laura kofod
Allotment gardens initially helped to provide food for the city during times of crisis. After WWII, when these yields became less essential, urbanites continued to value the gardens for the more rustic existence associated with them. The 1950s saw a dramatic shift in Danish daily life, brought about by an unmitigated adoption of modernist functionalism. Architects such as Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl established a Danish design sensibility that continues to dominate the domestic realm, shaping interiors, ubiquitously slick and minimalist. It was during the 1950s that the allotment garden became valuable as a second home,
providing an outlet for more provincial and often garish tastes. Allotment garden sheds expanded within the limits imposed by the city (30-40 m 2 ) to accommodate a small family during the summer months. While still adhering to modern design sensibilities in their city homes, Danes came to view their houses in the allotment gardens as places to store crafts and antiques and as an opportunity to create colourfully themed rooms such as ‘Mexican Fiesta’ or ‘Arabian Nights’. In the metropolitan area of Copenhagen there are currently 30,000 garden plots run by 173 different allotment associations.
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laura kofod
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