Houzz Tours
The Spectacular Home of Danish Artist Bjørn Wiinblad
We tour the ceramic artist’s distinctive home, which has hosted both the Queen of Denmark and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Photo of Bjørn Wiinblad by Lennard Nielsen, from The Blue House
Houzz at a Glance
Who lived here: Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad (1918–2006). The Blue House is currently owned by the Bjørn Wiinblad Fund, while Wiinblad’s long-time chauffeur and right-hand man, René Schulz, is responsible for its day-to-day care and maintenance, as well as for guided visits.
Location: Kongens Lyngby, about 15 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark
Size: About 700 square metres, distributed over two floors, including a drafting room, a workshop and a private residence with many living rooms, bedrooms and concealed spaces
Visit the Blue House: The shop and workshop are open to visitors every Tuesday, 10-12pm, between March 1 and October 31. Guided tours of the rest of the house are available for groups of 16 people or more, and must be booked ahead of time.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lived here: Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad (1918–2006). The Blue House is currently owned by the Bjørn Wiinblad Fund, while Wiinblad’s long-time chauffeur and right-hand man, René Schulz, is responsible for its day-to-day care and maintenance, as well as for guided visits.
Location: Kongens Lyngby, about 15 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark
Size: About 700 square metres, distributed over two floors, including a drafting room, a workshop and a private residence with many living rooms, bedrooms and concealed spaces
Visit the Blue House: The shop and workshop are open to visitors every Tuesday, 10-12pm, between March 1 and October 31. Guided tours of the rest of the house are available for groups of 16 people or more, and must be booked ahead of time.
Photos by Camilla Stephan unless otherwise indicated
The relatively plain and unassuming exterior is deceptive: the large home on a quiet side street in Lyngby, boarded with light-blue wooden planks, has hosted fashionable dinner parties with American film stars and royal guests, and housed spectacular art and antiques collections. Not to mention that The Blue House contains the eccentric Danish artist’s countless works, as well as his personal mementos and objects that tell the tale of his journey to international success.
It was at this drawing board – which boasts a view of the garden’s magnolia tree on one side and sunny yellow tapestries on another – that Wiinblad created thousands of his singular works, everything from figures and ceramic plaques to theatre sets and costumes, oriental-style tapestries and hotel decor. Wiinblad was a prolific artist whose diverse work ranged from incredibly expensive and unique projects to cheap, mass-produced ashtrays.
The Blue House was far from a quiet artist’s oasis during Wiinblad’s time, according to René Schulz, who started working for him in 1978 while also serving as a firefighter.
The Blue House was far from a quiet artist’s oasis during Wiinblad’s time, according to René Schulz, who started working for him in 1978 while also serving as a firefighter.
“The place was full of activity, all the time. There were always four girls painting ceramics, and Bjørn had three assistants sitting upstairs typing up letters he had dictated – one assistant for the French letters, another for the English ones and a third for the German,” Schulz says. “Bjørn would draw the first lines and create the designs, but he got others to colour them. He was a genuine designer and was surrounded by assistants,” Schulz says.
“We were all often invited to dinner in the evening. Then his housekeeper, Ms. Jørgensen, would cook some wonderful food, which was a clever way of making us stay and work longer. After dinner, we would go back to work and stay until 11:00 or 11:30 in the evening, simply because it was cosy and nice to be there,” he says.
Wiinblad himself was fully active in the creative process. According to Schulz, he participated in everything, controlling the decision-making and coordinating and correcting whatever was happening in the drafting and painting rooms, in addition to overseeing two other workshops he had in Denmark, in Hjortekær and Sengeløse. Wiinblad ceramics are still painted and produced in The Blue House, though not at the same rate as during the apogee of the artist’s career in the ’60s and ’70s.
Wiinblad himself was fully active in the creative process. According to Schulz, he participated in everything, controlling the decision-making and coordinating and correcting whatever was happening in the drafting and painting rooms, in addition to overseeing two other workshops he had in Denmark, in Hjortekær and Sengeløse. Wiinblad ceramics are still painted and produced in The Blue House, though not at the same rate as during the apogee of the artist’s career in the ’60s and ’70s.
His life and works can appear hectic, but prove even more impressive considering that he was also the chief designer at the huge company Rosenthal.
“He was always working, day and night, and he slept probably one or two hours a night. It sounds incredible, but it is true,” Schultz says.
“He was always working, day and night, and he slept probably one or two hours a night. It sounds incredible, but it is true,” Schultz says.
Schultz, pictured here, moved into the guest house at The Blue House ‘temporarily’ in 1980, having nowhere else to stay; today, he and his wife Eva Schultz still live in one of its annexes. He is responsible for daily operations and guided visits, while Eva is in charge of selling the unique, handmade Wiinblad artwork that is still being produced in the house (the mass-produced items are now made and managed by Rosendahl – see below).
Wiinblad held something of an outsider status among his Danish peers in the ’60s and ’70s, not only due to the nature of his artwork but also because they disapproved of his non-Danish working methods – relying on plenty of assistants and enjoying an extravagant lifestyle – and saw them as something vulgar. This is described by journalist Lars Hedebo Olsen in his recently-published book, Bjørn Wiinblad – Life Artist (Bjørn Wiinblad – en livskunstner). In an interview, Olsen described Wiinblad’s style to us as “very flowery, full of light and happiness, often inspired by the East – and everything but minimalist and Scandinavian.
“He was not at all recognised by the design elite and hardly anyone in the Danish design world would socialise with him. They saw his style as opulent and categorised him as somebody who could only draw pointed noses and coloured surfaces,” he says.
“He was not at all recognised by the design elite and hardly anyone in the Danish design world would socialise with him. They saw his style as opulent and categorised him as somebody who could only draw pointed noses and coloured surfaces,” he says.
However, Wiinblad refused to succumb to the contempt. On the contrary, he acted defiantly, showing up at the exhibitions of important Danish ceramic artists and buying their most expensive pieces in order to flaunt his wealth.
Yet even though he did not have many friends among the Danish design elite, he was very popular in other high-society circles. “He socialised with Queen Ingrid and important ballet dancers like Vivi and Flemming Flindt. You could also find international celebrities among his friends, like Liza Minnelli, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Erica Jong. He went to parties with the Danish Prime Minister, Jens Otto Krag, and others from the political establishment and he personally knew members of the Iranian royal family. He knew people from all walks of life,” Olsen says.
Yet even though he did not have many friends among the Danish design elite, he was very popular in other high-society circles. “He socialised with Queen Ingrid and important ballet dancers like Vivi and Flemming Flindt. You could also find international celebrities among his friends, like Liza Minnelli, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Erica Jong. He went to parties with the Danish Prime Minister, Jens Otto Krag, and others from the political establishment and he personally knew members of the Iranian royal family. He knew people from all walks of life,” Olsen says.
Cover of Bjørn Wiinblad – Life Artist (Bjørn Wiinblad – en livskunstner), written by Lars Hedebo Olsen and recently published by Gyldendal. Photo from the Bjørn Wiinblad Fund.
Just past Bjørn Wiinblad’s creative universe in his workshop lies his equally remarkable and adventure-filled private residence. The hall with the flowered Sanderson wallpaper, which even covers the ceilings, is the space where Wiinblad would first greet his many famous and lesser-known guests as they arrived at his legendary dinner parties.
The painting on the wall shows a 29-year-old Wiinblad in 1947. The scene is no coincidence, Schulz says, because Wiinblad had quite an ear for music.
The painting on the wall shows a 29-year-old Wiinblad in 1947. The scene is no coincidence, Schulz says, because Wiinblad had quite an ear for music.
Off the hall lies the impressive dining area. If The Blue House takes its name from the colour of its exterior, the dining room emphasises Wiinblad’s signature shade just as much. Like the rest of his home, this room contains only a few of his own works, but it clearly exhibits his lifelong passion for antique furniture and, most of all, for art.
“Everything has been left exactly as it was when he was alive. There are a lot of both Danish ceramics and Japanese and Chinese porcelain. He was also a great collector of Dutch Delft porcelain, which is one of the finest kinds of porcelain,” Schulz says.
Wiinblad was such a keen collector that many antiques shops would let him have first refusal whenever they had items they knew he might find interesting. “They liked to have him as a client because if Bjørn wanted something, he never asked about the price, he just wanted it,” Schulz says.
Wiinblad was such a keen collector that many antiques shops would let him have first refusal whenever they had items they knew he might find interesting. “They liked to have him as a client because if Bjørn wanted something, he never asked about the price, he just wanted it,” Schulz says.
One day, when he was having lunch with Schultz and the other employees, Wiinblad took a long telephone call with a Dutch antiques dealer: “He realised that she was in possession of a crazily rare Delft clock that he was missing for his dining room collection. After hanging up, he looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t we just leave immediately?’ So we drove to Amsterdam, where he confirmed that it was the right clock. He bought it and we wrapped it in blankets, put it in the Porsche, and drove home again,” Schulz says.
It has now been hanging in the dining room for 30 years. “The clock has never stopped working, but that was not what he was interested in. He just needed to own that clock regardless of whether it worked.”
It has now been hanging in the dining room for 30 years. “The clock has never stopped working, but that was not what he was interested in. He just needed to own that clock regardless of whether it worked.”
Stairs lead from the hall to the second floor, where guests used to be served a welcome drink before dinners.
“He drank very little alcohol himself because he worked so much that he did not have time to get tired or rest. So the wine was always watered down. When the welcome drink was champagne, it was served with cucumber pieces in the glasses, so that the cucumber would absorb the bubbles. He could not stand the bubbles in the champagne,” Schulz says.
“He drank very little alcohol himself because he worked so much that he did not have time to get tired or rest. So the wine was always watered down. When the welcome drink was champagne, it was served with cucumber pieces in the glasses, so that the cucumber would absorb the bubbles. He could not stand the bubbles in the champagne,” Schulz says.
If the decoration and collections of the dining room are impressive, they are nothing compared to the 350-square-metres-worth of private living rooms and bedrooms on the second floor.
The numerous rooms, corridors, and especially the secret nooks behind concealed doorways are all packed with antique furniture, precious works of art, Chinese porcelain and thousands of books. Among these we find writer Charles Dickens’ inkpot and several first editions. In addition to being proof of Wiinblad’s discerning skill as a collector, these items are evidence of his exceptional wealth.
The numerous rooms, corridors, and especially the secret nooks behind concealed doorways are all packed with antique furniture, precious works of art, Chinese porcelain and thousands of books. Among these we find writer Charles Dickens’ inkpot and several first editions. In addition to being proof of Wiinblad’s discerning skill as a collector, these items are evidence of his exceptional wealth.
“He earned tremendous amounts of money. He was not married and had no children, so he spent millions on decorating his home,” Schulz says, adding that Wiinblad always carried a bag full of cash, just to be prepared in case he was tempted by art or antiques.
Wiinblad’s wealth is underscored by the fact that The Blue House was only one of his many homes. For many years he lived primarily in Switzerland, had several homes in Denmark and Germany, a residence in Salzburg, another one elsewhere in Austria, an apartment in Rome and at a certain time two apartments in Marbella, in the south of Spain, and an apartment in Paris.
Wiinblad’s wealth is underscored by the fact that The Blue House was only one of his many homes. For many years he lived primarily in Switzerland, had several homes in Denmark and Germany, a residence in Salzburg, another one elsewhere in Austria, an apartment in Rome and at a certain time two apartments in Marbella, in the south of Spain, and an apartment in Paris.
“His homes were like his dens, where he could concentrate on art, literature and music,” Olsen says, adding that the homes are good reflections of Wiinblad and his art because “there would always be more and more of everything everywhere and nothing was simple.”
“He was earning extreme amounts money. He was very wealthy. Yet at the same time, he spent incredibly large sums and he was very generous. He shared his money, his possessions and his wealth. This also meant that when he died, nothing was actually left of it. He was a truly clever business man but never a money grabber,” Olsen says.
“He was earning extreme amounts money. He was very wealthy. Yet at the same time, he spent incredibly large sums and he was very generous. He shared his money, his possessions and his wealth. This also meant that when he died, nothing was actually left of it. He was a truly clever business man but never a money grabber,” Olsen says.
Schulz does not believe that Wiinblad ultimately cared about money and business. “He was not interested in money as such. Once, he was asked whether he would decorate an American cruise ship, and when he told some of his friends about this, he said, ‘To think that those Americans just passed by and offered me $1 million on the spot!’ – but when his friends asked him whether it was a million dollars or Danish kroner, he replied, ‘Um, I really don’t know,’” Schulz says.
In many ways, Wiinblad lived in his own world. For instance, he had no television because he knew he would not be able to sit and watch news about death and destruction one moment and then create birds and harps in dreamy fantasy worlds the next.
“On the other hand, in every residence he had a studio, so he was able to work no matter where he was. He always listened to classical music. He was definitely not interested in either politics or religion. He did not believe in anything as much as himself,” Schulz says.
“On the other hand, in every residence he had a studio, so he was able to work no matter where he was. He always listened to classical music. He was definitely not interested in either politics or religion. He did not believe in anything as much as himself,” Schulz says.
According to his former employees at The Blue House, there is no doubt that Wiinblad had a very special aura about him. Even after his death, they said they felt his presence in the house: “The beautiful tiles in the ceiling of the yellow room used to also hang in the conservatory, but the very day of his funeral they fell down after having hung there for more than 15 years. They said that it was Bjørn jumping on the roof,” Schulz says.
The blue and white colours that are so characteristic of Wiinblad’s work also feature in his bedroom, in which there stands a distinctive four-poster bed purchased from a friend, the famous Copenhagen baker Rein Van Hauen, who was also a passionate antiques collector.
Beyond the bedroom lies a dressing room, which was deemed too private to be photographed. A peek inside reveals a bounty of clothing and shoes – another one of Wiinblad’s cherished collections. Hundreds of ties from fashionable brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Harrods and Dior are all displayed together. Opening any of the several closets reveals tailored suits, silk shirts and numerous hand-stitched Italian shoes.
Naturally, items are divided up by colour, so there is one closet with black shoes, one with blue shoes, a closet with grey suits, another one with brown shirts and so on. “But he never travelled with clothes. When he needed something new he called the tailor, Mr. Olsen, and ordered seven identical suits, in order to have the same wardrobe in all his homes. He was always a super stylish and nicely dressed gentleman,” Schultz says.
Naturally, items are divided up by colour, so there is one closet with black shoes, one with blue shoes, a closet with grey suits, another one with brown shirts and so on. “But he never travelled with clothes. When he needed something new he called the tailor, Mr. Olsen, and ordered seven identical suits, in order to have the same wardrobe in all his homes. He was always a super stylish and nicely dressed gentleman,” Schultz says.
Although Wiinblad displayed very little of his own art in his living spaces, his works could be found in countless homes all over the world, especially in the ’60s and ’70s. While interest in his distinctive, colourful and imaginative design slowed down over the course of the ’80s and ’90s, it has experienced a resurgence in recent years. This is due in no small part to the fact that the Rosendahl Design Group has relaunched collections with new interpretations of the signature Wiinblad designs, with several more on the way.
Photo from Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
“Bjørn Wiinblad’s design is so interesting because it is totally unlike anything else. He has his own style. Every work is completely full: there is never an undecorated corner, and every drawing contains many stories,” says David Andersen, Creative Director of the Rosendahl Design Group, which has been heading the relaunch and injecting new life into the Wiinblad designs under the trademark Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark.
Cutting board: Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
“Bjørn Wiinblad’s design is so interesting because it is totally unlike anything else. He has his own style. Every work is completely full: there is never an undecorated corner, and every drawing contains many stories,” says David Andersen, Creative Director of the Rosendahl Design Group, which has been heading the relaunch and injecting new life into the Wiinblad designs under the trademark Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark.
Cutting board: Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
A portion of the proceeds from each new Wiinblad product goes to the Bjørn Wiinblad Fund, and is spent on maintaining The Blue House and keeping Wiinblad’s dream, that the house should one day become a working museum for young artists, alive.
Photo from Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
So far, two of Wiinblad’s most iconic subjects, ‘Rosamunde’ and ‘Felicia’, have been reproduced on everything from cups and vases to oven mitts, cookie jars, and candleholders. “The new Wiinblad items are especially popular in Denmark, Sweden and Germany,” Andersen says. He notes that even more products will be available soon. “There is an extremely large backlist and thousands of options,” says Andersen, himself a great lover of Wiinblad’s style, in part because it is simultaneously serious and comical.
Cake stand: Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
So far, two of Wiinblad’s most iconic subjects, ‘Rosamunde’ and ‘Felicia’, have been reproduced on everything from cups and vases to oven mitts, cookie jars, and candleholders. “The new Wiinblad items are especially popular in Denmark, Sweden and Germany,” Andersen says. He notes that even more products will be available soon. “There is an extremely large backlist and thousands of options,” says Andersen, himself a great lover of Wiinblad’s style, in part because it is simultaneously serious and comical.
Cake stand: Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
Photo from Bjørn Wiinblad Denmark
Andersen adds that one of the special things about working with Wiinblad’s designs is that a large number of customers are familiar with his past work, while the new and younger audience have no idea who he is.
Andersen adds that one of the special things about working with Wiinblad’s designs is that a large number of customers are familiar with his past work, while the new and younger audience have no idea who he is.
If you ask Wiinblad’s biographer, Olsen, the demand for Wiinblad products follows naturally from the fact that people’s homes are becoming increasingly characterised by cultural influences. “Streamlined is out. We want decorations, something not very practical, with an air of handicraft. This is exactly the case with Wiinblad’s things. I think there is a place for him today because what he offers is right between oriental and fun and colourful,” Olsen says.
He believes, however, that we should be careful not to end up with Wiinblad overload: “His design is so overwhelming and always on the border between sweet, fun and innocent and the edge of bad taste,” he says.
He believes, however, that we should be careful not to end up with Wiinblad overload: “His design is so overwhelming and always on the border between sweet, fun and innocent and the edge of bad taste,” he says.
The Wiinblad resurgence is being eagerly welcomed in The Blue House, as are the resulting donations towards its maintenance.
Can’t get enough of the magical Wiinblad world and can’t wait for more Wiinblad products to be launched? Schulz points to one particular place in Kongens Lyngby where you can immerse yourself in Wiinblad’s world: “Spirit! The Blue House is still full of spirit.”
Can’t get enough of the magical Wiinblad world and can’t wait for more Wiinblad products to be launched? Schulz points to one particular place in Kongens Lyngby where you can immerse yourself in Wiinblad’s world: “Spirit! The Blue House is still full of spirit.”
His style that is about as far from stereotypical Scandinavian minimalism as can be: colourful and adventurous, packed with detail and elaborate ornament. Some might say it’s too much. The same words could be used to describe The Blue House in Lyngby, north of Copenhagen, which Wiinblad bought in the early 1960s and set up to be both his workshop and his home. He lived there until his death in 2006.
Houzz visited the residence, which has been preserved exactly as the artist left it and is open to the public for guided visits, thanks to the sponsorship of the Danish Rosendahl Design Group (not to be confused with Rosenthal, the German porcelain company for which Wiinblad developed many of his designs, as noted above).