His design philosophy is one now synonymous with the region, based on taking existing architectural norms and stripping these down to the most essential elements. In 2008, along with Kasper Rønn, he founded Copenhagen’s Norm Architects, a studio that, despite its name, has an output that intersects the creative fields. Anything from residential properties in Vedbæk (Jonas’ current home town, and coincidentally where we meet him), commercial designs in Milan to an elegant farm house ‘pavilion’ in Suffolk feature within their oeuvre. There are key unifying elements across this multidisciplinary output: simple shapes; natural materials like pale marble or coal-tinted wood; serene palettes, and a celebration of light—the quintessential Nordic touch.

Given his special appreciation for the idea of living with less, it’s no surprise that Jonas’ house on the shore at Vedbæk, a former fishing village north of the capital, seems strikingly simple. Yet, he insists that his home that he shares with his family and whose facade still belies its historic Tyrolean roots, isn’t minimal. “I actually don’t think that my home is that minimal. It is very harmonized, which may make it simple to look at,” he says.