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Danish interior design brand Hay has completed the renovation and expansion of its shop in central Copenhagen, Hay House 2.0, which has been given a colourful update by the company’s in-house team and now also holds a showroom and an events space. More
Danish homeware brand Vipp has expanded into food by creating a venue for pop-up supper clubs inside the former Viking pencil factory in Copenhagen. More
The minimalist, utilitarian interior of this store in Copenhagen by local studio Aspekt Office provides a neutral backdrop for the colourful clothing and homeware that it sells.Located on Niels Hemmingens Gade where it meets the city’s pedestrian shopping street Strøget, the OCE concept store occupies a building that dates back to 1736.
Products are displayed across white and coral-coloured shelves in the home department
OCE stands for objects, clothes and experiences, in reference to what’s on offer in the lifestyle brand’s roughly 50 Chinese stores and its growing number of European outposts.
Terkel Skou Steffensen and Hans Toft Hornemann of Aspekt Office were asked to create an interior for the brand’s Copenhagen store that would help to attract Scandinavian customers.
The steel storage units blend in with the white walls
“The design requirements for the new store were clear and concise,” said the studio, which has provided creative direction for OCE for several years.
“OCE wanted us to create a Nordic atmosphere and add a Scandinavian look, feel and expression to their brand, to be able to attract Scandinavian costumers. That was paramount.”
An oak-panelled service counter provides visual warmth within the otherwise industrial space
The studio decided to divide the store into different zones, one dedicated to fashion and the other to homeware.
Upon entering at ground floor level, customers are greeted by an oak service counter that provides a warm counterpoint to the all-white interior while effectively splitting the area in two.
Clothing is hung on simple white rails
“In general, we have worked with as few colours as possible to make [OCE’s] colourful products stand out and take the primary focus,” said Steffensen and Hornemann.
“To obtain the essential Scandinavian look and feel, we have worked with carefully selected materials. Scandinavian design is a design movement characterised by simplicity, minimalism, functionality and beauty, and we had to mirror that in OCE’s new store.”
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In the home department to the right of the counter, the interior was kept “sterile and raw”, with products displayed on simple white and coral-coloured steel shelves.
On the other side, the fashion department sees clothing hung on white steel rails and changing rooms concealed behind grey wool curtains. A grey linoleum floor, designed to resemble concrete, was used throughout to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere.
Grey wool curtains separate the changing rooms
Several of the shop’s display tables are topped with a speckled, terrazzo-like material that is created from recycled yoghurt pots by UK company Smile Plastics.
“Since the store is very small and compact, we made it our mission to utilise even the tiniest little corner,” explained the studio, which has transformed the previously unused space under the stairs into an exhibition area with built-in shelving.
“In this way, we highlight the stairs of the store and lead people to the first floor.”
A staircase with traditional turned wood spindles was painted white
The store’s minimal white interior was also designed to be respectful to the surrounding architecture.
“The store is located in a pedestrian area, surrounded by historical buildings with bricks facades and stucco decorations,” the studio explained.
“Another common feature of these buildings are the large, high windows that allow in as much light as possible, but also allow you to see the beautiful surrounding edifices,” it added.
“We wanted the shop to have a look that blends in homogeneously, no dramatic pops of colour, no discontinuity with the neighbouring interiors that you can see through the windows. The soft palette blends in with the surrounding environment, the materiality chosen is simple and discreet, yet modern and fresh.”
The oak counter separates the homeware from the fashion department
Other designers who have attempted to capture a Scandinavian aesthetic in a retail setting include Ulrika Bernhardtz, the creative director of lifestyle brand Arket, who designed the brand’s Copenhagen store using an all-grey palette.
In London, architecture firm Farrells conceptualised the interior of a mixed-use shopping and dining development to reflect Japanese and Nordic culture, while the Soho store of clothing brand Eytys references Swedish brutalism and postmodernism.
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Norm Architects used natural materials such as oak, clay, linen and travertine to create a jewellery showroom in Copenhagen informed by modernist artists’ studios.Located on Ny Østergade in the city’s old town, the flagship store belongs to jewellery brand Dulong and features an open-plan layout broken only by a few existing cast-iron columns.
Dulong’s flagship store features travertine tables and counters
Its “serene, soft and welcoming” interior is arranged much like a living room, with a curved sofa and round coffee table at its centre.
To enhance the sense of homeliness, the local firm opted for natural materials such as oak flooring, clay walls, travertine display tables and caramel-coloured suede and linen curtains.
The walls were finished with clay
According to Norm Architects, the selection is intended to reflect the jewellery brand’s “timeless and exclusive” pieces but was also inspired by the studios of great modernist artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși.
Granite boulders feature in jewellery showroom by Richard Stampton Architects
The oak parquet flooring is original, while everything else, including the clay walls, has been added.
Burnished brass, glass and walnut feature as material accents across the store’s lighting, as well as in the bespoke furniture pieces that were designed for the space by Norm Architects.
The studio kept the original oak parquet flooring
A colonnade stretches across the entire back wall of the store in a nod to the neoclassical architecture of Copenhagen. Within each of its recesses sits a travertine plinth with a glass vitrine displaying an individual piece of jewellery or artwork.
At the back of the store is a private room where customers can try on jewellery, alongside a separate kitchen space and restroom.
A colonnade runs along the store’s back wall
“The quality craftsmanship with which the jewellery has been designed is reflected in the carefully selected choice of finishes and elegantly feminine, balanced tonal palette,” said the Danish practice.
Founded in 2008 by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn Von Lotzbeck, Norm Architects is renowned for its understated design and sensitive use of natural colours and materials.
Linen curtains and suede-clad display cases feature throughout the space
In Tokyo, the studio renovated a pair of formerly light-starved apartments to create “transparent” living spaces with concrete walls, wooden floors and simple furnishings.
Meanwhile in Hamburg, the practice used oak, grey stone and yellow-tinted glass in a minimal makeover of a department store’s menswear section.
Photography is by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.
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Prolific Copenhagen restaurant Noma has opened a burger joint featuring an interior filled with natural materials and plants designed by Spacon & X.Born out of a summer pop-up, POPL is a diner in Copenhagen’s pretty Christianshavn neighbourhood, serving a simple menu of burgers, fries and light bites.
POPL is designed by Danish studio Spacon & X, the Emerging Interior Designer of the Year from the inaugural Dezeen Awards in 2018.
POPL is a burger joint in Christianshavn, Copenhagen
The interior design takes cues from Izakaya, informal drinking venues that can be found in Japan. The aim was to create a raw simplicity but to also create a feeling of warmth and comfort.
The designers did this with the use of warm colours and materials, which contrast the starkness of the building’s concrete structure. They also added a wooden “plant bridge” above the tables, so that greenery is visible everywhere.
A plant bridge is suspended above the tables
“We found it a natural decision that the design concept follows Noma’s approach to the burger: simple, welcoming, and with the best quality ingredients,” explained Malene Hvidt, architect and partner at Spacon & X.
“The design is welcoming to the extent that guests are not afraid to use the space as a hangout,” she told Dezeen. “The surface materials and careful detailing communicate this through their expressive robustness and honesty.”
Natural materials feature throughout the interior
The design centres around the use of natural materials. Acoustic ceiling panels are lined with dried and compressed meadow flowers, which offer a delicate fragrance, while paper lights and artworks are dotted around.
All of the furniture is made from brown core ash wood. These pieces were all designed bespoke for POPL through a collaboration with furniture brand e15, to help give the restaurant its own identity.
Spacon & X worked with e15 to create bespoke furniture
Bespoke tables, chairs, stools, benches and coat hangers are all characterised by simple forms that celebrate the construction joints, fusing Nordic, Japanese and American furniture-making traditions.
Tables are topped with Richlite, a composite material made from recycled paper and bio-resin. Meanwhile, benches are upholstered in a distinctive yellow leather, which is complemented a tactile red artwork that covers the rear wall.
Warm tones help to create a cosy atmosphere
“The focus of this project is on the use of natural materials and craftsmanship,” said e15 founder Philipp Mainzer. “This is very much in line with the approach to our work at e15.”
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“Every surface tells a story,” added Hvidt, “like the compressed flower acoustic board solutions, which from a distance are a dappled colour but up-close reveal their texture and scent. Or the red artwork, celebrating the handcraft skill of applying tile mortar.”
Benches are upholstered in yellow leather
This is the first time that Spacon & X and e15 have collaborated with Noma, which is regularly named as one of the best restaurants in the world. For Noma’s main venue, it worked with architects BIG, interior designer David Thulstrup and furniture brand Brdr Krüger.
By allowing a new creative team to put their stamp on the Noma aesthetic, POPL hopes to reach a wider audience.
The design takes its cues from Japan’s Izakaya drinking venues
Hvidt hopes visitors will liken the experience to the casual atmosphere of an American diner, even though the space looks very different.
“We have definitely brought a new dialect to the Noma language,” she added.
“The nuanced American diner feel is created through elements such as the heavy diner booth typology, but the association is then offset through the care put into the material sourcing, detailing and craftsmanship. The striking yet natural colours again play with the American diner tradition in a Scandinavian context.”
Photography is by Bjørn Bertheussen.
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Multidisciplinary studio Frama has finished this bakery in Copenhagen with off-white walls and terrazzo floors, allowing the bread loaves and pastries on offer to take centre stage.Juno the Bakery is situated in the city’s Østerbro neighbourhood, taking over the ground floor of a five-storey residential building.
Top image: the bakery’s entryway. Above: a steel-framed counter features in the service area
The popular bakery was originally located a couple of doors down in a shop unit that measured just 35 square metres, but staff had come to find it too difficult to work in such constricted conditions.
This new location – which is a much more generous 120 square metres – has been designed by Frama with an open layout that fosters a “natural dialogue” between customer and staff areas, bringing the art of baking to the forefront.
A glass box on top of the counter displays baked goods
“The vision for the new Juno spaces was to create a seamless interlink between the traditional craft of baking and a contemporary culinary experience,” said Frama’s founder, Niels Støyer Christophersen.
“Having more space to move is something that we’ve all looked forward to for a long time,” added Juno the Bakery’s co-founder, Emil Glaser.
“Now, in the new space – which has a really thoughtful plan for production and movement – we can all be more efficient and more comfortable. It’s really amazing how much of a difference a few more square meters can make.”
Customers can gather to eat around a cork and marble dining table
Inside, the bakery is loosely split into three different zones. Beside the entryway is a service area where customers make their orders. It’s anchored by a steel-framed wooden counter, atop of which is a glass box where bread loaves, buns and Danish pastries are displayed.
Adjacently lies a seating area, dressed with one of Frama’s Sintra dining tables – featuring a chunky cork base and a slim, round countertop crafted from yellow-tinged marble. Steel versions of the studio’s geometric Triangolo chairs have also been scattered around, along with a couple of strip lights.
Oak doors inset with glass look through into the baking room
Full-height oak doors inset with expansive panels of glass allow customers to peek through to the baking room, where goods headed for the oven are kept on silver-metal trolleys.
The room’s large windows also mean passersby on the street will be able to get a glimpse of the bakers at work.
Walls in the baking room are clad with limestone tiles
Walls here have been clad with Mediterranean limestone tiles, unlike in the customer-dedicated areas of the bakery where surfaces have been painted a shade of eggshell white. Grey terrazzo flooring runs throughout.
“When approaching the project we delved into an in-depth material case study, to understand what could coexist with the crafted baked goods and as well compliment them in tones and textures, according to the many artisanal processes they undergo,” added Christophersen.
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Outdoors, there’s an extra seating area. There are plans to eventually connect the old and new sites of Juno the Bakery, allowing even more room for customers to eat-in.
The bakery also includes an outdoor dining area
A minimalist aesthetic permeates all of the furniture pieces, skincare items and interiors created by Frama, which has been established since 2011.
Other projects by the studio include The Slow, a pared-back concept store in Beirut that features lime-washed walls and concrete display fixtures.
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Tuscany’s “sun-faded” buildings informed the interior of this pared-back accessories boutique in Copenhagen, which Danish brand St Leo has washed with soft-pink plaster. Yvonne Koné is tucked away down a side street in Copenhagen’s Gammelholm neighbourhood and offers a selection of leather shoes, bags and small accessories. After embarking on an inspiring trip to Tuscany […] More
The rosy hues of a make-up palette partially informed the colour scheme of this pared-back fashion showroom in Copenhagen, which has been updated by Danish brand Reform. The showroom belongs to Danish fashion brand Designers Remix, which was founded in 2002 by married duo Charlotte and Niels Eskildsen. The brand uses existing resources to create its […] More
