Life is a beach

Klit­møller, Cold Hawaii

In Thy, at the nor­thwestern tip of Denmark, the sky is endless and the light has a bewit­ching power. Nature shows its beauty in ever-changing sce­narios — from the wind-swept dunes along rough coast­lines and wide, sandy beaches to the soft, grass-covered hills and heath­lands. The quiet fishing village Klit­møller — it counts hardly 1000 inha­bi­tants — has a true box seat amidst this natural spec­tacle: It lite­rally sits on the beach, right between the roaring North Sea and the scenic silence of the Thy National Park. No major road leads past here, but among surfers this spot is known as the capital of Cold Hawaii, one of Nor­thern Europe’s best (wind)surf spots. Here, you can ride the curl all-year-round, but if you feel more com­for­table with having solid earth under your feet, you will find ter­rific walking trails and mountain bike tracks close by. Or you simply sit and look at the horizon, which will blow your mind.

“We live in Klit­møller with our families and work from here. We have chosen to because of the ocean, the surf, the light, the nature and last but not least the culture and the people.”

Rasmus Johnsen

Wea­thered fishing boats adorn Klitmøller’s long, deserted beach in the early morning and con­tem­plate — side by side with the seagulls — the rhythm of the waves: They roll onto the shore with smooth fronts and steep crests. A little group of wet-suited early birds — women and men of all ages — gaze eagerly towards the horizon and all of a sudden grab their surf­boards and start paddling out to the sea. Facing the wind, riding the waves under a vast, pale blue morning sky. Flying and feeling the thrill of freedom. Then, the fishermen sail out to get their daily catch of cod and plaice, crabs and lobsters.

While Klit­møller was quite a hub during the wind­surfing boom in the 1990s, today it is awe­somely quiet here, but you’ll still come across some of Denmark’s best surf schools. Over time, the village’s fabric has become an inter­na­tional patchwork of locals and people from around the world, who weren’t born here but dis­co­vered a deep sense of belonging. And there is a reason: This place is per­vaded by a very special mood, it’s driven by its very own pace and pulse and whoever happens to visit will expe­rience it with body, soul and senses, will dive into and dance with the essence of this place: The light, the sea breeze, the roaring waves, the soft sand under bare feet and the warm, wel­coming nature of the people who live here.

Paradise Found

Even long-time friends Rasmus Johnson and Anders Petersen sur­ren­dered to Klitmøller’s gra­vi­ta­tional pull. “We live in Klit­møller with our families and work from here. We have chosen to because of the ocean, the surf, the light, the nature and last but not least the culture and the people. We are both, but each in his very own way, tied to this area which is the foun­dation of the life we live and the oppor­tu­nities we seek.”, explains Rasmus, who is an entre­preneur with a Master of Phi­lo­sophy and owner of a con­sulting firm for inno­vation pro­jects.

The neigh­bourhood is small but special: a group of open-minded indi­vi­dua­lists with a sus­tainable, meaningful life­style. Some moved here from Copen­hagen or Århus, some from the other side of the globe, others were born here or have family ties that made them come back to this outermost corner of Denmark, sur­rounded by pine woods, marshes and the spec­ta­cular wil­derness of Thy. Kids stroll along the beach, friends sit tog­ether and have an inspiring talk over a hot cup of coffee or Danish tea. Cranes are dancing and trumpeting in the ponds. It’s almost too idyllic to be real — but it is.

In 2017, Anders and Rasmus teamed up in order to breathe life into a common dream: creating holiday homes face to face with the pure and unspoiled beauty of Thy. Modern yet tim­eless homes away from home, whose har­mo­nious archi­tecture respects and reflects Thy’s ele­ments — sky, wind, water, earth and light and makes the guests per­ceive their soothing power. Their name says it all: Recharge Houses. The first was built in nearby Agger, the second in Klit­møller.

A sense of belonging

The Recharge House project was driven by a strong vision: building and living with the ever-present views of nature. And — enabling the guests to really get in touch with the place. “We belong here and wish to give our guests that sense of belonging while they are here.”, states Rasmus. “The houses are our gift to whoever visits. Hop­efully they can set the stage for an expe­rience that is honest, simple, magni­ficent and cosy at the same time. Anders and I are both surfers, so we have a pen­chant for the over 30 regis­tered surf spots along the West Coast in Thy, which we love to share. But this is cer­tainly not the only reason why this area is worth a visit.”

The building process was a real “hands on” teamwork by Rasmus and Anders, Agger based architect Søren Sarup of Puras Archi­tecture and a small group of skilled, local craftsmen. “Ever­y­thing you see we have thought about and shaped with our bare hands. We have been there under all weather con­di­tions, night and day, weekends and weekdays. We can honestly say that we have done what we could to create a space that will affirm our guests’ humanity.”, empha­sises Anders, who in his pro­fes­sional life coor­di­nates homes for people with special needs, including a reha­bi­li­tation centre for sol­diers with post-trau­matic stress dis­order.

The Recharge Houses — which host up to six guests each — are Rasmus and Anders’a heartfelt com­mitment to safe­guarding Thy’s wil­derness through mindful and authentic living and travel con­cepts — powerful anti­dotes to pre­serve Cold Hawaii from a too tou­risty, too overrun, too ste­reo­ty­pical hyg­gelig future.

Space, light and harmony

A little further south of the small harbour village, the Recharge House Agger looks out over the 485-hectare shallow lake “Flade Sø”. It opens onto a wild, pro­tected land­scape that is home to a manifold fauna. During spring and autumn, the area’s meadows, marshes and ponds become an Eldorado for thou­sands of web-footed wading birds on their way to the breeding grounds and winter quarters.

The North Sea and beaches are less than 600 metres west of the house. Huge pan­o­ramic windows allow the building ensemble — a main house and an annexe — to merge seam­lessly with nature and bring lake and heathland into the warm light-flooded spaces. The inte­riors make do with few but sophisti­cated, most com­for­table fur­nis­hings and amen­ities and thrive on reduction and the interplay of light, texture and the spirit of place. Apart from the cosily crackling fire in the stove, nothing dis­tracts from the views of nature, which convey an ever-changing mood according to the season, weather and the time of day. From the sauna you can face the green wil­derness while getting hot to then cool down under the outdoor shower.

Clean con­tours and under­stated sim­plicity distin­guish the Recharge House Klit­møller, located only 450 meters from the village’s beach. The L‑shaped cedar-clad house is inspired by the tra­di­tional farm­houses of West Jutland. Silent white and soft tones bathe all spaces and evoke a sense of peaceful harmony. The open-plan living is com­pletely glazed up to the gable and the soul widens as nature per­vades the ambience. Bed­rooms and sauna are intimate retreats in con­stant dia­logue with nature, a sky­light in the bathroom allows you to lose yourself in the starry night.

In both Recharge Houses con­trasts blend mas­terfully: Remote and con­nected. High tech and high sky. Freedom and shelter. By the way, the houses have a lightning-fast fibre and are powerful cata­lysts for creative pro­cesses, so, if you have to work (a bit) along the way, this won’t be a reason to head back to the city. You can take all the time you need. The houses truly live up to their name: They are won­derful shelters to recharge your mental bat­teries, be inspired and reconnect with nature — but first and foremost with yourself.

Life worth living

Tog­ether with a group of friends, Rasmus has created “Cowork Klit­møller” — a co-working space and match­making zone for local free­lancers, small and micro-com­panies and beta-resi­dents of Cold Hawaii. Ocean view, high-speed internet and limitless cups of coffee go with the job. New­comers are warmly invited to be part of it. They can stay as long as they like and pay accor­dingly. Some­times it happens they stay a little longer. “The space is a creative hub, an inspiring place to meet, connect, think, share and make cool stuff tog­ether. Remote work was a daily routine even before the world changed but per­sonal contact and inter­action remain the most enjoyable part.”, explains Rasmus, who pre­sides over the project. “Our starting point is the desire to achieve the per­sonal, pro­fes­sional and social advan­tages of a strong network and com­petent com­munity in order to combine inno­vative business with maximum freedom and fle­xi­bility. I think the best word to describe our place is homely — or at least that’s how we feel.” Curr­ently there are 14 resi­dents in the Cowork Klit­møller. All of them have very dif­ferent life stories and pro­fes­sional back­grounds but almost all of them surf and they all share a deep love for the ocean and Thy. There is pho­to­grapher Mette Johnson, Rasmus’ wife. Her silent pic­tures are pure poetry and able to capture the very essence of a place, a person, a moment. There is Outwest Pro­duction — Martin and Rebecca Sindal la Cour’s a small, quality-con­scious film pro­duction company. Fashion designer Benthe Boesen and graphic designer Troels Schwarz have initiated the brand Slow Works and believe in slowing down, in order to app­re­ciate and under­stand their sur­roun­dings better.

It becomes more and more evident that there is one common thread, per­vading this unique little melting pot amidst the Danish dunes and waves: The strong belief that time is pre­cious and work should be merged into life and not dominate it, as there is so much more that matters and shapes our expe­ri­ences, which make life worth living. Life worth living is about loving and caring. It’s about grilled lobster and laughter around a bonfire. It’s about longing and belonging, about dreams and doubts. It’s about tapping into the energy of a place, of a face. It’s a calm sea and roaring waves, sun­rises and sunsets. In Klit­møller, life is a beach.

Text: Britta Krämer
Photos: © Mette Johnsen
Source: The article is part of our publi­cation Raum & Zeit ⎜Space & Time