the kitchen of my childhood home, but it was time for change. The doors and drawers were worn down after a long life. We also wanted to make our own mark on the most important room in our home. The entire ground floor is one big room; it is where you enter the house, it is where we cook our meals, it is where we gather as a family and it is from here that we access the garden. In that sense the kitchen is the heart of our home.”

Søren: “I wanted to prioritize craftsmanship, workspace and functionality. And I wanted a kitchen that was a piece of furniture more than just pure functionality.”
 
Anna: “And more than that, the kitchen should set the tone and mood of the room. In my view, the new kitchen had a lot to live up to, seeing as the old kitchen was a fantastic setting for both cooking and socializing. This was where my mom lit the fireplace and where my father had his big thoughts. It was where we gathered the neighbors for carnival and the family for birthdays, and it was where we played cards with our friends and enjoyed my dad’s roasted duck.”

“We chose Stilleben Architects because it’s a fantastically beautiful kitchen. We love that the design is rooted in history with the frame, the quality and the craftsmanship. It fits well in a solid, old house like ours. A friend of ours was actually in doubt whether it was the original kitchen. We thought that was a big compliment. The kitchen is a small piece of history filled with modern solutions. It is equally practical and beautiful. The kitchen simultaneously makes the room seem grounded, while at the same time lifting the furniture surrounding it.”