HomeStyle Magazine (March 2002) "Great Danes" by Joyce Bautista For a young couple from Copenhagen, architect Harry Elson transformed a Colonial-style house in Connecticut into a cool Nordic sanctuary that features soaring spaces and modernist design. The Danes may be best known for melancholy princes and clean lined modern furniture, but there is a lighter side to their Nordic rationalism: "We party a little harder than Americans," says Pernille Gaardboe, who moved with her husband Michael, a software entrepreneur, from Copenhagen to the United States four years ago. And so, one of the first additions the couple planned for their Greenwich, Connecticut house was a small reception room off the entry hall in which to serve champagne and wine to arriving guests. "It's just the Danish way," says the statuesque blonde and mother of sixteen-month-old Sophie. But first the couple had to find an architect. Though they longed for the airy, refined rooms of typical Danish interiors, the Gaardboes were also determined to avoid making any significant structural changes to the 8,000-square-foot house that would affect its resale value. The thirtysomething couple interviewed local architects but found none who meshed with their pared-down Scandinavian tastes. "Things are more stuffed and decorated around here," says Pernille. Following the suggestion of their decorator back in Copenhagen, Vivian Boje, the couple met with New York City-based architect Harry Elson. Elson's father had served as ambassador to Denmark under President Clinton, and the younger Elson had learned firsthand about Danish living. "They're not afraid to have two different dialogues going on at the same time," Elson says about a country where Baroque apartment buildings are filled with modern Arne Jacobsen furniture and light fixtures by Poul Henningsen. "It's about blurring the distinction between traditional and modern." The thirty-seven-year-old architect, who combines contemporary aesthetics with a 1920s graciousness and classicism, impressed Pernille with his fresh and not over-decorated spaces. He was quickly hired. Except for the entry facade and its red front door - a tradition in Denmark that signifies warmth and welcome - Elson left the exterior of the house virtually unchanged. But he gutted the interior, eliminating the second-floor passage above the front hall to create a double-height entryway. Dominated by a stunning Venetian glass chandelier from Artemide, the dramatic space establishes a sense of gracious formality that continues through the house. Elson created clear sight lines, making the reception room and living room beyond visible from the front door. The sequence of rooms gives the house an elegant sense of procession. "It's still Colonial, just a cleaned-up version," says Pernille. "Anyone can still move in here with chesterfield couches." In the living room, which doubles as a music room and houses the couple's electric guitar, cello, double base, trumpet, and piano, the feeling is spare and restful. A pair of fanciful silver candleholders from Driade are set among the sober B&B Italia sofas and chairs, and steel and glass Zanotta coffee tables. Wall sconces by Flos cast diffused light on the taupe walls and give the room warmth. "I don¹t need to shock," said Elson. "I'm more interested in modernism as sensual experience, modernism as craft. If the final product is just beautiful, it's OK." In the blue-green dining room, Elson heeded Michael's request for a space that encourages guests to explore the garden with a wall of 11-foot-wide French doors. When they are folded back, the separation between the dining room and the outdoors falls away. Conical glass pendant lights by modern master Achille Castigioni for Flos hang low over a pair of Carrara marble-top dining tables from DePadova. Placed together, the tables seat up to 10 people ­ 12 when pulled apart ­ and provide ample room for a buffet spread. "The Danes like to be able to entertain in different ways," says Elson. On the second floor, the landing leads unexpectedly to an inviting sitting area decorated in crisp, white contemporary Italian furniture and icy-blue pillows and rug. Like the floor below it, the upper level is planned along a symmetrical axis. The seating gallery perfectly separates the master bedroom suite from the other bedrooms. "Harry brought a center into the house," says Pernille. "Before, the house seemed to go on and on forever. Harry brought the house balance."