Æblehavenhus by Jeppe Utzon, Morud, Denmark

Cutting into the Danish countryside, on the island of Fyn, Æblehavenhus, or the Orchard House, is an intoxicating drop of residential design that could have you considering a move to greener pastures. Celebrating its context, with all that open space, the project was penned down by architect Jeppe Utzon, grandson of Mr. Sydney Opera House himself Jørn Utzon. Talk about family legacies and setting the bar high. Yet although the design gene has clearly flowed down the bloodline, this country abode stands on its own merit, seriously relishing in its seemingly simple geometric form and elegant material treatment.

Championing an evocative use of light, the house hinges its more static spaces like the bedroom, living room and bathroom off an open corridor that is singly flanked by operable, full-height timber windows and doors. Whilst a central rectangular void space is framed by a series of horizontal levels and vertical planes, the house adopts a simple, almost modernist take on inhabitation and living practicalities. In this way, Jeppe defines a ‘blank-canvas’ on which the house’s materiality can be stressed. Take a look at how the pale exterior timber finish blends into the brickwork and how the whole thing dissolves into its farmland context. Some seriously awesome materiality shizzle going down here! I love how the relationship between the lineated-timber eave element, the paved running-bond brickwork, and the almost full-height glazing sets up a sense of exact calm. Every component, detail and materiality seems so finished and absurdly emphasised. Even the organic sway of the curtains hovering over that beautifully crafted stacked parquetry floor appears so precise in this space. Everything is given its own place.

Surprisingly smitten by Æblehaven’s external and internal material palate and the complicated matrix of relationships it generated I’m convinced that Jeppe is on to a damn fine thing. Clean but also flippin’ cozy, Æblehavenhus, I’ll be dreaming of you tonight!