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    Blobby sculpture functions as cash desk inside Rains’ Aarhus boutique

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    Rainwear brand Rains has juxtaposed minimalist restraint with free-form contemporary artworks inside its revamped flagship store in Aarhus, Denmark.

    The brand’s first-ever store, originally opened in 2016, was updated with the introduction of industrial touches such as graffiti and stainless steel hardware alongside custom works by local artists.
    “We want to tickle the customers’ curiosity,” Rains’ in-house design team told Dezeen.
    A blobby sculpture envelops the cash desk of this Rains storeAt the centre of the store, Danish artist Jacob Egebjerg played with the convention of the cash desk by creating a vast sculptural element to envelop this functional area.
    Carved from polystyrene foam, the sculpture resembles a cascade of liquid caught mid-splash, which tumbles from the recessed, illuminated ceiling down to the concrete floor in a nod to the brand’s waterproof rainwear.

    The sculpture was created by Danish artist Jacob Egebjerg”The store was the first Rains store ever and we really wanted to manifest that with an extraordinary installation,” the design team explained. “Egeberg was tasked with creating a work of art with an integrated desk that would attract the attention of passers-by.”
    “It brings a contrast to the clean shapes and surfaces of our point of sale,” the team added. “Our products are very clean, so to add contrasts to our stores, we use shapes and surfaces to create this duality.”
    It was carved from polystyrene foamAllowing Egebjerg’s sculpture to take centre stage, the rest of the store is an exercise in cool, restrained minimalism.
    Display cases are formed from industrial materials such as stainless steel and glass, chosen for its transparent qualities.
    “Your eye can see the full room and isn’t blocked by a non-see-through material,” the team explained. “The products are just floating in the room.”

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    Echoing the qualities of the glass and steel, the Rains team used large-format concrete tiles for the floor, creating a “modern, refined but still simple base for the sculpture”.
    Downstairs, in a rare concession to softness, the design team opted for a custom black carpet with a distressed patina effect – another nod to the industrial.
    “The carpet was chosen to give the white room a contrast and some more depth, while also providing some great acoustic benefits,” the design team explained. “The raw ‘scratchy’ print has been chosen to match the raw expression in the walls and ceiling.”
    Graffiti by Peter Birk covers the staircaseOn this level, a futuristic black display plinth was carved from the same polystyrene foam as the sculpture on the ground floor.
    Against a palette of greys and whites, colour leaps out in the form of another site-specific artwork: a graffiti-inspired piece that decorates the staircase, designed by Rains and realised by local artist Peter Birk.
    “When we work with external artists, we also let them express themselves so their personal style shines through,” the brand explained.
    Another styrofoam sculpture forms a display stand in the basementOther sculptural shop interiors featured on Dezeen include a swimwear pop-up by SKIMS with a three-tiered diving board at its heart and an “otherworldly” moss-covered installation at a luxury bag store in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
    The photography is by Rains.

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      Bunn Studio designs Garde Hvalsøe showroom to resemble grand apartment

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      New York practice Bunn Studio has revamped a furniture showroom set in a Renaissance building in Aarhus, Denmark, to look more like an apartment than a store.

      Designed for Danish cabinet maker Garde Hvalsøe, the showroom houses the brand’s signature handcrafted kitchens and walk-in wardrobes alongside a selection of furnishings.
      Garde Hvalsøe’s Aarhus showroom is set in a Renaissance buildingThe 600-square-metre space is split over two levels and six different rooms, including a bathroom and a kitchen set-up much like a real residence.
      Although not typically included in a cabinet maker’s showroom, these spaces are designed to help customers visualise the furniture in their own homes.
      The store is split across six rooms including a kitchen”The layout is built with elements from a classic American high-end apartment including an entrance slash kitchen, lounge area, and a bedroom slash self-care area,” Bunn Studio explained.

      The Renaissance building dates back to 1898 and features high ceilings, slender proportions and large windows that admit a warm ambient light.
      Modern furnishings are contrasted against hand-painted glass ceilingsBunn Studio, led by Louise Sigvardt and Marcus Hannibal, wanted to create a mellow and laid-back atmosphere in the space using this natural light as the starting point.
      “The aim of the design was to create a place where visitors can spend their entire day comfortably and that invites guests to slow down and become aware of the details that characterise Garde Hvalsøe furniture,” the practice said.
      A large vanity mirror sits at the end of the first floorNo doors separate the different rooms, enabling visitors to see straight from the first-floor entrance to the mirror at the opposite end of the showroom in one long, unbroken line.
      Garde Hvalsøe’s minimalist and contemporary designs, including beds and bathtubs, sit in contrast with the building’s original features such as ornamented columns, mouldings and hand-painted glass ceilings.

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      Bunn Studio selected a colour scheme to honour the existing features of the space, with the top of the walls painted in a dark chocolate brown.
      This makes the ceilings seem lower and creates a more intimate, cosy and domestic atmosphere, according to the practice.
      The top of the walls is painted in a dark chocolate brownThe earthy, natural colours of the columns and the walls are contrasted with lighter hues such as the shirting blue pinstripe of the bedding, the red Verona Rossa stone on the vanity table and the bright yellow lampshade that tops the floor lamp in the lounge.
      “We launched our first flagship showroom in Copenhagen in 2019 and opening our redesigned secondary space in Aarhus is an exciting progression for us,” commented Garde Hvalsøe founder Søren Hvalsøe Garde.
      “Bunn Studio has designed a bright and beautiful space where we can truly showcase our craftsmanship, our holistic approach to design and our quest for exquisite quality.”
      The showroom also features a bathroom set-upBunn Studio was also responsible for the design of the first standalone Copenhagen showroom from Danish furniture brand Brdr Krüger, which references the history of both the company and the location.
      The photography is by Michael Rygaard.

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      in Rooms

      Krøyer & Gatten celebrates the 1960s and 70s in design for Aarhus restaurant Substans

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      Michelin-starred Aarhus restaurant Substans has moved to a new harbour-side location, designed by local studio Krøyer & Gatten to feel like a Danish home from 50 years ago.The new Substans, which opened in mid-2019, is located on the 11th floor of a new block in the docklands area of Aarhus, Denmark.

      Substans is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Aarhus
      The restaurant, owned by chef René Mammen and his wife Louise, serves Nordic-style cuisine. But there is no à la carte menu – diners are instead served tasting menus filled with highly technical dishes.
      Krøyer & Gatten, which specialises in both architecture and carpentry,  designed the interior of the new space with a similar approach, aiming to celebrate Danish design heritage but to give it a contemporary twist.

      The design takes its cues from residential interiors of the 1960s and 70s

      Studio co-founder Kristian Gatten said they did this by referencing interior design from the 1960s and 70s.
      “The idea behind the interior was to create a cosy intimate space,” he told Dezeen, “with inspiration from architects such as Friis and Moltke, Alvar Aalto and Jørgen Bækmark.”

      The simple materials palette includes oak, bricks and ceramic tiles
      Gatten and partner Philip Krøyer chose materials that are both retro and humble, with distinct references to traditional home interiors. For example, the kitchen features simple brown tiles, while the terrazzo-topped bar is made from white-painted brickwork.
      The dining room is designed to feel simple but homely, with oak flooring, pale curtains and wooden furniture.

      The aim was to create the right atmosphere to accompany the food
      “Visiting a Michelin restaurant should be a holistic experience,” said Gatten, “an experience with great food and wine, but also a great atmosphere and interior/spatial experience.”
      The key to achieving this, he said, was in “creating small stories and spatial experiences within the restaurant”.

      A shelving grid creates the feeling of a pantry in one area
      This meant that the dining space was divided into four zones, each with its own domestic-inspired design concept: the entrance, the pantry, the kitchen and the dining room.
      The entrance space is designed to feel welcoming, with the oak door and slatted wall offering a distinct change in material from the raw concrete of the lobby before it.

      Shelves are dotted with jars of food, wine glasses and plants
      The pantry, which forms the first section of the dining room, is flanked by a large wooden shelving grid, dotted with jars of dried and preserved food, wine glasses and plants.

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      The kitchen area, which includes the bar and the tables in front, has an open and casual feel, because diners are able to see their food and drinks being prepared. By contrast, the dining room at the rear is more secluded.

      Krøyer & Gatten designed and built most of the solid oak furniture pieces
      Krøyer & Gatten designed and built many of the Substans furniture pieces, including round tables covered with blue linoleum, simple bench seats and curve-backed chairs.
      These solid oak pieces all have visible fixings, so that they could be easily repaired or disassembled in the future.

      Visible fixings allow these pieces to be easily repaired or disassembled
      These are complemented by classic pieces, including pendant lights designed by Poul Henningsen in the 1950s and a set of chairs designed by JL Møllers Møbelfabrik in 1962, which were manufactured locally.
      Photography is by Martin Gravgaard.

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