Summer residence, Bornholm

This idylic cottage in Denmark is designed by architect Joachim Bergh. The new build home is on Bornholm, an island in the Baltic Sea to the east of Denmark, situated near both the sea and a lake. The house follows all the design elements we associate with good Danish design, features we love and come back to again and again – a recipe for a happy healthy home!

• Natural light – making the most of natural light is a central feature in all Scandinavian homes. This house uses large windows and glass doors with an abundance of light flooding through as well as offering an uninterrupted view of nature.
• A classic, neutral backdrop – walls and ceilings in light, brightening shades, part of a pared back, limited colour palette. This is a look you’ll never tire of, a truly peaceful environment that won’t date.
• Natural materials – wood, stone, rattan, jute and wool – natural materials always have a place in Danish homes. All natural materials will enhance the indoor environment, contributing to better acoustics, helping keep a more even temperature in a home and ensuring no harmful chemicals pollute the air we breathe.

The house has been fitted throughout with our solid Oak Variation plank flooring. The expressive and lively grain pattern in our Variation grade adds a rich, visual texture to the space, a pattern that occurs naturally in the timber.

A solid wood floor from Junckers has a perfectly smooth surface which cannot harbour dust or mites, making it a hygienic and healthy choice. A solid wood floor in a lighter colour will also reflect a lot of natural light and therefore plays a part in enhancing lighting levels to reduce the need for artificial light, saving energy. A floor in a lighter colour will absorb less heat and in this way works to prevent the ‘greenhouse effect’ very dark floors can cause. A naturally stable material such as solid wood will inhibit overheating, which means there is much less reliance, if any at all, on air condition systems.

Harnessing natural light, maintaining an even temperature in a building to prevent overheating and specifying materials low in VOCs and formaldehyde form a central part in the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, an incentive to move towards net zero carbon buildings.

All Junckers floors hold the Danish Indoor Climate label and have undergone extensive degassing and odour testing to ensure there are no chemical substances in the flooring which adversely affect the air quality in a room.

Images: Joachim Bergh