Porsgrunn

A marble from the same-titled municipality in south-eastern Norway; shifting in colour from gray to green and blue; and rich in fossils. 

Above Poul Kjærholms PK-61 with this wonderful stone as a top; a limited number of pieces were produced for E. Kold Christensen in the early seventies. Today they are among the most sought-after in his production.

Porsgrunn was also the stone used by Arne Jacobsen for his National Bank in Copenhagen, built 1961-78, and according to some sources, supposedly sucked the quarry dry in the process. 

X-chair

1967

The Lesser-Known Ox-Chair

Designed by Arne Jacobsen for the National Bank of Denmark in 1966.

Arne Jacobsen designed this chair over a five-year period. Large, impressive, and extremely comfortable, when it was presented in 1966 it was met with surprise and admiration. “This is also how he can be: angular and with a touch of martial temperament that we could call Germanic or perhaps more properly Japanese in expression”

- Thau and Vindum, eds., Jacobsen.

pictures by seier + seier


read more about the National Bank building here

Anymous Architecture: Villa by Kystvejen

There are alot of solid good houses, immaculate in materials and execution, that will never make it to the design and architecture literature. L'ESPRIT NOUVEAU exists to present these anonymous objects of design alongside their more famous dito. Below you'll find one of these works of architecture that have been forgotten or probably never acknwledged in the first place. The pictures (by Mikael Strange -nothing wrong with them) come from a run-of-the-mill interior magazine article that focuses more on the boring and semi-chic owner-couple and their uninspiring collection of white shite that clutters the beautiful structure that an architect named Ole Henriksen gave birth to just north of Copenhagen, sometime on the sixties. That house is of course the true star of the article, and it is a shame that not more focus is layed upon it - or what's left of it. No floorplan. And while the owner-couple makes alot of talk of staying true to the original spirit of the house - they always do - walls have aparetly been moved, floors replaced and *surprise, surprise* a new kitchen has been installed. The best thing about the interiors of the house is not surprisingly the part that is untouched by the new owners:

The entrance, an architectural space in it's own right as was often the case with these villas of the sixties. Greenlandish marble and oregon pine, and black metal fixtures. Ole Henriksen knew what he was doing, all right.

 

A House by Bertel Udsen

On the Danish golden coast overlooking Öresund you will find one beutiful modernist house after the next. Particularly Rungsted seems o have many of these post-war houses, of the kind one rarely sees in Sweden - if ever. Why that is I haven't figured out. Fuel for thought on why Denmark is superior to Sweden in almost every sense, anyway.

This may not be the mos radical or interesting of these houses, but i's pretty nice alright. Though I do feel that the new kitchen island - although quite beautiful and well made, seems rather unfunctional. I am no one for mixing living rooms and kitchens either (unless your name is Seinfeld).

Notice that the end walls are lined with wood paneling on the outside as well as on the inside. The woodwork - including the new kitchen - seems to be oregon pine, if I'm not mistaken.


The house was built in 1966 by architect Bertel Udsen. More on him another time.

Buy it now at Mette Lykken Bolig

Let's Drive Through Copenhagen!

...and take pictures!

Henning Larsen's Ferring centre, 1998-2002, with aditions being built now.

 Yes, that's a beer can he's holding.

Facory complexes are beautiful, aren't they?

 This hotel caught my eye because of the quite beautiful brickwork on it's side. Interesting 'take' on curtain wall construction for the 21st century.

"Den Sorte Diamant" - "the Black Diamond", Schmidt Hammer Lassen, 1999

Next to it was this really interesting building:

That's a greenish marble, anddetails of copper. Awesome.

 Good architecture.

 Danmarks Nationalbank and the architectural pride of Copenhagen. Arne Jacobsen, 1961-78

 Nice bridge and...

 ...the Foreign Ministry, by Halldor Gunnløgsson, 1977-80

 Functionalised building.

 Great funkis.

More great funkis at Englandsvej/Peder Lykkes Vej, Amager.

And great attic-apartments!

Bamsestolen, 1950

A chair that allows for a constant changing of siting-positions - Hans J. Wegner's recipe for true comfort. 

Perhaps he had ADD.

Didn't you see the sign, woman?! It's a chair for a maaan...

And by the way, it's only $395.

Here's an informative film about the chair.

Illum Wikkelsø Model V11

The chairs that go with this sofa.

By Holger Christiansen, Jylland.