Villa Knud / Ongoing / 2020-2024
In the fall of 2020, my sister and I purchased our grandmother’s house after she passed away earlier that year.
She and our grandfather relocated to Marstal, Ærø, from Copenhagen in the beginning of the 90’s - before the bridge was built! Our grandfather, Knud, had become the headmaster at the Navigator School and was, according to our mother and her brothers, extremely excited to move to the small island in the south part of Denmark. Our grandmother on the othe hand, not so much.
After our grandfather’s early passing just about 10 years after their move, our grandmother couldn’t see herself leaving the island, regardless of her original hostility towards the place. The island had been so dear to Knud and by staying there she could keep him close. The close knit community and easygoing nature of island life had grown on her. As a kid, the summers at grandma’s place were incredble, filled with seasalt and sunburns.
It’s been a true joy to have the possibility to discover all that the island has to offer in all the seasons and to follow the development of the community since purchasing the house. We’ve learnt more about our family, their impact on the local community and the history of the house from passerby’s when we’ve been doing garden work or just been hanging out.
Luckily the house itself does not need a big overhaul, however off course there are things we’d like to update, upgrade and change, since the house, built in 1932, has not gone through many changes since then and could use a bit of modernizing. We aim to keep all the small details that makes the house special to us and to source furniture second hand and decoration - most of the items already in the house coming from family.
If you’re interested in following our journey or need inspiration on what to do on Ærø, feel free to give us a follow on @villa.knud on instagram.