Kjærholm Residence
Poul and Hanne Kjærholm's home above the Øresund Strait
Date
January 18, 2026
Poul Kjærholm and his wife, architect Hanne Kjærholm, built this two-story house in Rungsted in 1962 on the foundation of an old tennis court. The site sits on a rocky shoreline 20 kilometers north of Copenhagen, with views across the strait to Sweden.
Hanne designed the structure as a series of open-plan volumes that follow Japanese residential principles: controlled natural light, careful proportions, and direct connection to landscape. Most rooms face east or south toward the water. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the main living spaces erase the boundary between interior and coast.
Poul designed furniture specifically for each room between 1957 and 1962. The PK54 dining table, PK61 coffee table, and PK31 sofa all originated here, built to work within Hanne's architectural framework. He integrated storage and seating directly into walls where freestanding pieces would interrupt sight lines. The eastern living and dining room holds an arrangement of PK31 sofas in leather and steel, positioned to capture morning light.
Thomas Kjærholm, the couple's son, has restored the house over the past decade. He modernized the kitchen using materials and proportions consistent with the 1962 design. The rest remains unchanged: original furniture, built-ins, and spatial organization. Fritz Hansen has produced Poul's furniture designs since 1982. Thomas and his sister Krestine manage the Kjærholm archive and work with the manufacturer on production methods that maintain the original construction logic with current fabrication technology.
The house operates as both family residence and documentation of how Poul's furniture performs in the context it was designed for. Materials, light, and scale that shaped the original pieces remain constant.
Designer/Studio
Katja Pargger
Photo Credits
Fritz Hansen




















