On Paper Island in central Copenhagen, artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen lives with her husband and their daughter in a bright modern townhouse by the water. The home sits in a new residential neighbourhood and looks across the canal towards the Opera House. When we've visited Copenhagen over the past few years we have enjoyed seeing this neighbourhood evolve and enjoy spending time there.

The house has three levels, high ceilings and large windows that bring natural light into every room. For Cathrine, this new space changed the way she lives and how she thinks about interior design.

Before moving here, the family lived in a home with smaller rooms and less daylight. The new house offered an opportunity to simplify their surroundings and keep only the things that truly matter.

Cathrine carefully reduced many of their belongings. Tableware, artworks and decorative objects were selected with intention. Today, there is space between objects and each piece has room to stand on its own. The result is a calm and balanced home.

Furniture in the house is also designed to be flexible. Several pieces can change or move depending on how the space is used. This allows the family to easily welcome guests and host gatherings.

One important piece in the home is the Silver Table by Finn Juhl. The table can extend and rotate, which makes it easy to seat many people when friends visit. Benches can also move between floors when needed, helping the house adapt to different situations.

The Silver table was the first piece by Finn Juhl that Cathrine and her husband Jens bought together. They purchased it through a friend many years ago, long before their deeper interest in the designer’s work developed.

“We have had this table for many years,” Cathrine explains. “We use it often, and it has been restored several times.”

Today the table stands in the open kitchen and dining space. Cathrine often places her own ceramic works on the surface. From the table, large windows offer views across the canal towards the Copenhagen Opera House.

Cathrine is drawn to organic forms and refined craftsmanship. She enjoys mixing design pieces from different periods and places. In her home, newly produced design classics sit beside vintage finds and her own ceramic sculptures.

These handmade pieces bring warmth to the modern architecture and create a gentle contrast to the clean lines of the house.

For Cathrine, decorating a home is similar to curating an exhibition. She thinks carefully about how objects relate to each other and how they share space.

“For me, objects must have personality,” she says. “It is like creating a group exhibition. You must think about what belongs together.”

On the second floor, a Butterfly table stands in a small corner beside a few art books and several of Cathrine’s sculptures. Nearby, the Fireplace chair creates a quiet place to sit. It is paired with a small ceramic side table and another sculpture made by the artist.

In another area of the home, a small collection of Cathrine’s stoneware vases is displayed on a Glove Cabinet.

Cathrine grew up in Copenhagen with a father who worked as a designer. Because of this, she was surrounded by beautiful furniture, paintings and ceramics from an early age. These experiences shaped her interest in materials, colours and form.

Today her work as a visual artist continues to influence the way she lives and designs her home.

Despite her strong interest in aesthetics, Cathrine follows a simple principle when choosing objects. She believes a home should hold only what is meaningful and lasting.

“The goal is to have as little as possible,” she says. “And to choose things that can stay with you for many years.”

Discover more about House of Finn Juhl furniture.