Copenhagen
Words Jean Gansberg
A vibrant city that celebrates its design heritage, Copenhagen is a must-visit for any design lover.
If it weren’t for modern furniture, Denmark’s greatest claim to fame might rest entirely on tragic fictional characters and a certain kind of breakfast pastry. Between the rather depressing tales of Hamlet, The Little Mermaid and the Emperor with no clothes, Danish cultural history can come across as a little gloomy. Fortunately, the same austere spirit that produced Hans Christian Andersen’s morality tales also resulted in the clean, minimalist lines of the furniture designs of luminaries such as Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Verner Panton. Today, the country’s capital Copenhagen not only enjoys a reputation as one of the great historical design centres of Europe but is also currently undergoing a boom in modern architecture.
Perhaps there’s some architectural competition going on between Copenhagen and its cross-harbour neighbour Malmo, in Sweden. While Malmo has enjoyed international attention thanks to Santiago Calatrava’s spectacular Turning Torso tower, Copenhagen has also recently commissioned a host of stunning buildings by famed architects. American Daniel Liebeskind’s Dansk Jødisk Museum (The Jewish Museum) was completed in 2004, and Iraqi-born Zaha Hadid designed the stunning new wing of the art museum Ordrupgaard, just north of Copenhagen, which opened in 2005. Norman Foster designed the new elephant house and enclosure in the Copenhagen Zoo (due to open this year), and Frenchman Jean Nouvel is behind the concert hall of the National Broadcasting Company (planned opening spring 2008). Danish architect Henning Larsen has also been busy, with his glorious new Opera House on the city’s harbourfront and the French wing of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek art museum, which is a masterpiece of light and space.
The highlight of Copenhagen’s architectural renaissance, however, is the new extension to the 19th century redbrick Royal Library. The granite and glass building, was first unofficially, and later formally nicknamed “The Black Diamond”, and teeters dramatically over the waterfront, its dark, faceted windows throwing spectacular reflections across the boardwalk. Completed in 1999, the building houses a concert hall, bookshop, café, exhibition space and the restaurant Soren K.
Where to Stay:
Hotel Twentyseven, Løngangstræde 27, 1468 Copenhagen K
Energetic and quirky, Hotel Twentyseven is situated in the heart of Copenhagen, just a few metres from the town square. The hotel prides itself on creating a design-savvy, seductive environment that is all about living an ‘uncomplicated life’. Visitors can book a unique Live Life-package, which allows them to sip wine in The Wine Room, experience food and wine from all over the world in the restaurant, enjoy a ‘molecular drink’ at the Honey Ryder Cocktail Lounge and get a cool experience in the exceptional Absolut Icebar Copenhagen, with ice from the Torne-river in Lapland. Extra points to them for having a cocktail bar named after a 007 film character.
www.hotel27.dk
Radisson SAS, Falkoner Alle 9, Copenhagen F
The first stop for any serious lover of mid-century modern design must be a night at the Radisson SAS hotel, designed right down to the door handles by Arne Jacobsen. His Egg and Ant chairs adorn the lobby and restaurant, and even the cutlery in the restaurant, Alberto K, is the original style designed by Jacobsen for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 1960, when it opened, it was the city’s first skyscraper, and today it remains totally faithful to the designer’s original vision.
www.copenhagen.radissonsas.com
Hotel Fox, Jarmers Plads 3, Copenhagen V
A haven for younger design lovers, Hotel Fox has 61 rooms, each individually designed by one of 21 international artists from the fields of graphic design, urban art and illustration. Whether you’re after a forest fantasy room filled with stuffed animals, a striking Manga design or a peaceful minimalist retreat, there’s a room at Hotel Fox to suit every taste.
www.hotelfox.dk
What to See and Do:
Dansk Design Centre, HC Andersens Boulevard 27, Copenhagen V
Located right in the middle of town, the Danish Design Museum has an excellent permanent collection of Danish designer furniture and housewares, and regular traveling exhibitions. The on-site design store is almost a miniature exhibition in itself – only one where everything’s for sale. And if your itinerary doesn’t spare time for this stop, you can pick up design souvenirs through their internet store.
www.ddc.dk
Normann Copenhagen
Trianglen, Osterbrogade 70, 2100 Copenhagen
Continuing the tradition of spirited, bright and simple Danish design, Normann Copenhagen enlists the hottest European designers to produce elegant, quirky and restrained pieces for every facet of living. The store, housed in an opulent former theatre is magnificently minimalist on the inside, with blazing white interiors providing the backdrop for clothing, furniture and homewares by everyone from Karim Rashid to Marcel Wanders. Marvel at the grandiose columns and sweeping arches that have been rendered in the purest snow-white, creating a retro-futuristic environment that has seen the company win several awards.
www.normann-copenhagen.com
Ordrupgaard
Vilvordevej 110, DK-2920 Charlottenlund
A short trip out of the city will take you to the Ordrupgaard Museum, where you can admire the sinuous lines of Zaha Hadid’s extension to the 90-year-old building. Although it is heavy on concrete and glass, the addition doesn’t look at all out of place in its park-like setting; in fact, it helps to integrate the existing building more seamlessly into the landscape. The new space doubled the museum’s previous floor area, and contains a foyer, restaurant, bar, conference facilities and additional exhibition space. The museum contains one of the most significant collections of French painting in northern Europe, as well as works from Danish artists.
www.ordrupgaard.dk
Where to Eat and Drink:
Fox Bar and Kitchen
Jarmers Plads 3, Copenhagen V
If you’re already staying at Hotel Fox, you’ll be pleased to know that one of the hottest nightspots in town is right downstairs. A haven for the young and the beautiful, the space is decorated in earth tones, with wooden chairs and the ubiquitous touches of moulded plastic. The kitchen and bar work closely together, matching cocktails (often using curious vodka infusions, such as fennel or rose petal) rather than wine with each of the Nordic-style dishes served from the kitchen.
Kong Hans
Vingaardsstraede 6, Copenhagen K
This traditional fine dining restaurant is housed in the city’s oldest building, with vaulted ceilings, heavy silverware, thick white tablecloths and a classic menu to match. The writer Hans Christian Andersen once lived in an apartment above the restaurant, and composed several of his fairytales there.
www.konghans.dk
Noma
Strandgade 93, 1401 Copenhagen K
With two Michelin stars standing testimony to the quality of the food, you can relax and enjoy the austere environment of this former whale blubber warehouse. Subtle touches add warmth to the stripped back décor – low, glowing lights and animal skins draped over the smoked oak chairs. Restaurateur Claus Meyer and chef Rene Redzepi serve artistic, refined Nordic cuisine that is presented in an almost sculptural form. If you’ve ever fancied getting a taste of Rudolph the reindeer but don’t want to come off as a complete philistine, head for this sophisticated dockland restaurant.
www.noma.dk
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