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Norm Architects designs New Mags bookstore in Copenhagen to reference old libraries
Danish studio Norm Architects has designed a flagship bookstore for distributor New Mags that features stone plinths and pivoting wooden walls. More
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Space Copenhagen designs Esmée restaurant as “urban orangery”
Design studio Space Copenhagen has combined a classic brasserie with a courtyard feel in its design for a restaurant in the heart of Copenhagen. More
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Hay unveils renovated Hay House 2.0 during 3 Days of Design
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
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Vipp converts former pencil factory in Copenhagen into supper club venue
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
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Aspekt Office designs bright white store with “Nordic atmosphere” for Chinese lifestyle brand
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.”Snarkitecture creates billowing all-white pop-up store for Valextra in Milan
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.Read more: More
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Krøyer & Gatten celebrates the 1960s and 70s in design for Aarhus restaurant Substans
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.Moody interiors of Le Pristine restaurant by Space Copenhagen take cues from the Old Masters
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.Read more: More
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Norm Architects bases jewellery store interior on the studios of Picasso and Matisse
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.Read more: More
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Spacon & X creates casual diner for Noma's burger spinoff POPL
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.”BIG overhauls Copenhagen warehouse for Noma 2.0 restaurant
“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.Read more: More
