In this series, Finn Juhl’s furniture is explored through its continued life in contemporary homes – shaped by personal expression, new contexts, and the distinctive dialogue between space and people.
At Home with Bruno
In the woods outside the city of Randers stands architect Bruno Jakobsen's 37-meter-long cedar house, designed by himself for his family – a place where the boundary between indoors and outdoors almost dissolves. Here, nature flows directly into the rooms through large windows, and the interplay of materials gives the house a tactile quality that feels both raw and refined.
"I'm very drawn to materials, especially the contrast between light Douglas fir and dark walnut. For me, it's important that the materials I live with are honest and alive," Bruno explains.
In the living room, Finn Juhl's Chieftain Chair has found its place – a monumental silhouette whose scale perfectly matches the lofty proportions of the room.
"One of the reasons I chose that particular chair was its proportions. Other chairs would seem too small in the space," says Bruno, who has turned the chair to face the view of the forest, rather than the television. This placement means he's the only one who really uses it.
But he can sit there for hours – especially in winter – embraced by its sculptural form, gazing at the fire in the stove or the treetops outside the window.
"I don't think many people in the world would disagree with me if I said that the Chieftain Chair is the holy grail – it's a work of art in itself. And I also think it's comfortable to sit in. But it's a chair that demands time; you don't just sit in it for a moment. That's what I love about it," Bruno says.
– Bruno Jakobsen
At Home with Julie
In Kay Fisker and C.F. Møller's iconic, heritage-listed apartment complex Vestersøhus in Copenhagen, art historian and advisor Julie Tvillinggaard Bonde lives with her husband, Mads, and their two children. Up here on the sixth and top floor – right next to the apartment Kay Fisker designed for himself – the family enjoys a remarkable view of Sankt Jørgens Sø, the Planetarium, and the city's rooftops, towers, and spires.
Before moving in, they lived for many years on the third floor, in a smaller but "exemplarily original" apartment. It was there that Julie's fascination with the 1938 building truly began. As both resident, board member, and art historian, she immersed herself in everything from floor plans to color palettes and material choices – and even collaborated with the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces on a manual for residents, ensuring the preservation of the building's listed status.
It was also during that period that she first drew inspiration from Finn Juhl's own house in Ordrup. "He had painted with this strange yellow hue, which I used on the ceiling in our small kitchen. It created a very special atmosphere, and people loved being in there – even though it was a tiny space," Julie recalls.
For Julie, both Vestersøhus and Finn Juhl's universe are about the same thing: the interplay between function, aesthetics, and material honesty. "It almost feels like a form of spiritual liberation when form and function unite – and aesthetics, in itself, can also be a kind of function," she says.
After many years surrounded by inherited design classics, Julie and Mads felt the need to make their own choices – to find pieces that could bring the same sense of calm, beauty, and coherence to their home. Their first choice was Finn Juhl's classic sideboard, whose shades of blue seemed to merge seamlessly with the wall in the living room of their old apartment.
Today, they have expanded their collection with the Japan Sofa in coral-colored wool, the Pelican Chair in light sheepskin, and the Nyhavn Desk, all of which stand in the family's summer house north of Copenhagen. The house is an old villa in a classic style, featuring a white ceramic fireplace, small-paned windows, and a red tiled roof – surrounded by a large, private garden that opens onto a lake.
Inside, the atmosphere is relaxed and personal. Julie has furnished most of the rooms with finds from local thrift stores and flea markets, combined with carefully chosen design pieces in soft, inviting materials.
Here, Finn Juhl's organic forms stand alongside antiques, vintage furniture, and contemporary art – paintings, sculptures, and installations – together forming a vibrant whole, where the classic, the playful, and the personal blend into one balanced space.
