Vogue Living Space Copenhagen

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A spacious apartment

By JENI PORTER Photographed by WICHMANN+BENDTSEN

this page: in the dining area, table by Studio Oliver Gustav; ‘C24 Wishbone’ chairs HANS J WEGNER; beauty mirror in nickel-plated stainless steel by MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES; ‘Highwire’ light fitting by APPARATUS STUDIO. opposite page: in the living area, ‘Moon’ coffee table by SPACE COPENHAGEN FOR GUBI; Mater high stool in leather and wood by Space Copenhagen; custom armchair with linen slipcover by STUDIO OLIVER GUSTAV; tall side table in patinated bronze by RICK OWENS; bean bag by KARMAMEJU; Akari ‘BB3/33S’ floor lamp by ISAMU NOGUCHI. Details, last pages.

Nordic gets a cool

makeover

19th-century

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he bond is so strong between Space Copenhagen’s Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou that people often mistake them for a couple. They play off each other, talk over each other, and their chemistry is palpable.

“We have this special energy,” says Bundgaard Rützou, by way of explaining the success of their multi-disciplinary design house, which has left an

indelible mark on their hometown and is winning acclaim for projects in New York and London. “We have a shared love for things of a  certain nature, a sense of craft, material and scale.” Understanding human behaviour is critical, adds Bindslev Henriksen. “What is it that tricks us, that makes us feel sometimes like we’re being seduced?”

The two friends set up Space in 2005, having graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts architectural school with a shared disdain for the conventional career path. They wanted to operate between architecture and interiors, a no-go zone at the time, says Bindslev Henriksen, but “we felt it’s where life is lived”.

Designing the Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant Noma for René Redzepi gave them an early ride on the New Nordic culinary wave that transformed the city. More restaurants followed including Fiskebaren, Geist and, this year, Lou Lou, Musling and Redzepi’s second restaurant, 108. When they couldn’t find the right chair for Noma’s lounge they designed their own; ditto bar stools for Geist, spawning furniture ranges.

As Space grew to a team of 14, their organic approach helped ensure each project was distinctive, if tied by a common thread. “We constantly need to challenge ourselves how to reinvent something that creates a feel but with a different touch of whoever’s ambition we are engaging with,” says Bindslev Henriksen. In April Space completed its first major US project, a 221-room hotel in New York’s SoHo called

11 Howard, and they’re midway through a more complex hotel project for a tower in east London designed by architecture firm SOM.

Working on a larger scale has forced a demarcation of their previously fused roles. It’s been uncomfortable at times but their relationship is stronger for it. “We just promised we’d take care of each other,” says Bundgaard Rützou.

As they are being shot for Vogue Living in Bundgaard Rützou’s home, Bindslev Henriksen talks about how the duo’s differences are evident here: he’s more conceptual and structural, while she’s more intuitive and expressive. The apartment is harder-edged than their combined projects. Yet her presence is felt because there are so many pieces they designed together — a sofa, chairs, stools, side tables, even some burnt steel candlesticks.

Home to Bundgaard Rützou and his teenage children, Alpha and Felix, the 225-square-metre apartment is in a grand 1894 block near what were the ancient city’s western ramparts. It’s called Ny (New) Rosenborg, after the palace housing Denmark’s crown jewels. The previous owner had reconfigured the space, making the open kitchen the “nerve command centre”, off which there are two zones — one for him and another for the kids. ››

this page, from top left: shelves by Bundgaard Rützou; custom sofa with hemp slipcover by STUDIO OLIVER GUSTAV. In the children’s

living room, brass steps and leather-covered squab by Bundgaard Rützou; Akari ‘10A’ floor lamp by ISAMU NOGUCHI; glass-fronted cabinet

from RUE VERTE. opposite page: another view of the living area.

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this page, clockwise from above left: in the hallway, sideboard designed by Bundgaard Rützou and made by MALTE GORMSEN; artworks, shown below right, include large silver mirror on glass by Swedish artist JENNY NORDBERG from Etage Projects. KAARE KLINT chair in front of shelves. View from main bedroom into the courtyard. Mirror by MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES. Bundgaard Rützou and his Space Copenhagen partner, Signe Bindslev Henriksen. opposite page: outside daughter Alpha’s bedroom, wall lamp from the Stoned collection by FREDRIK PAULSEN from Etage Projects; artworks on floor by PREBEN HORNUNG and ROBERT JACOBSEN; inside, vintage 1970s CURTIS JERÉ wall sculpture; bed by Bundgaard Rützou.

We spent a lot of time

questioning ourselves what is Scandinavian.

It became emblematic

of a certain look

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this page: in the main bedroom, custom bed and bedhead designed by Bundgaard Rützou and made by Malte Gormsen;

Akari ‘1N’ bedside lamps by ISAMU NOGUCHI; ‘Matryoshka’ figurines by MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA; bed linen by

AIAYU. Parquet floors throughout stained black and finished with an ultra-matte German lacquer. opposite page: in the kitchen,

smoked oak cabinets by MALTE GORMSEN; Mater high bar stools by Space Copenhagen. Details, last pages.

‹‹ While loving the apartment’s large west-facing windows, distant views and quirkily patterned ceilings, Bundgaard Rützou deemed the decor office-dull. He introduced materials such as smoked wood, brass and raw steel to add depth and character while keeping furnishings and art within his favoured grey scales. Walls and ceilings are clean white. The only bright colour comes from a red carbon-fibre bike parked in the hallway and three matching tennis racquets. “And the grapes,” he jokes. “What I like about the palette of subdued colours is that they are framing colours instead of being vice versa.”

Patina matters a lot, although it’s the feel as much as the look. Running his hands over the kitchen’s dark stained cabinets, Bundgaard Rützou demonstrates how he’s creating patina by applying five layers of wax. In his living room, monumental shelves — which he calls his “office” — are made of industrial steel plate, which patinates naturally from the burning process. Their visible welded joints pay homage to Minimalist artist Donald Judd. “It’s incredibly honest and then the surface has an almost Rothko-like quality to the tones and hues,” he says. A rare Kaare Klint boardroom chair that belonged to his father sits in front.

Bundgaard Rützou believes good things get better with age. Lasting power is a Space constant, and they’re lucky to have clients such as US real estate mogul Aby Rosen who are prepared to pay for it. Rosen gave them a free hand at 11 Howard, stipulating simply that it be “fresh for New York”. The duo designed everything in the rooms from scratch, mixing their furniture with Italian, US and vintage pieces in the public spaces. Rather than New Nordic, it’s New New York with a Nordic flavour.

Working outside Denmark has given them a heightened awareness of their design heritage. “We spend a lot of the time questioning within ourselves what is Scandinavian actually,” Bundgaard Rützou says. “It became emblematic of a certain look but when you look closely, it’s the act of doing it that’s Scandinavian, not the result.” VL Visit spacecph.dk.

1 The Apartment For vintage furniture, art, objects and lighting, we head to Tina Seidenfaden Busck’s gallery in a restored apartment. theapartment.dk2 Etage Projects Maria Foerlev’s gallery, is where we go for something more cutting edge — such as Jenny Nordberg’s mirrors. etageprojects.com3 Café Atelier September in the inner city is the place for good coffee, green tea or a simple breakfast, such as yoghurt and granola. cafeatelierseptember.com4 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is always inspiring and uplifting. As well as its exhibitions, it’s a milestone in modern Danish architecture, noted for the synthesis of art and architecture with nature and landscape. louisiana.dk5 Hotel d’Angleterre is where we send friends in town. It has a transcendent spa (designed by us) and a Michelin-starred restaurant. dangleterre.com

CopenhagenSIGNE BINDSLEV HENRIKSEN &PETER BUNDGAARD RÜTZOU’S