Bridge for Design

Welcoming Entrance
The exterior of his house (above) is a mix of architectural ideas pinched
from around the world. The door surround is in a Dutch South African
style and the stone dogs are reproductions purchased in Spain. The
wonderfully heavy pair of wooden doors from Brazil take you from
the hot Florida sun into a cool grey entrance hall. Grey is a colour that
Lars is not afraid to use a lot. “I am a very grey person,” he says with
a slightly wry tone.
Playing with Scale
In a nook off the living room (left), a large Henry Koehler artichoke
painting illustrates Lars’ fondness for hanging large artworks on small
walls. Decorating a large room can be daunting. Oversized art is a
quick way to temper any feeling of emptiness. The picture hanging
over the sofa anchors the rest of the pictures, which climb the walls
from the floor, and push the eye up to the ceiling for an even greater
sense of space. On hanging, Lars is very clear: “Big pictures in the
centre, the smaller ones around the edge. And one wall per room is
enough.”
Invitation to Sit
There isn’t a corner in this house where you can’t plunk yourself
down and perch for a minute. A table, pair of chairs and sculptural
lamp (opposite) decorate this exterior passageway. Lars treats exterior
spaces like interior ones. The wall here is hung with carved wooden
stag’s heads.