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      Aspekt Office designs bright white store with “Nordic atmosphere” for Chinese lifestyle brand

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      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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      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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      Norm Architects bases jewellery store interior on the studios of Picasso and Matisse

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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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