Cathrine and Anders de Lichtenberg are the owners of an old villa in Frederiksberg, Denmark, and that’s largely due to Cathrine’s persistence.
Undeterred by the idea of a gut renovation, she put her determination to good use in designing and furnishing their new home, which, having been built in 1898, required nothing less than a full remodel. Nestled within a sleepy residential neighbourhood, the abode is where the couple chose to settle down in 2017, after many years spent overseas.
Today the house is simple yet exquisite, its old marble windowsills and parquet floors serving as reminders of its grand original structure. In contrast to the villa’s regal features, new windows and doors were among the more contemporary additions. “I think there’s a certain beauty in keeping some remembrances of the building’s bygone era, and it was important for us to keep in mind that these periods don’t compete with each other,” says Cathrine. However, she notes that an update was very much necessary. “Our challenge as interior designers was to build a bridge between various lines of architectural thought.”
After years of “living out of a suitcase” (in Cathrine’s words), flitting from Angola to Cape Town before finally moving to Copenhagen, the couple grew to love Scandinavian design – but they also remained enamoured with experimenting with colours and textures. “Angolans tend to like bold decoration and expression, consisting of more metals, more bling,” she observes. “In South Africa, we experienced the pleasure of crafts and the combination of materials.”
Unsurprisingly, the home hosts a little bit of both design inclinations – and much more. The expression of the couple’s lives together manifests through their stimulating collection of modern art, bohemian-chic Moroccan boucherouite rugs and iconic Danish furniture pieces, such as the Flagline chair by Hans Wegner and the Diamond table by FOS. Though the elements at play are diverse and wide-ranging, the mix appears deliberate – from the variety of colours, including combinations of rose, coral, yellow and deep blue, to objects from their travels.
Old water containers casually picked up in Bali are given equal time in the spotlight alongside works by up-and-coming artist Jakob Steen, classic Poul Kjærholm chairs and a Romeo Rega table. “I searched for a long time to find the table,” says Cathrine. “It unites my favourite items in this room – it’s classic yet modern, and its use of chrome and brass together is always something I find hard to resist. For me, it represents a kind of rebellion against traditional thought that metals shouldn’t be mixed.”
With the couple’s ever-growing assemblage of collectibles, Cathrine admits the home is constantly changing – just like life itself. “I’m easily excited; I change my mind about colours and my vision quickly moves toward new directions. Some things will stay the same, but some things will inevitably change.”
Photography: Martin Sølyst | Living Inside
See more: A Beautiful Denmark Abode for Scandi Design Lovers