This private guesthouse and studio in North Zealand, Denmark is bathed in the same quality of light that inspired a Danish painter’s most famous works.
It was the shifting coastal light that first struck Copenhagen-based Norm Architects about the No.16 Guesthouse. Likening it to the works of Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi, who captured how indirect daylight diffused through his own home, Norm Architects has conjured that same serenity in the guesthouse’s interior.
Surrounded by pine forests dotted along the North Zealand coastal dunes, this former annex-and-stables, now private guesthouse and studio space, is designed to feel like a boutique hotel. To create this experience, Norm Architects has entirely customised the interiors, from the stuccoed ceiling to the handmade wall panelling, shutters, furniture, hardware and signage. Part of a 1930s Italian-style villa, the studio wanted to fold together Northern Italian references with their own Nordic sensitivity to light, well-being, and the coast’s soft colours and textures.
Colour is felt most outside, with the limewashed cottage’s red-and-ochre yellow exterior, and through the front door’s amber ‘råglas’ glass panels. Inside, the original pine floors have been treated with lye and soap; the milky-toned timber serves as a bed for the custom sandy-toned limewash throughout.
The dining room is set out to take in the views of the tennis court garden from the bay window. It features a farmhouse-style vintage dining table and chairs, with the Norm Architects N-PL01 washi paper pendant lamp for Karimoku Case above, picking up where the day’s gentle natural light leaves off.
Norm Architects worked with Copenhagen-based tableware brand Ancher Studio on a collection of handmade ceramics specifically for the guesthouse, which is now produced under its name, No.16. The pieces all reflect the textures of the surrounding stone and sand in their light glaze over speckled clay.
The oak stairs to the basement are deliberately left untreated, so they will crack and patina, aligning with Norm Architects’ appreciation for Japanese design’s way with imperfect, aging materials. This downstairs space, envisioned as a spa-like retreat and wine cellar, features Jurassic lime glue, typically a base layer, but it has been left raw across every surface.
The living room is choreographed around a new Swedish ceramic-tiled stove, as well as the large doors that lead to the terrace and garden, just like the kitchen. In the garden’s studio space, Norm Architects salvaged pine beams from a local architectural reuse supplier, and in the bathrooms in the guesthouse, found old French troughs for the basins. This repurposing of the old extends to furniture as well, with an antique Chinese door becoming a coffee table.
Norm Architects designer Christian Møller Andersen oversaw the guesthouse’s visual identity, down to notebooks, stationery and other details, so every single piece becomes a part of the seaside hotel-like stay—without having a check-out date.
Designed to feel like an original seaside hotel, the living room sees an antique Chinese door is repurposed as a coffee table, keeping company with the Charlotte Perriand tabouret stool and Norm Architects Soffio sofa. Rugs and wall tapestries emulate seagrass; the existing pine floors have been sanded and treated with lye and soap.
On entry, vintage 1980s Pierre Chapo stools are tucked beside the original stairs.
In the second living space, a pair of DUX Domus armchairs in brown sheepskin. The armchairs are part of a collection of old classics from the brand that Norm Architects gave new life to back in 2020.
Norm Architects transformed what was once the estate’s stables, measuring 40 square metres, into a studio space. The studio coated the walls in a lime finish, salvaged pine beams from a local architectural reuse supplier and introduced large-format Italian tiles, lined with sisal rugs. The space is designed for exhibitions, photography and long dinners at the custom six-metre-long Douglas fir table.
The same wall colour by St. Leo runs wall-to-ceiling through the six upstairs guest rooms, creating a tone-on-tone effect. In the spirit of seeking continuity for calm, each bedroom features bespoke ceramic ceiling lamps and matching textiles by Norm Architects for One Mario Sirtori. For flexibility for families, the bedrooms are also designed to be connected.
For visual consistency between floors, the basement and master bathroom both share the Kronos Ceramiche Block tiles in Bruge, which have the same mattified natural texture as the limed walls. Old French stone troughs, softened by years of wear, were introduced as washbasins on handmade, solid, saw-cut oak vanities.
Arches are repeated as architectural doorways, opening up the once-closed layout and creating an uninterrupted flow. They reappear as niches in the walls for displaying objects, and the wooden doors adopt the same curved language.
The basement adds another layer to the home’s relaxation offering, conceived as a spa, with an adjoining wine cellar. The steps down are carved from solid oak blocks sourced from a local sawmill and matched with untreated oak, raw lime, and the original beams. Each material was selected according to the Japanese belief that it becomes more beautiful with age.
