My Houzz: A Bright, Open-plan Flat Filled With Handcrafted Pieces
Two friends have personalised their home with retro finds and furniture they’ve designed and made themselves
“We began building furniture just for ourselves initially – we had no intention of starting a business – but many people were interested in our creations, so we just kept designing and producing. That’s how Roon & Rahn began,” says Nicki van Roon of the furniture and accessories company he owns and runs with his good friend, René Rahn Hansen. Together, they’ve created a thriving company.
Nicki and René share an apartment in the Latin Quarter in Aarhus, Denmark. The three-bedroom flat is filled with recycled furniture and the duo’s own prototypes. It functions both as a workplace and a home for the two entrepreneurs.
Nicki and René share an apartment in the Latin Quarter in Aarhus, Denmark. The three-bedroom flat is filled with recycled furniture and the duo’s own prototypes. It functions both as a workplace and a home for the two entrepreneurs.
The three-bedroom apartment serves many functions for Nicki and René. In fact, it can be set up as a photo studio and a meeting room on one day, and be transformed back into a personal apartment the next day. Of course, holding gatherings for their mutual friends is perhaps the most fun use of the space.
The living room is the centre of the home. The white bench the duo are sitting on here was used during the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.
White bench, Friso Kramer for Wilkhahn Germany.
The living room is the centre of the home. The white bench the duo are sitting on here was used during the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.
White bench, Friso Kramer for Wilkhahn Germany.
“We’re really not at home in the evenings very much, so we don’t have a television,” Nicki says.
René reflects on the flexibility of the space. “Our living room was originally used as our company’s office before we moved our business to a more creative environment at Godsbanen in Aarhus. However, the big board, which we previously used to create overviews, has remained. It’s actually an original school blackboard from the Kolding Board Factory. The only modification we’ve made is to add a steel plate to one half of it to form a magnetic noticeboard.”
Nicki adds, “Right now, we use it mostly for fun and fill it with newspaper clippings and friends’ drawings.”
René reflects on the flexibility of the space. “Our living room was originally used as our company’s office before we moved our business to a more creative environment at Godsbanen in Aarhus. However, the big board, which we previously used to create overviews, has remained. It’s actually an original school blackboard from the Kolding Board Factory. The only modification we’ve made is to add a steel plate to one half of it to form a magnetic noticeboard.”
Nicki adds, “Right now, we use it mostly for fun and fill it with newspaper clippings and friends’ drawings.”
Although the design process has been moved to the office in Godsbanen, good ideas often start in the apartment. “We talk a lot about the company, even when we’re at home, and in our leisure time. Many of our best ideas came over a beer at home,” says Nicki. In his spare time, he also plays in a band, and his guitar has a prominent position on the wall.
Before their furniture designs are turned into functioning products, René and Nicki like to test them at home. “This way, there’s a very natural replacement cycle of our stuff,” René says.
An example is this stool that has just arrived in-store. “We often create new products to solve problems and our own interior design needs,” Nicki says.
An example is this stool that has just arrived in-store. “We often create new products to solve problems and our own interior design needs,” Nicki says.
“Our prototypes are often made from recycled materials and, in fact, much of our furniture is from the 1950s and 1960s,” Nicki says.
When asked about the armchair in his bedroom, he adds, “It was bought in a thrift store in Holland and was designed by architect Rob Parry. It’s completely original. In fact, I only needed to sand and wax the armrests.”
Lotus lounge chair by Rob Parry for Gelderland. Lamp, from a Dutch online recycling shop.
When asked about the armchair in his bedroom, he adds, “It was bought in a thrift store in Holland and was designed by architect Rob Parry. It’s completely original. In fact, I only needed to sand and wax the armrests.”
Lotus lounge chair by Rob Parry for Gelderland. Lamp, from a Dutch online recycling shop.
Despite the many recycled pieces of furniture and exciting prototypes, both Nicki and René believe the apartment has a minimalist style. “We’re not big knick-knack fans, preferring things with a function, or at least a good story behind them. The two acrylic paintings were made by Aarhus artist Line Busch, and the colourful work on the wall was designed by Aarhus artist Keld,” says René.
“It’s all about being able to put together many colours and many materials. I think it’s unnatural to have only one main colour theme in a room or throughout a home.”
RR1 lamp made of smoked oak and brass with a gold LED bulb, Roon & Rahn. Sideboard, recycled vintage piece.
“It’s all about being able to put together many colours and many materials. I think it’s unnatural to have only one main colour theme in a room or throughout a home.”
RR1 lamp made of smoked oak and brass with a gold LED bulb, Roon & Rahn. Sideboard, recycled vintage piece.
The idea of being able to combine several colours and materials has been brought to life in Roon & Rahn’s popular Moodboard rack, which you can see on the wall to the left of the table. It’s the company’s best-seller, and the idea arose because Nicki and René often had trouble finding their keys.
“The idea is that you use it for your favourite or most-needed items, and that you can easily switch them with the season or your mood,” says Nicki. “You can use the same Moodboard for a skateboard in the summer, a scarf in the winter and, of course, your keys all year long.”
The duo use it for clothing, sunglasses, keys, hats, guitars, towels, tea towels, herbs and hangers. In fact, they have Moodboards in the living room, hallway, bedroom and kitchen.
Desk and lamp, from a Dutch online recycling shop. Eames desk chair for Herman Miller, dba.dk (the Danish version of eBay).
“The idea is that you use it for your favourite or most-needed items, and that you can easily switch them with the season or your mood,” says Nicki. “You can use the same Moodboard for a skateboard in the summer, a scarf in the winter and, of course, your keys all year long.”
The duo use it for clothing, sunglasses, keys, hats, guitars, towels, tea towels, herbs and hangers. In fact, they have Moodboards in the living room, hallway, bedroom and kitchen.
Desk and lamp, from a Dutch online recycling shop. Eames desk chair for Herman Miller, dba.dk (the Danish version of eBay).
The Moodboard isn’t the only thing visitors to the apartment notice. In René’s room, there are hangings made out of the remnants from a woodcut. In fact, these are ‘waste products’, but René finds them to be quite decorative. Many people who visit want to buy them, he says.
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In the living room, a former serving cart from an aeroplane steals your attention. Pieces like this are quite hard-lined, but the duo have found ways to soften them. “Furniture with clear references to the industrial world may seem very cold and give a ‘non-domestic’ impression,” René says. “So we have many plants in our apartment, which can pull a little in the opposite direction and provide an interesting interplay.”
The ladder is not merely a decoration; it can also serve as a functional ladder. “It actually belonged to a window cleaner. We’ve just shortened it and then added stain and wax. I used the leftover pieces as a bookshelf,” René says.
The ladder is not merely a decoration; it can also serve as a functional ladder. “It actually belonged to a window cleaner. We’ve just shortened it and then added stain and wax. I used the leftover pieces as a bookshelf,” René says.
Wood is one of the key materials in the apartment’s décor, as well as in Roon & Rahn’s pieces. “We really like many different types of wood, but oak and smoked oak are always delightfully pleasurable to the eyes,” says Nicki.
This spice shelf, which is still in development, is made of oak. The five test tubes are mounted in silicone plugs, so they can easily be taken out and put back in, while the spices are kept fresh. On the right side is an integrated funnel, making the different tubes easy to fill up.
This spice shelf, which is still in development, is made of oak. The five test tubes are mounted in silicone plugs, so they can easily be taken out and put back in, while the spices are kept fresh. On the right side is an integrated funnel, making the different tubes easy to fill up.
In the open kitchen-diner, you can see a prototype of Roon & Rahn’s own Rank dining table. “We won the ILVA design award with this dining table in 2014; it helped to boost our careers tremendously.” Nicki says.
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As well as the dining table, both Nicki and René love the four Friso Kramer chairs they’ve set around it. “The chairs have somehow helped to define the aesthetic style of Roon & Rahn,” René says. The graphic image is an enlarged ‘&’ from the company’s logo.
“We’re also proud of our industry’s predecessors, who really have made Danish furniture design recognisable and we will, in a humble way, help to continue the legacy,” says Nicki, highlighting the old PH 5 pendant lamp over the dining table.
PH 5 lamp by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, available at Skandium.
PH 5 lamp by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, available at Skandium.
What’s the best piece of advice Nicki and René can offer to those who may be wanting to furnish their homes with personality? “It takes time,” René says. “I’ve never felt done and 100% satisfied. So I can understand why many people just go out and fill their home with high street furniture.”
Nicki adds, “You probably should just take your time or slowly replace the boring furniture with more interesting finds.”
Moodstand shoe rack, Roon & Rahn.
What do you think of this characterful flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Nicki adds, “You probably should just take your time or slowly replace the boring furniture with more interesting finds.”
Moodstand shoe rack, Roon & Rahn.
What do you think of this characterful flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Nicki van Roon, 29, and René Rahn Hansen, 28, who together run product design company Roon & Rahn
Location The Latin Quarter of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city
Property A first-floor apartment
Size 3 bedrooms
“We moved into our fully renovated apartment in January 2014,” recalls René. “This is when our luck began. It’s very difficult to find an apartment in Aarhus, and when you’re young, it’s even harder.
He remembers falling in love with the quirky rooms, high ceilings and fantastic location in one of Aarhus’s oldest streets, “not to mention the washing machine”.
Rank coffee table (prototype; going into production this year), Roon & Rahn. Lamp, flea market find. Sofa, Lauritz.com auction house.