Nestled in Northern Zealand’s pine forests, Guest House No. 16 represents Norm Architects’ transformation of a 1934 Italian-inspired villa into an intimate coastal refuge

The project merges Italian Neoclassicism with Scandinavian clarity and Japanese aesthetic principles, creating spaces that recall the stillness of Hammershøi interiors.

Design Philosophy

The restoration honors the building’s layered history while creating a contemplative identity. Every detail from ceiling stucco and wall paneling to staircases, doors, shutters, and bespoke furniture has been meticulously designed to feel timeless and coherent, as though each element has always belonged.

Architectural Approach

The ground floor was designed as a welcoming heart of the house where everyday life unfolds in fluid rhythm between rooms and garden. The custom kitchen features Italian limestone countertops with bush-hammered finish and built-in cabinets, while the dining room offers a bay window overlooking the tennis court garden. A newly built Swedish tiled stove in white ceramics with brass detailing serves as both sculptural and functional focal point. The original rustic pine floors have been coarsely sanded and treated with lye and soap, restoring their raw, rural character. Large doors open from both living room and kitchen onto an elevated wooden terrace, extending the home into the garden.

Upstairs, six guest rooms embrace the quiet simplicity of a hotel, intentionally unpersonalized to let architecture and atmosphere take center stage. Each room features handcrafted shutters inspired by Italian tradition, bespoke ceramic ceiling lamps, and wall colors developed by St. Leo specifically for this house. Matching textiles designed by Norm Architects for One Mario Sirtori tie the interiors together, while several rooms can be connected to accommodate families or larger groups.

The master bathroom was completely reconfigured to create a spacious, serene retreat. Arches were introduced as part of the new layout, lending elegance and flow to the room while serving as architectural doorways and carved niches for displaying objects. The floor features Kronos Ceramiche Block tiles in Bruge, also used in the spa-like basement. Old French stone troughs have been repurposed as washbasins, paired with handmade furniture in solid, saw-cut oak that adds rustic tactility grounding the refined setting in natural authenticity.

The basement has been transformed into a spa-like retreat accessed by a staircase of solid oak blocks freshly cut at a local sawmill. Left untreated, the oak will slowly crack and patinate, allowing time to leave its quiet mark in tribute to Japanese design traditions. Inside, walls and ceilings are finished with breathable Jurassic lime glue, typically used only as a base layer but here left exposed for its raw, tactile beauty. The original pine beams overhead preserve a link to the building’s history. The room is furnished with restraint where a block of wood serves as a stool, a simple brush hangs on the wall, and a single table by Norm Architects anchors the space. An intimate wine cellar completes the basement level.

Materials & Craftsmanship

Throughout the house, materiality plays a defining role in shaping atmosphere. Rustic pine floors original to the house have been restored with tactile, practical character. Italian limestone with bush-hammered finish brings depth to kitchen surfaces. Solid saw-cut oak appears in bespoke furniture pieces and the dramatic basement staircase. Handcrafted shutters and doors feature meticulous detailing, while all interior doors have been carefully restored and fitted with their original handles in brass and dark oak dating back to 1934. Tactile lime wash finishes create cohesion, and new stucco enriches all rooms with subtle craftsmanship.

Color Palette

The color scheme throughout the house was developed with the same precision and care as the architectural details, rooted in the belief that subtlety can be more powerful than bold gestures. Rather than relying on strong colors, the palette embraces a spectrum of muted, greyish tones that respond to shifting daylight and the changing seasons outside. Each room carries its own nuance, carefully calibrated to its orientation and the way natural light enters, so that the walls become a canvas for atmosphere rather than decoration. In this way, color becomes an architectural element itself, shaping atmosphere, guiding perception, and amplifying the meditative stillness that defines the house.

Exterior & Garden

The exterior retains its original charm with limewashed walls in cottage red and ochre yellow. The front door features hexagonal panels of thick, amber ‘råglas,’ a raw, dimpled glass that casts a warm band of light onto the stairwell inside. Around the house, small seating groups follow the path of the sun from morning coffee to evening cocktails, while the raised wooden terrace at the back enjoys full evening light beneath a canopy of old trees. Accents of green-striped umbrellas and patinated brass lamps lend a subtle Mediterranean spirit, and at dusk, a golden glow settles over the house and garden alike.

Studio Annex

Tucked in the garden, a studio is housed in what was once the estate’s horse stables. Today, the 40 square meter building has been carefully transformed into a versatile space serving as a place for photography, exhibitions, talks, and gatherings around a long communal table. The structure was carefully rebuilt with pine beams salvaged from a local architectural reuse supplier, materials carrying the marks of time chosen both for their patina and sustainability. Walls are finished in lime, large Italian tiles ground the floor with subtle texture, and underfloor heating adds comfort to the otherwise pared-back space. At its center stands a bespoke six-meter-long table crafted from Douglas fir planks, designed to serve as both a low display surface and a high dining table.

Special Collections

Developed in collaboration with Danish Ancher Studio, a bespoke collection of ceramics was originally designed for the guest house, tailored to a rustic and casual lifestyle by the coast. Now produced under the name No. 16, the series embodies refined simplicity and a deep connection to nature. Featuring a light glaze over speckled clay, each piece recalls the textures of sand and stone, while the craftsmanship of Ancher’s potters ensures durability. Rooted in the design ethos of Norm Architects, the collection engages the senses and enriches everyday rituals with a comforting, organic presence.

As part of the holistic vision for the project, a bespoke visual identity was created in collaboration with designer Christian Møller Andersen. On two of the facades, engraved plaques in Italian stone carry the No. 16 logo, weaving history, name, and aesthetics into one coherent expression. The identity extends beyond the architecture itself, appearing on notebooks, stationery, keychains, and other details, ensuring that every element contributes to a unified sense of place.

Project Details

The project was completed by Norm Architects in 2025, with photography by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. The original building dates from 1934 and is located in North Zealand, Denmark. For media inquiries, contact ejs@normcph.com or visit normcph.com and @normarchitects.

“More than a guest house, No. 16 is a private boutique retreat, simple yet sophisticated, rustic yet luxurious, where intimacy and grandeur coexist, and where architecture, interiors, and atmosphere merge into a single, harmonious whole.”

Photography: Jonas BjerrePoulsen

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