Danish architect and developer Tommy Rand built a house for himself and his family. The two-story residence, located on the outskirts of the town of Aarhus in Denmark, features a block structure (five blocks of different sizes and proportions), minimalist design, and materials: the basis of the house is 630 sheets of plywood.
The interior is built on the contrast of two main colors: gray, like cast concrete or Norwegian slate (walls and floor), and golden brown (wood elements). The best embodiment of this contrast is the spiral staircase, the curved sculptural form of which contrasts sharply with the surrounding concrete walls. This contrast is not just decorative – it draws attention to the complexity of the design. All 630 fragments of computer-cut plywood were assembled and glued together by hand – only in this way was it possible to achieve maximum precision.
The house turned out to be not only a comfortable place to live, but also a business showcase for architect Tommy Rand, who runs the development company Markholt & Rand. However, the story behind the house’s creation is not only optimistic, but also dramatic: in 2018, Rand was in a motorcycle accident and became disabled for four months, followed by a long period of rehabilitation. This extreme experience prompted Tommy to fulfill his lifelong dream and design his own home.
Rand spent much of the restoration period developing the project, spurred on by the memory of an old house he had seen next door. But he wanted to create something completely new, unlike any other house. One of the most important aspects was maintaining a consistent style throughout the building. Rand not only designed the house, but also much of the furniture, which was custom-made by a local craftsman.
The combination of concrete and wood gives the house a fresh and soft feel. The layout is determined by the volumes of the building. The ground floors contain the living room, kitchen, and dining room, as well as the stairwell, garage, two children’s bedrooms, an office and a bathroom. A spiral staircase leads to the master bedroom and bathroom, located directly above the kitchen. There is also a roof terrace located above the living room. The rooms are designed in such a way that the interior and exterior correspond to each other. For example, the slate flooring can be seen in the courtyard. The first-floor terrace and roof face west, so the whole family can enjoy the evening sun. “The most important lesson I learned while building my house is that there is no room for compromise in terms of design and materials,” says Rand.
