Mentze Ottenstein is clever with colour in revamp of Dinesen Country Home

Architect duo Mathias Mentze and Alexander Ottenstein have swapped minimalist white for a range of soft colours in their overhaul of a thatched 19th-century country house in Jels, Denmark.

The pair, who are founders of Copenhagen studio Mentze Ottenstein, renovated the traditional Danish longhouse for timber flooring manufacturer Dinesen.

Built in 1885, the two-storey residence was acquired by the Dinesen family in 2004 and served as their private home for 15 years before becoming a guesthouse for the brand.

When the Dinesen family first took over the property, an initial renovation by local architect and friend Jørgen Overby reinstated the building's original proportions and architectural details.

Mentze and Ottenstein have injected an extra layer of "personality and identity" into the house, describing their design as "a sort of rewilding of the previously minimalist aesthetic".

In place of the previously white walls, they added colours echoing shades found in the surrounding countryside, along with contemporary twists on period furniture and ornament.

"The house was already a sum of fragments; we wanted to continue that narrative by layering new elements and perspectives without erasing what came before," said the duo.

On the ground floor, coloured walls bookend a series of five connecting rooms.

At one end is the kitchen, where the end wall and a retained Garde Hvalsøe kitchen are coloured in a soft forest-green tone.

A dark brown library is at the other, while the reception rooms in between are painted a pale yellow shade.

"We maintained a consistent colour for door frames and ceiling beams while introducing a gradient from room to room, starting with brighter colours and ending in what used to be a family living room, which is now decorated as a cosy dark-walled library," said Mentze and Ottenstein.

A redesigned staircase creates a secluded route up to the first floor, which has been reconfigured to create more rooms for guests to stay.

There are two suites, each with a double bedroom, a walk-through wardrobe and an adjoining bunk room.

Some surfaces here are painted in a golden ochre shade, while others feature a custom wallpaper printed with leaves found in the surrounding landscape.

Dinesen's Douglas fir timber is present throughout, providing floor, wall and ceiling surfaces as well as doors and window shutters.

"All the historic windows have been fitted with interior linseed-oil-painted Douglas fir shutters," said Hans Peter Dinesen, brand director and great-great-grandson of Dinesen's founder, who shares his name.

"These shutters are crafted from Dinesen Layers — a three-layer construction in which two of the layers are composed of upcycled offcuts – to ensure stability and prevent movement," he told Dezeen.

Mentze Ottenstein used oak and ash to produce several pieces of bespoke furniture, including the library bookshelves, kitchen tables and stools, and ornamental beds.

Dinesen's John Pawson-designed furniture collection is also present, along with various antique finds.

The architects chose small objects in richer-toned timbers such as walnut and pear to contrast the pale wood. These include a chair by architect-artist duo RønholtKurz and a series of bowls by Georgian carpenters Peter Møller Rasmussen and Christian Vennerstrøm.

The duo also collaborated with glass artist Nina Nørgaard on a series of custom pendant lamps.

"Mentze Ottenstein has, in many ways, painted a portrait of our family and company – one that respects our roots while also daring to express itself through new shapes and colours," said Hans Peter Dinesen.

"On one hand, we wanted the redesign to stay true to the history of both the house and the company, while on the other, we wanted to be playful and embrace something slightly bold and unexpected," he said.

Dinesen hopes that collaborators will use the house for gatherings and symposiums, as well as just as a place to stay. This summer, it will host a summer school for the Royal Danish Academy's architecture faculty.

"The purpose of the house extends beyond us as a family; by opening it up to our company and close collaborators, more people can experience its spirit and character," added Dinesen.

Other recent Danish projects include a charred-pine extension and a 19th-century Copenhagen warehouse that was turned into apartments.

The photography is by Monica Grue Steffensen.

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