Inside the Curated Copenhagen Home of House of Finn Juhl’s Creative Leaders

“It was definitely not love at first sight,” Kathrine Poulsen admits with a laugh, reflecting on the moment she first met her husband, Christian, a decade ago. At the time, the pair were both working for the House of Finn Juhl, a brand that holds the exclusive rights to reissue the iconic furniture designs of the legendary Danish architect and designer. Christian had been managing the company’s Copenhagen showroom as a solo venture until Kathrine joined the team. “And then I came along and invaded his space,” she recalls.

That initial professional collision, however, blossomed into a deep personal and creative partnership. Over the last ten years, the couple has not only built a life together but has also ascended to leadership roles within the brand; Christian currently serves as the Chief Sales Officer, while Kathrine acts as the Chief Brand Officer. Their shared dedication to the preservation and promotion of Finn Juhl’s design legacy has shaped their professional lives, often keeping them side-by-side for 24 hours a day. “Fortunately, most of the time, that works very well for us,” Kathrine notes.

While their romantic spark may have been a slow burn, their shared vision for their home was instantaneous. Three years ago, the couple discovered a listing for a historic house in Copenhagen’s charming Humleby neighborhood. Built circa 1895, the property had a long, varied history; it had once been subdivided into multiple apartments across three floors before a previous owner transformed it back into a 1,400-square-foot, single-family residence.

The move was driven by a desire for a sense of community that the couple felt would be ideal for their family, particularly for their now-six-year-old son, Henry. “We hoped for children playing in the streets and a real relationship with our neighbors, and that is exactly what we found,” Christian shares. The reality lived up to the expectation, with Henry quickly establishing his own social circle, knocking on neighbors’ doors to invite friends out to play within just months of the family’s move-in.

A Living Laboratory of Design and Personal History

Transitioning into the home was a gradual process of layering their own aesthetic onto the existing architecture. The couple started by painting the central staircase a deep, resonant reddish-brown, a choice that grounded the house and provided a dramatic focal point. For the couple, the home is a testament to the idea that a residence should evolve alongside its inhabitants, rather than being a static showcase of perfection.

The interior is an eclectic, international mix that reflects their professional expertise and personal tastes. It features prized pieces like the iconic Chieftain Chair by Finn Juhl, alongside a dark brown De Sede sofa and smaller, custom-built tables crafted by Christian himself. Most recently, the couple has introduced works by the Korean artist Kim Hyejung, continuing their pattern of sourcing unique items. “We probably share an attraction to things that feel special and aren’t immediately recognizable or easily replaceable,” Kathrine explains.

The living room serves as the true heart of the home, a space that balances the refined lines of high-end Danish furniture with the chaotic, beautiful reality of family life. It is where the family spends the majority of their waking hours—playing with LEGOs on the floor, preparing meals in the adjacent kitchen, or sharing a morning coffee.

Christian notes that the Chieftain Chair has become a permanent, beloved fixture that he would never part with. Despite its high status in the design world, it is treated as a functional, durable piece. “It’s a substantial piece that invites you to lean back and relax,” Christian says. “For me, it’s the place to enjoy a cup of coffee, while our son Henry loves climbing all over it. The insides of the armrests are reinforced with metal, so it’s incredibly sturdy and can easily handle a six-year-old treating it like a climbing frame.”

This philosophy—that furniture should be lived with, not just looked at—extends throughout the house. The couple is wary of treating their possessions as fragile museum artifacts. “We like living with furniture long enough for it to become part of our lives rather than treating it as something precious that shouldn’t be touched,” Kathrine emphasizes. “There needs to be room for a child to swing next to a collection of ceramics, and greasy little fingerprints on natural leather simply become part of its patina.”

Harmonizing Art, Music, and Daily Rituals

The atmosphere of the home is defined as much by sound as it is by sight. Christian’s extensive record collection has expanded well beyond the confines of the living room cabinet, with overflow stored in large wooden boxes. Music is a constant presence in the house; the couple favors artists like Kurt Vile, and when they aren’t spinning vinyl, they keep the Danish radio station P6 playing in the background.

The dining area illustrates the couple’s approach to mixing scales and styles. A large artwork by Gudrun Hasle, which has traveled with the couple through several previous apartments, hangs in the space. While its size might seem oversized for a modest worker’s house, the scale feels perfectly intentional to them. They prefer to juxtapose a massive piece of art with a microscopic object rather than striving for a perfectly symmetrical, balanced composition. Surrounding the dining table, vintage steel chairs by Henning Larsen provide a sharp, modern contrast to the organic shapes of the nearby Finn Juhl pieces.

The couple’s commitment to quality extends to the textiles and finishes, with Sahco curtains used throughout the house to soften the rooms. The varied textures—ranging from lace and patterns to different weights—add a layer of warmth that helps integrate the furniture and art into a cohesive environment.

In the bathroom, the couple eschewed conventional, mass-produced fixtures for something more sculptural. They opted for a piece designed and cast by a small independent studio in Athens, which they discovered on Etsy. “We liked the idea of introducing something handmade and unexpected into the house rather than choosing a conventional bathroom unit,” Kathrine says.

Finding Meaning in the Curated and the Unexpected

Even within their own collection, the couple is selective. They only acquire new Finn Juhl pieces when they feel a genuine, deep-seated emotional response, rather than out of a need to fill space. Their eventual adoption of the Pelican Chair is a perfect example of this. After years of working with the design, the chair became a familiar companion. It wasn’t until they discovered the animal-inspired textiles from Sahco that they were able to visualize the chair in a way that felt right for their home, leading them to finally bring one in.

The guest room, which doubles as an office, features a Finn Juhl Panel System. This space is filled with smaller treasures, including items from Mexico that the couple collected during their travels. One particular piece, a marble ball nestled in stone, was not even for sale when they found it in a Mérida studio. They were so taken with it that they returned multiple times until the artist finally agreed to part with it.

For Kathrine, her personal office area is perhaps the most symbolic space in the house. The desk was handmade by Christian, and the chairs are by Poul Kjærholm. A heavy bronze tape dispenser by Mats Theselius, a gift from Christian, sits on the desk. “It is a small, very heavy object, and to me, it says that Christian sees me,” she explains. “The desk and the tape dispenser are small symbols of the fact that he understands my desire to make things—to have a creative practice of my own alongside the creativity I am fortunate to experience through my work.”

Ultimately, the home serves as a reflection of the couple’s shared journey—a blend of their professional dedication to Danish design and their personal values of family, curiosity, and the joy of collecting. It is a space where the history of 1895 meets the realities of modern life, proving that even the most iconic designs can find a place in a home that is, first and foremost, meant to be lived in.