1970s style lives on

In a newly renovated, architect-designed villa in Viborg, the 1970s style is in rude health with a green kitchen, raw red-brown brick walls, high ceilings and superior acoustics.

Anja Bloch-Hamre and her partner Jan Færch live a short walk from Viborg Cathedral and the nearby woods and lake. The extensively renovated villa is also home to their two children, aged three and five. The family bought the property in 2011, and went on to make a number of home improvements. But in 2016, it was given the full works, and renovated from top to bottom. New wood plank floors were laid, new kitchen elements fitted, and Troldtekt acoustic panels were installed on the ceilings to ensure good acoustics in a house with many hard surfaces. Above all, however, nothing was done to mar the 1970s look and feel.

“We decided for example to keep the exposed brickwork inside – here, four red-brown brick columns extend from floor to ceiling through the centre of the house. Also, the end walls in both the living room and the kitchen are still raw brick. It was one of the things we fell for with the house,” says Anja Bloch-Hamre.

High (acoustic) ceilings
In the original layout, the dining room and kitchen were located at opposite ends of the 225-square-metre villa. This didn’t work well, so, assisted by an architect, the family arranged the kitchen and dining room centrally, opening them up to the conservatory extension.

“We wanted to make better use of the space. So we angled the conservatory roof, and now we have high windows overlooking the garden, with light flooding into the dining room,” says Anja Bloch-Hamre, adding:

“However, raising the ceiling height increased the reverberation, which is why we decided to install Troldtekt acoustic panels everywhere. Good acoustics are important for us, as we enjoy listening to music and having a good sound environment. Troldtekt acoustic panels make the sound in the rooms soft and rounded, and add to the warm and inviting atmosphere.”

The acoustic choice
When the family moved into the original house in 2011, it was clear how the different materials in the rooms affected the acoustics.

“The living room had wall-to-wall carpets, while in the kitchen there was a plastic floor and a smooth ceiling. The acoustics were far better in the carpeted living room. In conjunction with the renovation project, we removed the fitted carpets in the living room and installed Troldtekt acoustic ceilings, which worked wonders for the acoustics,” says Anja Bloch-Hamre, and continues:

“We were both well aware of Troldtekt before moving here, and some friends of ours had also built a new house with Troldtekt ceilings. There, we could see what effect the panels had, and it simply confirmed that Troldtekt was also the right thing for us.”

White ultrafine Troldtekt acoustic panels with bevelled edges have been installed throughout the villa.

1970s style lives on
The villa’s interior was originally dominated by the colour brown: brown floors, a brown bathroom and a brown kitchen. The house still exudes a 1970s feel, just in a more up-to-date and modern version.

“In so far as possible, we’ve wanted to retain the original style. We actually quite liked the house as it was, so we’ve gone out of our way to find matching elements. Among other things, we’ve chosen green kitchen elements with circular handles, which still have something of a 1970s feel about them,” says Anja Bloch-Hamre.