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CURTAINS FOR STYLIST LONE MONNA

Designer Lone Monna

Photo: Pernille Greve / Contact Copenhagen

”THIS IS THE PATH WE ALL MUST TAKE IN ORDER TO PRESERVE OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET”

Designer and stylist Lone Monna finally found the perfect curtain solution for her pentagonal sunroom. With a bespoke curtain track in recycled aluminium and sheer curtains, woven in recycled yarn, the room now has a completely new look. A look based on responsible materials.

LEAVING THE BIG CITY

Together with photographer Pernille Greve, Lone Monna Andersen owns the agency Contact Copenhagen. The company is based in Copenhagen, where Lone also lived until 2019 when her apartment in Østerbro was replaced with a beautiful old house by the sea. She and her husband, Peter Lorents, moved from the capital to Solrød Strand.

And although the house needed a considerate amount of remodeling to suit the couple’s taste, Lone Monna could see the possibilities in all the odd angles and unique spaces right away.

– After 23 years of living in downtown Copenhagen, we wanted to get out of the city and get some fresh air. We got to know Solrød Strand through Pernille Greve, who also lives there. And we immediately fell in love with the area, says Lone Monna.

Portrait of Lone Monna / Photo: Pernille Greve

AP 2001 / Super Silver

COMPLETE MAKEOVER

The house was built in 1935 and is a classical 1 ½ storey house. The living room is quite unique, with it’s 7 meter high, sloping ceiling at one end and a large, original window section, which opens towards the sunroom and the garden.

The remodeling, which has been a long time underway, is finally coming to an end. All that was still missing was the unique, pentagonal sunroom.

– It was quite important to me that the sunroom would match the rest of the interior decor. We have chosen a combination of silkfinish cement and wooden floors throughout the house, so it was an obvious choice to use the same cement for the floor in the sunroom.

– I think the cement looks stylish together with the old, dark mahogany window frames, says Lone monna.

The sunroom quickly became a favourite place:

– The room is absolutely fantastic and has heated floors so we can use it from early spring and well into autumn. We really enjoy using the sunroom both in our everyday life and when we have visitors.

PENTAGONAL PERFECTION

The sunroom has 5 window sections, and the 3 middle ones can be opened up completely to the garden. The windows provide a lot of light, which also benefits the adjacent living room. However, the abundance of light creates a need for sun blocking – and not always in the same place.

– Since sunlight floods the room most of the day, especially during summer, we really need to be able to block it when we eat, work etc. During winter it’s also nice to be able to close the curtains so you don’t see the dark garden.

– And so people can’t see you either, Lone Monna says with a shudder and a smile.

MORE THAN JUST A SUNROOM

A temporary solution was to use the old roman blinds which were already in the sunroom when Lone Monna and her husband took over the house. But the blinds didn’t sit well with Lone who works as a stylist and designer. And thus has beautiful interior design and good craftsmanship as her focal points.

With a pentagonal room however, it required some consideration to find a window treatment solution which was both functional and beautiful.

– I would like the sunroom to be elevated to more than just a sunroom. I wanted it to feel like an extension of the house, and be just as tastefully decorated. So I started thinking that curtains might be a beautiful and elegant solution.

– And the more my thoughts began to revolve around curtains, the more it seemed like the right solution. The curtains would give the room the elegant look I wanted and at the same time work as efficient protection from the sunlight, says Lone Monna.

CURTAIN DREAMS

But it wasn’t regular pleated curtains on classic curtain rods Lone Monna desired:

– I dreamt of having elegant, soft curtains, folding in beautiful ripples. They had to be light and airy, preferably with a textured weave, and at the same time they had to be able to block the sunlight.

– Another consideration was that the fabric had to be able to withstand the harsh rays of the sun without becoming bleached. Quite a lof of requirements for the curtain fabric, laughs Lone Monna.

Lone finally chose ‘Sivas Roomhigh Recycled’ from Danish Pagunette. A beautiful, textured, semi-transparent fabric, woven in 100% recycled polyester yarn.

THE TRACK MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

– To obtain the right look, I knew that the curtain track iself was really important, because it is the one thing that brings the curtain design together and completes the look.

– I was hoping for a single, long curtain track which would follow the shape of the windows, allowing the curtains to fall softly and elegantly. But I didn’t know if it could be done.

REUSED MATERIALS

Through her work as a stylist, Lone Monna had previously been in contact with Stilling and thus she approached us about a solution.

– Stilling created a single, long curtain track which follows the shape of the entire room, bent to fit each and every window section! This means that the curtains, which are mounted in 4 separate parts, can be moved freely. And that they provide the opportunity to block the light in different places throughout the day, explains Lone Monna.

Lone Monna chose an AP 2001 S curtain track. With its sleek and stylish appearance and perfect functionality it has been one of our most popular profiles for decades. A curtain track, which we are now producing in Hydro CIRCAL® 75 percent recycled aluminium.

Responsible decision-making

Like the shape and function of the curtain track, the colour was a conscious choice: Lone Monna chose our Super Silver, to match the soft greyish tones of the floor. A powder-coated colour which provides better gliding properties than an anodized silver colour. And at the same time has less impact on the environment.

– Probably not that many people are aware that you can choose responsible products when it comes to curtain tracks, but it was an obvious choice for me.

– In recent years, the biggest trend within the furniture and interior industry is to restructure production and the choice of materials towards responsible and sustainable design. I can only support that. This is the path we all have to take in order to preserve our beautiful planet.

– This is also why I have chosen a curtain fabric made from recycled materials, says Lone Monna.

THE PERFECT SOLUTION

The curtains are sewn with Stilling’s wave tape and wave gliders, which create the desired ripplefolds:

– My new curtains really have it all; they are functional and beautiful – and both curtains and tracks are made from reused materials. My sunroom now has a completely new look and exactly the elegant and soft feeling I was aiming for.

– The curtains are beautifully matching the floor, the window frames and the two large apple trees in the garden, which you can see through the windows.

– Even when the curtains are closed, you can sense the garden outside through the sheer fabric, and thus the room never feels small or cramped. It rather feels as if the outside surroundings are invited inside, Lone Monna concludes.

MORE ABOUT LONE MONNA

Lone Monna is trained as a fashion designer from the national Danish Design School. After many years in the fashion industry, she has now dedicated herself to the world of interior design.

Together with photographer Pernille Greve, she runs the agency Contact Copenhagen. They work with furniture and interior styling, advertising, visual expression and identity. Contact Copenhagen is particularly known for styling and photo assignments for interior magazines in Denmark and abroad with a focus on the latest news and trends.

In addition to styling for photoshoots, Lone Monna furnishes showrooms and curates exhibitions within the interior design industry.

In her free time, Lone Monna creates graphic design posters together with her daughter Liv and unique graphic works under the brand MONNA Studio.

Designer Lone Monna