Kitchen of the Week: The Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe Kitchen in Aarhus

At once novel and traditional, a kitchen in Aarhus comes to us by way of two Danish design standbys: Dinesen, makers of wide plank wooden flooring, and kitchen design company Garde Hvalsøe. It’s not a residential kitchen, but a model of one which is situated in the Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe showroom in the historic Mejlborg building. In showcasing the Hoelgaard model from Garde Hvalsøe along with wood and finishes from Dinesen, the brands enlisted Jonas Djernes and Justine Bell of Djernes & Bell architecture studio. Specializing in low-carbon, bio-inclusive, and regenerative practices, Djernes & Bell formulated the concept of “Ecology of Home” to exhibit the transformative nature of home crafts using inspiration from historic room typologies from the salon to larder and library. Here’s a look at the details.

Photography by Claus Troelsgaard for Garde Hvalsøe and Dinesen.

Above: The thoughtful palette of the kitchen is composed with colors from File Under Pop. The walls are Sahara Sand and trim in Mississippi Mud. The modern wood paneling, larder door frame, and shelves are finished in Dinesen’s Ash Oil “bringing out the natural structure of the wood while adding subtle grey, cool tones,” as the architects describe.

The 600-square-meter showroom was originally built as a restaurant; the paneling and columns were preserved in their original forms during the renovation which completed in 2018. The Mejlborg building in Aarhus dates back to 1898 (which also happens to be the same year Dinesen was founded) and features a Gothic Renaissance-style edifice. The architects drew inspiration from the iconic kitchen of Castle Drogo in Devon where architect Edwin Lutyens implemented a robust wall-to-wall plate rack above a row of sinks.

Above: The cabinets are anchored with Portland Taupe Sandstone backsplash extending behind open shelves and carried into the countertops as well. The kitchen faucet is the minimalist John Pawson for Cocoon JP Basin Fixture. Hanging above the sink and countertop is a pair of w202 Halo Pendant Lights by David Chipperfield for Wästberg. Here, a view of the Hoelgaard drawers which are splined cut in a cabinet body framing each drawer and feature an opening as handle. Above: A straight view into the larder, framed with Ash Oil-finished Dinesen wood. Note the historic paneling at left is painted with File Under Pop Mississippi Mud to complement the blueish Dinesen Ash Oil on the kitchen cabinets and door frame. Above: The pantry was outfitted in collaboration with Danish restaurant Moment, featuring an ash wood interior and flooring both finished with a bespoke dark oil. Within the pantry are pickled vegetables, ceramics, and an oven cabinet. Above: The Wästberg pendants continue the perimeter of the kitchen, and in the center stands a bespoke kitchen island from Garde Hvalsøe, also designed from Dinesen Douglas wood. The ceiling is painted in Black Orchid from File Under Pop to add depth and contrast to the pastel palette below. “The finish evokes the richness of high gloss oil paint,” the architects say. “The idea was to match the existing, and already dark, stained timber ceiling in the salon to recreate a decorative feel by threading lighting cables diagonally.” The socket lights are ceramic fittings in brown from IFO Electrics in Sweden.

For more from Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe, see our posts:

• The House of Dinesen, Reimagined by Copenhagen-based Mentze Ottenstein
• The Dinesen Family House: A Historic Renovation for Danish Design Royalty
• Saltviga House: A Coastal Norway Home Built (Almost) Entirely With Dinesen Flooring Scraps
• Kitchen of the Week: A Culinary Space in Copenhagen by Garde Hvalsøe
• Kitchen of the Week: The Dinesen Wood Kitchen
• Kitchen of the Week: Nadine Redzepi’s Secrets to a Well-Ordered Home Kitchen