Svenstrup Gård

From Canteen to Café – A Healing Space at Svenstrupgård

A collaboration between an artist and a designer creates calm, dignity, and Nordic harmony – with Forbo as an active partner.
When you step into the new café at Svenstrupgård Care Home, you immediately feel a change. Where there was once a traditional canteen, a warm and serene gathering place has now been created – a space where aesthetics, functionality, and care go hand in hand.
The project is part of Aalborg Municipality’s initiative aimed at improving residents’ well-being and quality of life through enhanced physical surroundings. The café is intended to function as both a workplace, a retreat, and the heart of the house – a place where people can meet, withdraw, and find calm.
The new interior was designed by architect and spatial designer Christine Just and artist, psychologist, and photographer Maria Ellermann. Through close collaboration, they have combined functional design with artistic decoration to create a holistic, rehabilitative environment.

A Space Designed for Calm and Presence

When Christine Just and Maria Ellermann first entered the old canteen space, their goal was clear: to create an environment that supports both daily operations and human well-being.
"We wanted to transform the canteen into a place people want to be – a place that radiates warmth and familiarity," says Christine Just.
With custom-designed benches and room dividers, an integrated water station, and soft materials, Christine created a design that structures the space without confining it. Small zones and cozy corners provide opportunities for both social interaction and introspection – an essential element in an environment where calm and clarity are crucial for the residents’ daily lives.

Nordic Harmony – Nature as a Healing Motif

Running as a visual thread throughout the café is the artistic floor design “Nordic Harmony”, created by Maria Ellermann in collaboration with Forbo Flooring.
The decoration is a fusion of Danish and Greenlandic nature and wildlife – an interpretation of the colors, light, and movements of the North.
"I wanted to create a floor surface that feels like a patchwork of nature, animals, and Nordic patterns inspired by historical garments, animal skins, jewelry, and weapons," explains Maria Ellermann.
"A space you can move through and find calm in – like a gentle rhythm under your feet. It’s about grounding and bringing the tranquility of nature into everyday life."
With Forbo’s durable and eco-friendly materials, the vision became reality. The unique pattern unites the room and supports the idea of rehabilitative aesthetics – a harmony of form, color, and feeling that impacts both body and mind.
The design process began as a hand-drawn piece, later digitally refined in close dialogue with Forbo so that the pattern, color depth, and material choices could retain the handcrafted expression.
The color palette ranges from cool blue-green tones inspired by ice and sea to warm sand and ochre shades referencing earth and moss. The result is a floor that both reflects Nordic nature and creates sensory calm in the space.

A Collaborative Project with People at the Center

The Svenstrupgård project is an example of how design and art can play an active role in social and psychological rehabilitation.
As director Dennis Lindhardt wrote at the opening:
"I am curious whether the new physical surroundings will change how the space is used. Will more people use the café – and in different ways? Could it contribute to fewer conflicts and better stays? We will know more in a few years."
These questions point to a central idea: physical design can create new social patterns. Aesthetics can be a quiet form of care.

A Space That Matters in Everyday Life

At the opening, one resident said the café already felt different from the old canteen:
"It’s like you want to stay a little longer. It feels more like a place you want to be – not just eat and leave."
Aalborg Municipality’s head of social services also emphasized the importance of physical surroundings for well-being and rehabilitation:
"This project shows what happens when we dare to think of people in architecture. A beautiful environment can create calm, energy, and community – and that is exactly what has been achieved here at Svenstrupgård."
Facts
• Project: Café Svenstrupgård – part of Housing Life for the Homeless
• Location: Svenstrupgård Care Home, Aalborg Municipality
• Art and Concept: Nordic Harmony by Maria Ellermann
• Design and Furnishing: Christine Just
• Flooring Manufacturer: Forbo Flooring
• Management: Dennis Lindhardt
• Opening: 2025