Takea quickglanceatLisbeth
Kamstrup’shomeina smalltown
ontheoutskirtsofCopenhagen
andyou’dbeforgivenforthinking
it wastheepitomeofScandicool.Surroundedbylakes
andwoodland,withallthoseblondepinefloorboards,
themonochromeaccents,thosegreystingedwith
Danishblue...ButinfactLisbeth’sinspirationfor
thedesigncomesnotfromtheaestheticofher
homeland,butfromsomewheremuchfurtheraway- yes,youguessedit (orperhapsyoudidn’t):Japan.
Citingthestartingpointforthispared-backlook
astheFarEastis notasfar-fetchedasyoumight
imagine– asLisbethsays,thestylesoftheOrient
andherowncountryhavemanysimilarities.‘Inthe
Japanesedesigntraditiontheyhavea greatpenchant
forgoodcraftsmanship,simplicityandviabilityin
thehomestheycreate,verymuchlikeushereinthe
Nordicregion,’shesays.It’sa culturalconnectionshe
firstnoticedwhileonanextensivetriparoundJapan
in 2008 withherhusbandJesper,beforeherthree
childrenwereborn.‘SomeoftheideasI brought
backwithmeincludedhowgoodtheyareatkeeping
theinsidea mysterywhilelookingatthebuilding
fromoutside– therearen’tsomanycluesastohow
theinteriorwillbelaidoutif you’restandingonthe
street.’Itexplainswhyherpine-cladhouselookslike
a blackbox,withnoindicationofthelayoutbehind
thedoors.‘WedidnotreallygotoJapanwiththe
purposeofbeingarchitecturallyinspired,butI was
sotakenbytheJapaneseabilitytobothfocuson
detailandthewholethatwhenwefoundtheempty
landhere,I justknewI woulddesign a house for us
thatwasinspiredbyourtrip.’
A designerwhohasworkedwithVippandNovo
Nordisk,andtheownerofLillerød,a basket-making
company,Lisbethdesignedthefour-bedroom,
two-storey home from scratch, having the pieces
builtoff-siteandassembled,pre-fabstyle,onthe
plot.Readytomoveintoit in 2010 – ‘I wouldn’tsay
it wasfinishedthen,aswestilladdtoit allthetime,’
Lisbethsmiles– it’snowalsohometothecouple’s
threechildren,Ingrid,nine,Samuel,seven,and
Astrid,five.Surroundedbya lushgreengarden,an
exteriorstaircaseleadstothefrontdoor,behindwhich
liesthelargeopen-plankitchenandlivingroom.An
innercube,linedbyglasspanels,thelowerofwhich
arefrosted,takesuponecorner,andformsIngrid’s
bedroom,a recentadditiondesignedtogiveallthe
childrentheirownrooms.‘Thingsareconstantly
evolvingasourneedschange,’saysLisbeth.‘Wereally
justwantedtocreatesomeframesaroundourlife,
wherethefood,conversationandfamilyarethe
mainfocus.’Theplansforthehouseweresimple- largespacestogatherin,serenenooksforquiet
contemplation,a palettethatencouragesserenity.
‘Thesubtlecoloursaredefinitelyaninspirationfrom
Japanaswell– it’sallaboutfeelingnaturecloseto
youinbothshadesandmaterials,’saysLisbeth.She
is particularlyfondofthebath,positionedunder
a skylight.‘I canlieinit andlookupatthesky.’
ThatsenseofsimplicityseepsintoallofLisbeth’s
furniturechoices,too,wherepiecesfromHay,lamps
fromLeKlintandtilesfromVilleroy&Bochmake
foranunderstatedcollectionofstatementpieces.She
effortlesslymixesIkeawithArneJacobsen,including
anythinginherhomethatfitswithhervision.‘I’m
constantlyconsideringwhetherthethingsaroundus
addvaluetoourlives,becauseif theydon’tthenthey
shouldn’tbethere,’saysLisbeth.‘I’mlookingfor
thingsthataredurableandthatI’llwanttokeepfor
a longtime.Andif theyaremadewiththoughtand
love,thentheymakesensetome.I’mreallyinspired
bymanyoftheoldfurnitureclassics,butI alsolove
it whenolddesigntraditionsarereinterpreted.And
I love everything that’s unique and handmade.’&
86 HOMESANDGARDENS.COMINSPIRATION