The original roof curves toward the windows overlooking the garden. The Rest sofa by Muuto was purchased new at a design auction, and its machine-washable Kvadrat wool upholstery makes everyday family life easier. The Danish coffee table has an easy-care laminate surface that withstands children’s play—Danes recognize this design from kindergartens and schools. The lamp is Lampe de Marseille by Nemo Lighting, and the wool rug is from IKEA.
Just a ten-minute train ride from central Copenhagen is the peaceful suburb of Hvidovre. There, in a 1960s-era house, live fashion and textile designer Jenny Helgason, 37, and designer Torsteinn “Torsti” Helgason, 46, along with their children. The house’s unique floor plan and large windows are thanks to the architect who originally designed it for his own family. Jenny and Torsteinn have renovated it with style for modern living, preserving its original spirit and inviting ambiance.
While raising their children, the couple develops and designs wooden furniture in their home workspace, hence their company name, Studio Kotona (“At Home” in Finnish). Their joint project grew out of their own home renovation and the needs they discovered. Interest spread quickly among friends, and the business soon expanded. The couple’s goal is to create custom-made furniture suited to each client’s budget and preferences.
Originally from Iceland, Torsteinn has lived in Denmark for 20 years, and Jenny, who is Finnish-born, has lived there for ten. Studio Kotona combines Finnish, Icelandic, and Danish influences, which flow seamlessly through their home. Although the room layouts may shift as the children grow, the continuous elements will always be Jenny’s signature use of color and Torsteinn’s design style.
Jenny and Torsteinn’s children, Edvin, 6, and Teodor “Teddy”, 2, were born in Denmark. For the kitchen, they chose a flexible polyurethane-coated epoxy floor because it’s easy to maintain, which is essential since everyone constantly walks through from the front yard to the back. The kitchen color, Jotun Lady 2587 Beat, is a burnt orange that also appears upstairs. The table was found in a recycling group, while the vintage chairs came from Facebook Marketplace. Jenny kept Grandma Hanna’s stool as is, with its signs of wear reminding her of her beloved grandmother. The cabinets are from the previous owner. Lamp by Frandsen. You can follow the family on Instagram at @jenny_helgason and @studio_kotona.
The downstairs hallway serves as both a library and a playroom, where the children often spread out their toys. The bookshelf was the very first prototype that prompted the couple to set up their joint company. They removed the textile wallpaper from the walls and painted them light blue with PPG Paints’ Bit of Heaven, matching the bookshelf. Different shades of blue lend an airy feel to the interior, so they carried that color theme into the kitchen and on the upstairs ceiling as well.
The deer-patterned rug in the hallway once lay on the porch of Jenny’s childhood home in Tampere. “That rug was always the first thing that greeted us when we came home. Now it greets our family and guests,” Jenny says. The Bambi chair is by EO, and the painting is by Jenny’s great-great-grandfather, artist Alfred Ruotsalainen, portraying his daughter Hanna. The dining table in the living room is Eiermann 1 by Richard Lampert, and the Cross Chairs are by Pearson Lloyd for Takt.
“The rug was always the first thing in my childhood home that greeted us when we returned home.”
The Sinarp kitchen cabinets are from IKEA. “We liked IKEA’s 25-year warranty because accidents happen in a family with children, and it’s easy to get a new door if needed.” The kitchen faucet is the Talis M54 by Hansgrohe.
The previous resident took a corner window from their cottage and installed it in the kitchen—now one of Jenny and Torsteinn’s favorite details. “I really appreciate these kinds of out-of-the-ordinary solutions,” Jenny says. Thanks to this window, they can watch the children playing in the backyard right from the kitchen. The blue artwork is by Jenny’s father, Jouni Hirvonen, who was part of the ’80s artist group Rodtsenko-seura. The Plektra stools are by Iittala.
The kitchen countertops are Jura Grey limestone from Granitop. The black drawer handles are Hide Handle 40 by Toniton. The Tubular pendant light is designed by Ingo Maurer.
“We originally designed the sofa to cover a challenging corner left by the previous staircase.”
Jenny’s friends rescued the armchair from the street during a recycling day. The mirror is a souvenir from Italy, and the horse painting is by their photographer friend Kukka-Maria Rosenlund. The wooden box is by Royal Copenhagen.
One of the unique plates Torsteinn designed for Royal Copenhagen broke during production and ended up as a decorative piece in the staircase. “When we renovated, we decided to build a recess at the top of the stairs for art or a plant. We also added a spotlight above it. Light shines through the slats, illuminating the entire upstairs.”
The staircase has been located in three different places in the house. “We originally designed the sofa to cover a tricky corner left by the old staircase.” Their Studio Kotona sofa can be combined with an extension to form a double bed, and it has two magnetically closed compartments for storing bedding. Painted in Wave of Mystery by Danish Dyrup, the frame is finished off with leftover upholstery fabric that Jenny found online, while the backrest cushions were left by the previous owner. The wall art is by Kilian Eng, and the Heico duck lamp is from Klein Studio.
Upstairs, the light blue color theme continues. The ceiling is painted in PPG Paints’ Bit of Heaven. When the children are older, Jenny and Torsteinn plan to move their bedroom upstairs, which for now isn’t safe for the kids. At the moment, the upstairs is used as a workspace and guest room.
The downstairs bedroom features lamps and a bedside table once bought on sale at JYSK. The linen bedding is from MUJI, and the bedspread is by Finlayson. The piece on the wall is a reproduction of a photograph by Dennis Hopper, which Jenny got from her father when she moved into her first apartment. The bed is Björknäs from IKEA, and the wall color is Jotun’s 7555 Soft Mint.
The burnt orange Jotun shade 2587 Beat from the kitchen reappears in the workspace. Shelves by Studio Kotona hang above the couple’s desk and are still in the prototype phase. Torsteinn 3D-prints miniature models of new designs for further development and stores them on these shelves. The chairs were purchased secondhand, then painted and reupholstered. The wool rug is a souvenir from a trip to Morocco.
This detached 1961 Copenhagen home has 153 square meters of living space.
