From a Danish Design Centre to world famous design museums, we show you what art and design hotspots Copenhagen has to offer
Copenhagen was voted the world’s most livable city by Monocle magazine, and it’s easy to see why. The air is clear, the city adopts a sustainable, social approach to almost everything it does, the restaurants are some of the best in the world… and it’s good-looking, too.
The architecture is spectacular – whether you’re exploring a 19th-century townhouse or looking at the geometric forms of the Black Diamond, a.k.a. the Royal Danish Library. The café culture is thriving. And the design is some of the most inspiring you’ll find anywhere in the world.
The city can be bitterly cold in the winter, but it’s lovely to look at in any season, and no more so than in summer. The long days transform this into a magical place that truly comes alive. Copenhagen’s residents certainly know how to party in the summer months, both on the streets and in the city’s uber-cool bars.
We’ll take you to a few of these must-visit hip and happening spots, that include the city’s design hotspots to the most delightful home stores.
Designmuseum Danmark
The Designmuseum Danmark is housed in a beautiful, Rococo building from the 1750s. Once a hospital, it is now home to an extensive collection of art and design objects. The permanent exhibits include a fascinating collection of chairs that document the development of Denmark’s designers in the 20th century.
Current temporary exhibitions include Jasper Morrison’s fascinating showcase Danish Design – I Like It! Where Morrison has displayed room after room of his favourite pieces, which will be on display until 30 December this year.
Danish Design Centre
Acting as Denmark’s knowledge centre for design is the Danish Design Centre on Hans C Andersens Boulevard. It’s open to the public, offering a permanent exhibition on the history of modern Danish design, along with temporary exhibitions relating to all aspects of design. There is an in-house cafe, along with a store selling a range of accessories from exciting young brands.
Illums Bolighus
A visit to Illums Bolighus will have you lusting after everything on display in this treasure trove of a home store. The ground floor particularly excites: it is jam-packed with inspiring home accessories from modern Scandinavian brands.
Normann Copenhagen
Normann Copenhagen has a reputation for cool, on-the-pulse designs, and it certainly lives up to this reputation. Its flagship store on Østerbrogarde is creatively put together. The store sells a mix its own designs, such as the well-loved stainless steel Norm 03 lamp and Ole Jensen’s clever washing-up bowl, and modern design classics from
other brands.
Thinking of doing a cultural trip? Find our guide of Rajasthan here.
Fish Bar (Fiskebaren)
Located in Copenhagen’s edgy Meatpacking district, Fish Bar is a happening bar and delicious seafood restaurant. Architectural firm SPACE designed the industrial fish market-inspired interiors. Look out for the eerie jellyfish tank.
http://www.fiskebaren.dk; tel: +45 3215 5656
Pakhus 48
Housed in a warehouse on the harbour at Frihavnen, Pakhus 48 contains showrooms for a number of Denmark’s finest names in design. Among them are Montana, Kvadrat, VOLA, GRID and Fritz Hansen.
Carlsberg City
Right next to charming, leafy Frederiksberg is the old Carlsberg brewery. It was once the centre of Carlsberg’s operations, but, as production has grown, Denmark’s famous beer brewer has shifted its operations away from the city, keeping some small-scale activities on-site. The 80-acre site will fulfill a radical new purpose in the years to come, with architecture firm Entasis leading the charge. Residences, schools, F&B outlets, arts centres, gardens and much more are planned for this mini-city. Various architecture firms, design studios and dance companies have already set up shop in this burgeoning area, but the bulk of the project will be years in the making.