Consultancy made all the difference

Julie Gerdes lives with her family in an old charming house from 1885 in Charlottenlund, an upmarket suburb of Copenhagen. When the family acquired the 138-year-old three-storey property, it had last been renovated almost 40 years ago. It therefore required a complete refurbishment to create a modern home for the family of five.

“We had worked with Usman Akhtar before in connection with the interior design of our holiday home, so we were familiar with uno form’s quality, and knew that Usman has an eye for what is technically feasible, what works in practice and how to make it beautiful all at the same time,” says Julie Gerdes.

When Julie and Usman first met at the house, everything had been pulled apart and chaos reigned. “Julie wanted seating in the kitchen, and also to integrate a grand piano in an adjoining space, which presented something of a challenge,” says Usman.

“I therefore started by looking at what was possible – how to create room for tall units, space for a kitchen island with seating, and at the same time a beautiful view of the grand piano in the living room, and at the limitations imposed by the outer walls of the beautiful old house,” says Usman.

The result was a completely new floor plan. The guest toilet was made smaller, the front door was moved, and the wall between the kitchen and living room was taken down. From the new entrance hall with its built-in bench, the grand piano is visible as soon as you enter the house.

The grey Shaker kitchen goes perfectly with the style of the old Charlottenlund house, and the décor is the ideal match for the family. There is a kitchen island with a hob, wine cabinet and seating, the end wall in the kitchen exudes unparalleled functionality with tall units housing the oven, coffee-maker and fridge/freezer, and the beautiful worktop in natural J’Adore quartzite with a patinated brass sink can withstand intense daily use.

In addition to the kitchen and utility room, the complete renovation project included three bathrooms. Usman’s proposal for a new basement floor plan gave the family a luxury bathroom with space for the bath which they wanted, but which they had been unable to find room for themselves. The washing machine and tumble-dryer were discreetly placed in a new and extremely functional utility room.

“Usman is incredible. We’ve had a number of very good meetings, and we now have a specially designed kitchen that meets our daily needs while matching the overall architecture, and with a new and ingenious floor plan,” says Julie.