Photo: Line Klein1/16I had obsessed over The Apartment on 1stdibs for years and knew the experience was tippy-top on my list. The store boasts a perfectly curated mix of colorful objects, textiles, and mid-century antiques, and it’s located just off of the canals of Copenhagen in the quaint Christianshavn district. It is all charmingly displayed in, well, an apartment, inclusive of a kitchen, bathroom, and light-filled rooms. It is cozy and intimate and very easily shoppable, and the setting makes it easy to imagine living with these gems in your own home.
Photo: Line Klein2/16The lively city streets of Copenhagen.
Photo: Line Klein3/16The Botanical Garden is very easy to find.
Photo: Line Klein4/16Atelier September is the place I frequented most during my visit. I had five days in Copenhagen and had breakfast a total of four times at this buzzing cafe. Not to be missed is the yogurt with granola, matcha, and zucchini. The avocado toast is their claim to fame.
Photo: Line Klein5/16Black is where I purchased a breathtaking ceramic pitcher. It was handcrafted in Japan but perfectly at home among the Danish ceramic designs on the shelves. The shop carries a curated mix of men’s and women’s clothing, beauty products, books, linens, accessories, and ceramics.
Photo: Line Klein6/16Gubi is the place to shop for all things Nordic or Danish for the home, rooted in luxury and sophistication. With a foot in the past and an eye toward the future, Gubi creates both European reproductions of past design gems as well as original furnishings.
Photo: Line Klein7/16Apollo Bar, by creative chef Frederik Bille Brahe of Atelier September, opened only a few short months ago and is already the local hot spot.
Photo: Line Klein8/16Picking which strawberries look best.
Photo: Line Klein9/16While in Copenhagen, I traveled by bike, observing the streets, landscape, architecture, and nature as I rushed by. Commuting alongside the locals really allowed me to feel at home with the natural rhythm of the city.
Photo: Line Klein10/16Here I am in the Georg Jensen archives, the place where the company’s history is preserved. Archives such as this are rare--Georg Jensen is one of the few brands in Copenhagen to keep such a practice. This teapot and original sketch date back to 1905. Jensen grew up close to forests and lakes, in the idyllic village of Raadvad, north of Copenhagen. Whimsical motifs like fruits, blossoms, leaves, magnolia patterns, and frog’s feet, (seen here as the base of the teapot), can all be seen etched into his designs.
Photo: Line Klein11/16There is certainly a common language throughout the brand’s history, the modern-day designers get to dig through the archives. In exploring designs of the past, they might be inspired to create something new or even re-release a piece from the past that has been long forgotten.
Photo: Line Klein12/16Each design and blueprint from the archives has a recipe on the back for the silversmiths and metal workers to follow. And while they follow that recipe, these masters of metal put their own fingerprint on each piece they create. We may not be able to see it but they can!
Photo: Line Klein13/16Oliver Gustav is the holy grail of design shops. Everything is just perfect–minimal yet textured, layered and restrained at once, and all in a warm neutral palette that holds a time-worn patina. At the time of my visit, the Oliver Gustav shop was about to close and reopen in a new location four times its size. Excited to see what’s to come!
Photo: Line Klein14/16On one of Copenhagen’s most charming streets, beside a picture-perfect flower shop, sits Granola, a throwback ‘50s-style café and breakfast spot with outdoor seating perfect for watching the Danes go by.
Photo: Line Klein15/16Geist is another one of the city’s prized restaurants, thanks to its dark, sexy, and moody interiors as well as the small plates and veggie-focused fare. The interior was designed by uber-talented architect and design duo Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou of firm Space Copenhagen, who are friends of friends of mine.
Photo: Line Klein16/16Frama was my final stop on my way to the airport. It happened to also be my favorite destination. The Frama team straddles so many creative disciplines--ceramics, kitchen, tabletop, lighting, and furniture all reside in the most ornate studio space--which was once an apothecary. The shop exhibits a clear love for clean, precise lines, design, form, and natural materials like stone and marble.
