In their period flat in Munich, Sarah and Lasse Lund have created a cosy home with Scandinavian design, light walls and natural materials. Sustainable furnishings and minimalist shapes are paired with a pared-back colour palette. The young family let us take a closer look around.
A love that spans the globe
Lasse Lund Lauridsen's love of wood is no coincidence. His father was a master carpenter in West Jutland on the Danish North Sea coast. His father's workshop always smelt slightly spicy, of resin – a smell he loved even then. As a teenager, he often helped build the summer houses so typical of Denmark. His experience with the "most sustainable material in the world" never left him.
After training in marketing in Aarhus, he studied international management in Cambridge. He then worked as an international manager for the Danish furniture brand Skagerak. He met his wife, Sarah, in Munich, and they both lived in London for several years. In 2015, they quit their jobs, travelled around the world for six months and then moved into a rented flat in Munich so they could take their time looking for a home of their own.
Starting out as homeowners
At the end of 2016, it finally worked out. At six o'clock on a Friday evening, Sarah viewed a period flat of almost 80 square metres on the third floor, on a quiet residential street. "I gave her the go-ahead without having seen the flat," says Lasse. Just three hours later, the purchase contract was signed and sealed.
The couple were determined to live in Haidhausen, a sought-after Munich district. The River Isar is just a few minutes' walk away. Not everything here has been gentrified yet, and it has a friendly, neighbourly feel. Butchers, bakers, restaurants, vintage stores and interior shops are just around the corner. Their daughter, Freja, was born in autumn 2017, and their son, Luca, at the end of 2019.
Of panelled doors and herringbone patterns
However, the rooms were in a disastrous state. The walls were covered in old woodchip wallpaper, the pipes ran along the surface, and there was carpet everywhere. The renovation took more than seven months. Sustainable furnishings and a healthy indoor climate were at the top of the priority list. The hallway became the focal point of the renovation. At more than two metres wide, it feels particularly generous and offers plenty of space.
The long pine floorboards are the eye-catcher. Lasse was glad they could be preserved. The solid boards were simply sanded and treated with white-pigmented oil. The faceted door to the storeroom at the end of the hallway is also original. From the outset, the couple wanted double doors for the living and dining area and the adjoining children's room.
"Ideally French doors with panelled fronts – they need less space when opening and closing," explains Lasse. Because the historic models were only available from one metre wide, the couple searched across Germany and finally found what they were looking for in Leipzig. In the living and dining room facing the quiet street, Sarah and Lasse laid classic oak floorboards in a herringbone pattern.
A company close to their hearts
Natural materials define the pared-back, minimalist Scandinavian-style interior. Most of the furniture is by Form & Refine. Lasse founded the Danish interior label in 2018 with designers Helle Herman Mortensen and Jonas Herman Pedersen, with a clear vision: through their brand, they want to help conserve the world's raw materials and preserve traditional craft techniques. The label sources its wood, with its distinctive feel, from sustainable forestry.
"We want to tell the story through the material, not through designers who died long ago," says Lasse. These long-lasting natural pieces are meant to be distinctive – and to be produced in a way that protects the planet. It's something all three care deeply about. Their passion for wood can be seen and felt in every detail. And their success proves them right: the company was nominated for the Danish Design Award 2019 and named "upcoming brand of the year".
Family life with new pieces and old classics
One standout piece is the slender "Stilk" side table made of Danish ash, with a velvety smooth feel. The couple discovered the two paintings by Danish multi-talented artist Leif Sylvester in a gallery. The young family relaxes on the particularly light-looking mid-century "Studio" sofa bed from the 1950s, which Ercol still makes today from solid elm and beech. Their son and daughter share the children's room and sleep in a loft bed designed by Lasse's partners, Helle and Jonas.
The bedroom faces the inner courtyard. A paper wallpaper with a graphic pattern behind the double bed, designed by Mogens Lassen in the 1950s, adds a homely feel.
Next to it is the bathroom. Thanks to the new round window, the small shower room now benefits from natural daylight, so it looks bright and friendly despite its limited size. Sarah planned the adjoining kitchen to suit her own wishes. Given the small floor area, she insisted on an L-shaped layout. The oak worktop adds a homely feel, matching the organically shaped chopping boards and the wooden bowl by Form & Refine.
The kitchen is light and bright, thanks to a floor-to-ceiling glass door leading out to the balcony – now the children's outdoor playroom. From their cherry-red metal bench, the German-Danish couple have a wonderful view over the leafy back courtyards. The potted fig tree next to it is already bearing its first fruit.
Thank you both so much for your time and the fascinating insights into your home.
