Something about Copenhagen lights an incandescent fuse in me; the intersectionality of food, design, and lifestyle profoundly resonates, and I suppose it’s not surprising that several of my dearest friends hail from this sophisticated Nordic city. Having these connections opened up the city’s design beacons for me, and this included Signe Bindslev Henriksen, of the architecture firm Space Copenhagen, and her family apartment. Although we had never met, I had been in Signe’s orbit for years and had cultivated a deep admiration for her style, which is best described as extreme elegance. Everything in the apartment is her art—every gesture, every composition, every detail. And like her home, Signe exudes ease, grace, and calm.

There is a nostalgic feeling in Signe’s apartment, which is located in a nineteenth-century building. Streams of light pour in from a dramatic wall of arched windows, overlooking an abundantly verdant park, and cast shadows on perfectly positioned furnishings, many designed by Signe herself. She left no detail unconsidered in this rental apartment. Even in a space where an architect cannot make structural changes, she deployed an arsenal of facade and decorative improvements. A fresh coat of paint, black stain on the floors, new stone countertops, kitchen cabinets, and radiator covers reinvigorate the apartment. Most of all, her thoughtful design and art choices make this home most decidedly her own.

“I like diversity. I like that things have a soft side, but also a masculine side. I like to blend these contrasts.”

A controlled palette of black and white evokes simple, thoughtful restraint. Even with the dramatic tonal contrast, all is easy on the eyes. Each piece is so evidently imbued with intention both in its very being and in its placement: the curvaceous, sensual furniture pieces are as elevated and integral as the paintings on the wall. The home revolves around balance—softness, femininity, angularity, and masculinity. “If there’s something very decorative,” she says of her approach, “then I have something very sharp. It’s a constant feeling of yin-yang in everything I do.” Even the sculptural light fixtures teeter-totter on this tension. They are not primary lighting so much as they summon atmosphere. The living room’s Apparatus cloud fixture, airy and ethereal, punctuates the bold, black lower half of the room. In contrast, the dining room’s black Serge Mouille’s muscular and leggy tentacles oppose the white, classically scrolled medallion that holds it.

There is intention in everything—and yet nothing feels contrived. You can imagine Signe asking herself two questions with every decision: Does this piece move me? Do I absolutely have to live with it? Even the salt in Signe’s well-used kitchen is placed within a beautifully oxidized vessel. In the midst of our shoot, Signe disappeared. She returned with tea in a breathtaking Royal Copenhagen pot, toasty almonds having just departed the oven, and pears piled high in a gorgeous bowl with a dainty mother-of-pearl knife for slicing, all of which was delivered on an antique tray. It sounds fussy, but it wasn’t; in Signe’s casual attitude, it is apparent that this is simply how she lives. Signe poignantly says it’s essential to only have pieces in your home that speak to you viscerally. “You should be able to say in a split second whether you like something or not.” I love this sentiment in thinking about the dialogue in your home. While each piece must be conversational, it must also have a voice of its own and be able to speak for itself.

Signe describes her creative process as a way to define herself. She constantly investigates new furniture, technology, and ways of engaging in lifestyle spaces. This is how ideas and subsequently new furniture are born. When Signe cannot find what she is seeking, she creates it. “I don’t see design as a project I draw, install, and finish. Rather, it’s a playground where things can be under constant development.” This home is a workshop, one in which she tests furniture in various states of production.

Signe has amassed furniture, objects, and art over many years, an exercise underpinned by consistent calibration. Her mantra is to design out of sincere love. With that approach, you can undeniably trust your instincts, even mingling the super modern next to the nostalgic. The only repetition here is the cohesive, calming thread of black and white. “I need my house also to be a place where I can close the door and not feel overly bombarded visually, because I also need to charge there,” she says. “I need to be able to dwell, like a small temple, you know?”

“I don’t see a project as finished, but rather in constant movement.”