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    Collaborative Kinship exhibition showcases oak-and-terrazzo furniture

    Designer Birgitte Due Madsen, architect Anne Dorthe Vester and curator Henriette Noermark have launched an exhibition of marble, resin and wood furniture designed to explore collaboration.

    Kinship, which opened at the Alice Folker gallery in Copenhagen during the 3 Days of Design festival, showcases 18 designs that utilise terrazzo, wood, metal, resin, marble and glass.
    The exhibition was informed by existing works by Madsen and Vester, including the Lucid resin chair by Madsen and the Vitrine ash-and-steel wall hanging artworks by Vester, which are also on display in the space.
    Kinship showcased 18 furniture and design objects”As a group of three individuals who thrive in collaborative environments, it was natural for us to come together for this collaboration,” the collective told Dezeen.
    “We wanted to explore collaboration while focusing on our individual strengths, existing work, and experiences. Each of us brings different skill sets, backgrounds and practices, which we wanted to showcase in this exhibition,” the trio added.

    “The exhibition delves into the exploration of collaboration by placing a spotlight on the individuals involved.”
    Three terrazzo chairs were made in collaboration by Madsen, Vester and NoermarkIn the spirit of collaboration, the exhibitors designed three terrazzo and oak chairs together especially for the Kinship exhibition.
    These were made using wood supplied by Danish flooring company Dinesen.

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    Located in the centre of the gallery’s second room, the terrazzo bases of the chairs mimic each other in shape, with the wooden slats placed on different angles of the base.
    The terrazzo used was made from glass waste, recycled bricks and concrete to reduce the CO2 emissions generated when creating the material, the gallery said.
    The exhibition is on display at the Alice Folker gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark”The design process for the terrazzo chairs stemmed from the idea of experimenting with direct collaboration. We used Birgitte and Anne Dorthe’s previous works as a foundation to create a new collective collection,” the trio explained.
    “The chairs were designed with a consistent aesthetic and visual language that is reflected in our shared terrazzo furniture,” it added.
    “The intertwining of practices creates a cohesive display that showcases direct references to the slats found in Anne Dorthe’s pieces and the semicircular strokes seen in Birgitte’s works.”
    The exhibition was on display during Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design festivalSurrounding the chairs, Madsen’s series of circular Neon Cast lights are displayed on her Breton marble cubes. The gypsum and glass lights come in shades of green, blue, pink, red and purple.
    Two additional neon lights hang on the walls of the gallery, each designed with a horizontal or vertical stripe of neon running through the similarly designed circular light.
    The exhibition uses materials such as terrazzo, resin, marble, wood, metal and glassThe four Breton cubes, named after sailors’ shirts originally designed to be functional, explore both form and function. The cubes feature uniform horizontal, vertical or diagonal stripes of marble, each with its own veiny pattern in green, pink and brown.
    Also at this year’s 3 Days of Design, Christian + Jade partnered with Dinesen to present the Weight of Wood exhibition and Tableau showed sculptural wooden furniture by Vaarnii.
    The photography is courtesy of Birgitte Due Madsen.
    Kinship is on show from 2 June to 29 July 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the event, plus a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Norm Architects devises understated HQ for children's lifestyle brand Liewood

    A refined palette of oak, plaster and steel defines the interior of the Liewood headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by local practice Norm Architects.

    The pared-back 2,200-square-metre office was conceived to give prominence to Liewood’s colourful, Scandi-style children’s clothes, toys and homeware.
    Norm Architects has completed Liewood’s Copenhagen headquarters”With the ambition to create a comfortable space with a somewhat understated character, we worked to let the space obtain its significance through the thoughtful use of tactile elements such as textured plaster walls and contrasting elements like oakwood and steel,” explained Sofie Bak, an architect at the practice.
    Staff enter the five-floor office via an airy light-filled lobby that is anchored by a rounded counter, roughly washed with sandy-beige plaster.
    Plaster podiums provide display space on the first floorCone-shaped pendant lights are strung along the ceiling while oversized stone tiles are laid across the floor, helping to “emphasise the grandeur” of the space.

    A pre-existing staircase curves up to the first floor, which accommodates a showroom. This part of the building formerly served as a production hall, with a vast scale that could easily feel empty and unwelcoming, according to Norm Architects.
    At mealtimes, staff can gather in The ParlourTo counter this, the practice constructed what it describes as a “warm wooden core” – a house-shaped oakwood volume with built-in shelves for showcasing Liewood’s products.
    Large, plaster-coated display plinths are dotted across the rest of the room. At the back is a short flight of wide, wooden stairs where staff can sit and chat throughout the day.

    Norm Architects creates warm yet minimalist interior for Y9 sailing yacht

    More products can also be presented here on bespoke podiums that, thanks to cut-outs at their base, are able to slot onto the steps.
    The building’s first floor also contains The Parlour – a kitchen and dining area where Liewood employees can enjoy meals together. It features a large travertine table, a series of plump grey sofas and graphic art pieces by the Danish designer Sara Martinsen.
    Traditional work areas can be found across the rest of the HQWork areas throughout the rest of the HQ are furnished with practical desks and storage units that match the off-white walls, while meeting rooms are fronted with panes of glass to foster a sense of openness.
    As the building’s original staircase didn’t extend all the way to the fifth floor, Norm Architects installed a spiralling set of white-steel steps.
    These grant access to a space the practice refers to as The Apartment: a secondary showroom designed to have a more intimate, homely feel.
    The top floor accommodates The Apartment, a more intimate showroomElsewhere, Norm Architects recently took its minimalist aesthetic off-shore when designing the interiors of the Y9 sailing yacht, decked out with supple suede furnishings and wood-panelled surfaces.
    The photography is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen of Norm Architects.

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    Johannes Torpe Studio creates “hedonistic” restaurant in Copenhagen

    Danish design studio Johannes Torpe Studio added natural materials and metallic accents to the interior of Copenhagen restaurant Levi, which was informed by Italian and Japanese cuisine.

    Designed by Johannes Torpe Studio in collaboration with restauranteur Copenhagen Consepts, The Levi restaurant was created as a tribute to Italian grappa distillery Romano Levi.
    Organically-shaped chrome wall lights create an accent wall”Romano Levi was the inspiration behind the concept of creating the hedonistic atmosphere, which the restaurant invites to enjoy,” studio founder Johannes Torpe told Dezeen.
    “We also used his drawings as a foundation and inspiration to create the logo, brand colours, menu and livery paper textures, as well as when choosing the tableware and cutlery.”
    The bar has a green marble countertopDescribed by the studio as “daring and lively”, the interior design aims to create an indulgent setting that reflects the restaurant’s fusion menu.

    Johannes Torpe Studio added a U-shaped bar at the entrance of the restaurant, which features a green marble counter topped with a polished stainless steel glass rack and conical uplights.
    “We are very much in love with the classic Milanese restaurants, where the whole atmosphere is hedonistic, and everything starts in the bar with an aperitif,” Torpe said.

    Elements inside Copenhagen restaurant Hverdagen are made from a single Douglas fir tree

    Custom-made chrome wall lights with organic shapes create an accent wall, designed to add a playful juxtaposition to the natural finish of the larch wood used for built-in furniture and to cover beams and columns.
    Terrazzo flooring in shades of cream, green and deep green was arranged in geometric patterns to help define seating areas.
    Larch wood clads the beams and columns”There is no doubt that the use of chrome elements on the bar, walls, tables, and chairs with wool fabrics is a sharp contrast to the plasterwork around the kitchen area, as well as the consecutively used deep brushed larch wood that is going through the whole restaurant,” said Torpe.
    “The combination of these materials adds a warm and soft element that has Japanese as well as Danish design roots,” he added.
    “We aspire to guests getting the feeling of being in a third space, a feeling of travelling, a break from everyday life and giving that immersive experience a great restaurant should do.”
    The bathroom was finished in peach coloursAlongside the restaurant, the bathrooms were finished in monochrome peach tones with strip lighting around the ceiling perimeter highlighting the ribbed surface of the walls.
    Other restaurants completed in Copenhagen include a cosy Michelin-starred restaurant finished in dark earthy tones and an eatery with furnishings and fixtures made from Douglas fir wood.
    The photography is by Alastair Philip Wiper.

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    Pihlmann Architects creates sleek brewery in former Copenhagen slaughterhouse

    Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar.

    Located in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early 1990s.
    Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building’s original blue-rimmed doorsPihlmann Architects maintained and restored many of the slaughterhouse’s original features as part of the renovation for Danish beer company ÅBEN.
    “Turning the space back into a food production facility, with all the pragmatic measures we had to keep in mind, generated our ideas from the very beginning,” studio founder Søren Pihlmann told Dezeen. “Bringing back the authentic character of the space was key.”
    Conical steel fermentation vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hangArranged across one open-plan level, the brewery features the original gridded rail system from which 980 carcasses used to hang when the space was a slaughterhouse.

    Pihlmann Architects replaced the carcasses with conical fermentation tanks that are reached via a low-hanging galvanised steel walkway – also suspended from the listed building’s original sawtooth roof.
    Pihlmann Architects was led by the building’s industrial historyGeometric clusters of white wall tiles that have been preserved since the 1930s were also kept in place, echoing the brewery’s original purpose.
    “Bringing the key elements back to a worthy condition was more of a task than deciding on which [elements] to keep,” noted Pihlmann.
    Semitransparent curtains divide spaces and control acousticsSpaces are delineated by slaughterhouse-style semitransparent curtains, which cloak various dining areas that are positioned around the restaurant’s central open kitchen where visitors can experience the brewing process up close.
    Furniture was kept simple and “unfussy” in order to emphasise the restaurant’s industrial elements, including angular chairs and bar stools finished in aluminium and wood.
    “The [material and colour] palettes are true to function on the one hand and [true to] history on the other,” said Pihlmann.

    Crimson red flooring runs throughout the brewery, which was in place when the building was purchased. It was maintained to add warmth to the otherwise clinical interiors.
    At night, the restaurant’s electric light absorbs this colour and reflects from the fermentation tanks, creating a more intimate environment.
    A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stoolsMaking the food production processes visible was at the core of the design concept, according to the architecture studio.
    “It’s not only about the preparation of the food, it’s more about the brewing taking place,” continued Pihlmann.
    “The space which produces thousands of litres every day is open for everyone to step into, and actually see how and where the product they consume is produced.”

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    “Today, we are so detached from what we consume, we just go to the supermarket and pick it up from the cold counter having no clue where it’s coming from,” he added.
    “I’m not that naive to think that ÅBEN alone will change anything, but I’m convinced that it’s important to change this detachment.”
    The slaughterhouse’s original white tiles were preservedPihlmann described his favourite aspect of the project as “how the elements we’ve added both submit to and utilise the existing space, not just visually but also through their structural function”.
    “The building is built to carry a huge load,” he reflected. “Back then, it was tonnes of dead meat. Today, it’s enormous serving tanks from the ceiling.”
    Founded in 2021, Pihlmann Architects was included in our list of 15 up-and-coming Copenhagen architecture studios compiled to mark the city being named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023.
    Previous slaughterhouse conversions include a training school for chefs in Spain that was once used to butcher meat and a cultural centre in Portugal that is currently being developed by Kengo Kuma and OODA.
    The photography is by Hampus Berndtson.

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    MEE Studio creates wood-and-copper interior for cafe in former church in Copenhagen

    Architecture firm MEE Studio has designed the interiors and bespoke wooden furniture for a cafe and boutique in the Nikolaj Kunsthal art gallery within an old church.

    The municipality-run gallery, which is set in a deconsecrated church in central Copenhagen, asked MEE Studio to design a “lively and functional” space.
    Before designing the interior spaces, which feature warm and tactile materials such as copper and wood, the rooms in Nikolaj Kunsthal first had to be restored.
    The gallery is located in a former church”The spaces had been used for various purposes since the 1980s including art installations and other changing uses,” MEE Studio founder Morten Emil Engel told Dezeen.
    “This has left the spaces with remnants of ad-hoc electrical wiring, bricked-up arches, blocked-off windows and arbitrary lighting. Additionally, there was no water supply or plumbing in the spaces that now have the cafe.”

    The studio reestablished the grand door and window openings in the space and replaced the old acrylic paint with breathable lime-based paint, while also adding acoustic plaster to improve the acoustics of the spaces.
    Untreated copper was used as a backsplash for the barAt the centre of the cafe, Engel created a long bar that also functions as a ticket counter and is made from solid oak wood.
    Wood was also used for all the other furniture, including benches, tables and sculptural shelves, which Engel designed specifically for the project using European oak from sustainable forestry.
    “I wanted the benches to reference church benches – a bit chunky and heavy,” he said. “The church architecture is very robust with the church tower having two-metre thick walls. So the furniture had to have some substance to them.”
    The furniture complements the “robust” church architectureEngel also aimed to give the pieces a contemporary feel by fusing their “heavy look” with more contemporary elements.
    “All the furniture has visible joinery and tectonics in fumed oak, which allows the user to see how they are made and assembled,” he said.
    “I added some decorative inlays in the bar counter and boutique shelves. Inlays were traditionally used as a way of repairing wood and I wanted to symbolise that repair can be beautiful and sustainable,” he added.
    “In this way, it is sending the message that the furniture should have a long life and be repaired if it ages.”
    Artworks decorate the walls, here Pull by Martha HviidBehind the central bar, a copper backsplash adds an eyecatching material detail together with the matching sink and worktops, which were designed in reference to the roof of the old church.
    “As many traditional buildings in Copenhagen, the roof of St Nikolaj Church is made with traditional copper roofing, which has aged to a rich green patina over time,” Engel said.
    “I wanted to reference the existing material palate of the church but use it in a new way. So the kitchen features worktops, sinks and backsplash in raw untreated copper, which will evolve beautifully with time.”
    Lime-based paint was used for the wallsThe white walls of the cafe and store were contrasted with not just the copper and wood but also a burgundy red fabric designed by fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat, which was used for the cushions and backs of the sofas and chairs.
    The colour was a nod to some of the space’s original colour but could also help disguise red wine spills in the cafe.
    “Oakwood was already used throughout the church so it seemed natural to use oak as a material,” Engel explained.

    OEO Studio uses materials in a “playful way” for Designmuseum Denmark cafe and shop

    “There was also the burgundy red paint which had been used originally for some woodwork, for instance, the stairs in the tower and the ceiling in what is now the cafe,” he added.
    “So it seems natural to work with an interpretation of the burgundy red for the color of the cushions. I matched the burgundy red to a fantastic Kvadrat textile designed by Raf Simons and it worked in providing vibrancy, but also as a practical colour in a cafe where red wine is served.”
    Red fabric was used for the seating, with the artwork Mercury (socks) hanging aboveAs well as the bespoke furniture pieces, the space was also decorated with carefully chosen artworks that have ties to the city of Copenhagen.
    “Mercury (socks) is a photograph by the famous Danish/Norwegian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset from a series of classical sculptures by the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen,” Engel explained.
    “The Thorvaldsen Museum is located only a few minutes away from Nikolaj Kunsthal, so the work relates both to art from the 19th century and contemporary art from the 21st century which is what you find in Nikolaj Kunsthal.”
    Other recent interior projects in Copenhagen include Space10’s headquarters, which has a kiosk-like design library, and the cafe and shop design for Designmuseum Denmark by OEO Studio.
    The photography is by Paolo Galgani.

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    Designmuseum Denmark exhibition asks visitors to “think about what kind of future we want”

    Designmuseum Denmark has looked at how design can shape the future through its The Future is Present exhibition, which features projects including a tubular chandelier made from cow intestines.

    Presented at Copenhagen’s recently renovated Designmuseum, the exhibition showcases a range of “speculative and suggestive” works that examine four themes titled Human, Society, Planet+ and Imagining the Future.
    The MYX Chair is a mycelium and hemp chair that has “grown” itself”Design is very much a forward-looking profession,” said exhibition curator Pernille Stockmarr. “It’s about changing the existing into something better – and what we do in the present creates the future.”
    “Living in a time with major global challenges, this exhibition wants to invite people to see and reflect on the different potentials of design in this transformation and encourage them to think about what kind of future we want,” she told Dezeen.
    100 metres of cow intestines were used to make the Inside Out chandelierAmong the pieces on show is Inside Out, a chandelier-style lamp made from 100 metres of knotted cow intestines extracted from eight cows. Designer Kathrine Barbro Bendixen aimed to explore how byproducts can be used to rethink patterns of material consumption.

    Faroe Islands-based fashion brand Guðrun & Guðrun created Vindur, a ruffled dress with exaggerated bell sleeves made of woven silk and machine-knitted milk yarn sourced from dairy production waste.
    The brand worked with textile designers Amalie Ege and Charlotte Christensen and Lifestyle & Design Clusters to create the garment, which was made using a “traditional technique used during the inter-war period when resources were in short supply and waste was transformed into value,” according to the Designmuseum.
    A group of designers created a dress made from dairy wasteMore conceptual works include Beyond Life, a collection of biodegradable paper foam urns by designer Pia Galschiødt Bentzen with detachable pendants containing seeds that can be grown.
    “Beyond Life unites death, loss, and remembrance with the awareness that we humans are part of nature’s endless circle of life,” said Stockmarr.
    Also on show is Library of Change, a “map” of dangling acrylic foil cards charting current trends and technologies, inscribed with questions for visitors such as “would you leave the city for better connection?”
    Beyond Life is a collection of biodegradable paper foam urnsStockmarr explained that the exhibition aims to communicate “the breadth of design” by including works that vary in scale, purpose and medium.
    “Their ability to inspire, start conversations and make visitors reflect was a priority,” she said.
    “I didn’t want the works to be too-defined solutions for the future, extreme sci-fi visions, utopias or dystopias, but exploratory works. Some are collaborative research projects and others provide foresight into design methods, handicrafts and creative experiments.”
    Library of Change is a project that encourages visitors to question the future of designAlongside the various projects in the exhibition, artefacts from the Designmuseum’s own archive that highlight past ideas for the future are also on display.
    One of these designs is the three-wheeled vehicle Ellert, Denmark’s first electric car developed in the 1980s by engineer Steen Volmer Jensen.
    Ellert was Denmark’s first electric carLocal studio Spacon & X created the exhibition design for The Future is Present with the aim of reflecting its themes.
    The studio delineated the show’s various zones using modular bioplastic dividers that snake through the exhibition space and worked with natural materials including eelgrass, which was used to create acoustic mats to manage noise in the museum.
    Objects are arranged on custom tables and plinths made in collaboration with sustainable material manufacturer Søuld, while Natural Material Studio created a mycelium daybed for the show.

    OEO Studio uses materials in a “playful way” for Designmuseum Denmark cafe and shop

    Stockmarr explained that the show is meant to be a call to action and empower people to reflect on their individual roles in determining the future of design.
    “By asking more questions than giving answers the exhibition wants to inspire visitors,” reflected the curator.
    “The show acknowledges that it is not only designers, architects, craftspeople and experts, but all of us who are participating in shaping and designing the future by the questions we ask and the choices and actions we take today.”
    The Future is Present was designed by Spacon & X to be an immersive experienceSimilar recent exhibitions that explored the climate impact of materials include a show at Stockholm Furniture Fair that visualised the carbon emissions of common materials such as concrete and The Waste Age – a London exhibition that addressed how design has contributed to the rise of throwaway culture.
    The Future is Present is on display at Designmuseum Denmark from 19 June 2022 to 1 June 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Snøhetta combines clay and oak in minimalist Holzweiler store

    Architecture practice Snøhetta stuck to natural materials for the fit-out of the Holzweiler boutique in Copenhagen, incorporating subtle references to the fashion brand’s Norwegian heritage.

    Snøhetta is a long-term collaborator of Holzweiler’s, having designed the company’s flagship store and showroom in Oslo, as well as a number of its pop-up shops, runway sets and its digital identity.
    Snøhetta has designed Holzweiler’s Copenhagen outpostFor Holzweiler’s first international outpost in Copenhagen, Snøhetta followed the concept of “tracing” – devising an interior scheme that shows traces of the brand’s Norwegian roots alongside the minimalist aesthetic found in its previous retail spaces.
    “Reminiscent of a memory or feeling that remains, the idea of ‘traces’ evokes an emotional sense of the brand’s beloved heritage as it travels to a new city,” the practice said.
    A clay sculpture by Ingeborg Riseng sits at the heart of the storeAt the centre of the 100-square-metre store is a tall, hollow sculpture by Norwegian artist Ingeborg Riseng, which shoppers can step into. Its undulating outer walls are fitted with display shelves and coated in a smooth layer of clay, while the inside has a rough, craggy surface.

    An oakwood display plinth winds its way around the periphery of the store, eventually connecting to a curved timber partition at the rear of the floor plan.
    Around the edge of the store is an oak display plinthBehind the wall lies a changing area with cubicles and curtains created by Danish textile design studio Tronhjem Rømer.
    The fabric is digitally printed with subtle yellow and pale blue stripes, designed to evoke the shifting shades of the Norwegian sky.

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    To contrast the store’s largely natural material palette, Snøhetta added some industrial-style finishing touches like metal clothing rails and custom strip lighting, developed by Swedish brand Ateljé Lyktan.
    Both the floors and ceilings were preserved from the store’s previous fit-out.
    Garments hang from steel railsOther recent projects by Snøhetta include Bolder Star Lodges, a quartet of wooden cabins that overlook a fjord in Norway.
    Meanwhile in Denmark, the practice employed boat construction techniques to create a timber community centre in Esbjerg.
    The photography is by Magnus Nordstrand, courtesy of Snøhetta and Holzweiler.

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    Space10 invites public into its Copenhagen HQ with kiosk-like design library

    IKEA’s innovation lab Space10 has worked with interior designers Spacon & X to transform the ground floor of its headquarters into a library and community space, with a look that is meant to recall a simple kiosk.

    Located in a former fish factory in the city’s Meatpacking District, Space10’s offices now include a library of 100 future-focused books, a snack bar and a design shop, alongside an existing gallery and event space.
    While the ground floor was already used for community-facing events, Space10 set out to expand the offering beyond “temporary” interactions and create a space that people could access at their leisure all day.
    A library, snack bar and design shop have been added to the ground floor of Space10’s Copenhagen headquarters”We wanted the ground floor to play a much stronger role in our mission to involve the many and diversify our perspectives,” Space10 designer Kevin Curran told Dezeen.
    “By opening a new library for the public, we suddenly have a space that feels alive, warm and welcoming, and it lets visitors spend as much time here as they like and explore Space10 on a daily basis.”

    The studio worked with its long-time collaborators Spacon & X on the interior design, which references kiosks and particularly the newsstands of New York to create an accessible setting.
    The design of the space was informed by newsstands with their racks of magazinesAccording to Spacon & X co-founder Svend Jacob Pedersen, the aim was to create a welcoming space where “nothing should be too curated or feel precious”.
    “It was important for us to work with understated but recognisable cultural symbols through materials and form so that the project itself encourages interaction and is perceived as public,” Pedersen said.
    The space is intended to be open to the public all day”From the beginning, the classic New York newsstand was a big inspiration as its layered setup with only the magazine’s headline and title visible piques curiosity and almost demands visitors to pick them up and browse,” Pedersen continued.
    “Furthermore, you can pick up a soft drink from the fridge, a souvenir cup from the shelves or some gum at the counter – an informal invitation to stay and browse.”
    This approach extended to the furniture choices, which blend custom pieces with more everyday designs, along with playful accessories such as metal pencil trays that recall hot dog holders.
    Accessories shaped like hot dog holders help to recall the kiosk environment”We shopped generic, almost iconic, cafe aluminum chairs and tables that many will recognise from their preferred kebab joint or touristy cafe, almost as an universal welcome sign,” said Pedersen.
    Among the custom pieces are shelves and seating with wooden cylindrical frames held together by looped steel joinery. The joinery is typically used to partition cattle farms and was partly chosen to reference the building’s location in the Meatpacking District, where meat businesses were formerly based.
    The steel joinery was fabricated for the cattle industry, where it is used for partitioningThe modular shelving for the library is finished with bright fabric pockets made of Hallingdal 65, a blend from Danish company Kvadrat with wool for durability and viscose for brilliance.
    At the centre of the kiosk space is Spacon & X’s industrial-looking Super Super table, made of sheets of bolted aluminium, and suspended above it is a custom lighting design made of upcycled office ceiling lights set in a wooden frame.

    Space10 proposes linking NFTs to furniture to encourage better care

    The studios chose materials and furnishings with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of transportation and supporting the local economy, selecting metal for its durability and aluminium in particular for its recyclability.
    They also sought to cultivate an aesthetic that could be replicated at Space10 projects around the world with local and preferably upcycled materials.
    Upcycled materials have been used to make elements such as a wooden suspended lighting featureThe library at the space features 100 books curated by Space10 on the subject of how to build a better future for people and the planet. These will be supplemented with titles put forward by guest curators and the community.
    The building also includes two private floors for the Space10 team — an upper office area and a basement fabrication laboratory and tech studio.
    Space10 will open the doors of the ground floor to the public on January 26. It plans to host two exhibitions each year and keep all its events free to attend.
    The library features 100 titles chosen by Space10 for their ideas about designing for the futureSpace10 and Spacon & X have worked together since 2015, when Spacon & X designed the first version of Space10’s office. They later updated those offices together in 2019 to move away from an open-plan design.
    Space10 works “with and for IKEA”, functioning as an independent innovation lab whose research feeds into the brand’s future planning.
    Its recent projects have included the Carbon Banks NFT concept designed to inspire better care for furniture and the Updatables concept for upcycling furniture using artificial intelligence.
    Photography is by Seth Nicholas.

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