Wood As Art

This Floor Has Carried Millions of Footsteps - And Some of the World’s Greatest Art

Tucked away on the northern coast of Zealand, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is one of Denmark’s most beloved cultural landmarks. But while most visitors come for the iconic sculptures and modern masterpieces - including one of the collection’s true gems, A Closer Grand Canyon (1998) by celebrated British artist David Hockney - few notice what lies beneath their feet: a floor that has quietly supported it all for decades.

Yes, the museum’s elegant atmosphere doesn’t just stem from its world-class collection and sea-facing gardens - it starts from the ground up. Beneath many of the exhibition halls - and notably in the museum’s concert hall, added in 1976 - lies a wooden floor supplied by Hørning. Not just any wood, but the rare and richly hued Panga Panga, a tropical hardwood known for its deep brown tone and almost graphic grain pattern.

The Architects Behind 

Danish architects Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert were commissioned by Louisiana’s founder, Knud W. Jensen, to bring his vision of a museum inspired by the emerging trends in timber architecture on the American West Coast during the 1950s, as well as traditional Japanese building techniques, to life. They translated and interpreted these influences into Louisiana’s distinctive, clear Nordic architectural style.

There is a sense of restraint and modesty in the original extension from 1958 and the subsequent additions made throughout the 1990s. Quietly, they follow the contours of the park’s terrain, incorporating wood and nature in a delicate interplay between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Central to their approach was the seamless integration of architecture and nature, where daylight was to play an active role in the exhibition spaces - fully surrounding sculptures, and more subtly and precisely adapted for paintings and graphic works, where large laminated timber overhangs filter the sunlight.

The materials are simple: deep red tiled floors, dark, warm panga panga wood flooring, and white-painted brick walls. This simplicity is enhanced by the wooden ceilings, which vary in pattern and reflect the function of each room.

The same simple choices and materials are echoed in the concert hall, added to the museum in 1976, where light wooden chairs designed by Poul Kjærholm form a beautiful contrast to the room’s dark, solid wooden floors.

The Art Beneath the Art

Installed as part of Louisiana’s original architectural vision, the floor plays a subtle but vital role in how visitors experience the space. Its muted darkness provides a calm counterpoint to bold works on display, while its durability ensures it withstands the endless rhythm of daily museum life.

And that’s no small feat. Since opening in 1958, Louisiana has welcomed millions of visitors. The Hørning floor has carried not just shoes - but stories, memories, and moments of awe. It’s a material witness to decades of artistic evolution, and part of what makes the museum feel both grounded and transcendent.

A Legacy in Wood

The use of Panga Panga was a thoughtful choice. Though no longer in our standard range, this wood speaks to a time when rare hardwoods were part of the design vocabulary of the era’s great architects. The flooring - most likely laid in classic design - was crafted from the finest raw material and precision-made in Denmark. It’s one of many examples found in our archived reference books, silent testaments to a proud legacy of craftsmanship.

More Than a Surface

To call it just a “floor” is to miss the point. In a museum like Louisiana, the architecture doesn’t merely house the art - it frames it, shapes it, and elevates it. The floor becomes part of the exhibition. It connects buildings and people. It absorbs the light from the Øresund and the quiet murmurs of visitors in reflection. It is a stage for creativity and a link between past and present.

As we look back through Hørning’s 100-year history, stories like this remind us why we do what we do. Great architecture isn’t just made of walls and roofs - it begins with the ground you walk on.

And sometimes, that ground is made of something truly extraordinary.

Photo by: Kim Hansen
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art