Danish cabinetmakers Garde Hvalsøe deliver bespoke interior solutions, characterised by clean lines, minimalist designs and classic craftsmanship
Photography by Garde Hvalsøe, Gribskov Denmark
Words by Alia Akkam
After passing through a hushed courtyard not far from Designmuseum Denmark, visitors arrive at the atmospheric Garde Hvalsøe showroom situated in a former automobile factory and photography printing studio.
When Louise Sigvardt and Marcus Hannibal, founders of local practice Bunn Studio, were tapped to revamp the 400 sq m space for the Danish design brand, there were no traces of the building’s past lives to consider. Other than preserving the smoked oak wall cladding courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup, the duo started anew, transforming it into what Sigvardt describes as ‘a Garde Hvalsøe universe.’
Since launching in 1990, Garde Hvalsøe, now led by founder Søren Hvalsøe Garde and CEO Søren Lundh Aagaard, has been propelled by the notion of craftsmanship. This is revealed in its workshop, about an hour north of Copenhagen in Gribskov, where carpenters painstakingly fashion wood into the bespoke kitchen cabinetry for which Garde Hvalsøe is known.
Bunn Studio, having already successfully translated that sensibility to Garde Hvalsøe’s Aarhus showroom over two floors of a late 19th-century edifice, has deep insight into the company’s ethos that it also desired to illuminate in the Copenhagen location.
Photography by Maja Karen Hansen featuring Garde Hvalsøe’s showroom designed by Bunn Studio
‘For us, it was not only about doing an interior but expanding on Garde Hvalsøe’s progressive ideas,’ says Hannibal. While the kitchen has long captured the Garde Hvalsøe limelight and the showroom’s motley assemblage of models affirms this expertise, Bunn Studio was keen to focus on other made-to-measure offerings, too.
For instance, a walk-in closet, sleek wine storage unit, and a commodious pantry in the rustic country kitchen vignette, the latter ideal for storing canned goods. In the bedroom area, another new addition, both a glazed wardrobe and the centrepiece walnut Flagline bed designed by Bunn Studio exemplify Garde Hvalsøe’s breadth of interior solutions.
Bunn Studio didn’t just stop at organising an array of vast products, however. Sigvardt and Hannibal demarcated thoughtful concept zones and introduced splashes of colour, such as the burgundy-hued floor in the Southern European-style kitchen station that takes cues from tiny Parisian flats. It’s a relaxed set-up, with utensils and dishware either exposed behind glass or easily within reach, conjuring an aura of grounding familiarity. ‘We’re not hiding anything. It’s like coming back to Mum’s,’ points out Sigvardt.
Photography by Maja Karen Hansen featuring Garde Hvalsøe’s showroom designed by Bunn Studio
By ‘pulling inspiration from other countries,’ adds Hannibal, ‘we made it more interesting so it wouldn’t be one-note Scandinavian.’ Embracing various wood species, including birch, elm, oak, ash, Oregon pine, and beech that were treated with natural oils provides welcoming contrasts that differentiate the tone throughout.
Pairing these woods with the likes of brushed metal and greenish-pink and brown stone also heightens the rooms’ tactile allure and gives them a realistic, lived-in sheen. ‘Garde Hvalsøe has used dark stones in the past, but we wanted to do it in a slightly softer way,’ says Sigvardt. ‘It was important to mix materials and show how well they actually work together.’
Other showrooms may opt for a more basic approach ‘with no human touch, just a display of inanimate objects,’ explains Hannibal, ‘but by adding small details and nicer materials we made it feel more like a home, so that people can relate to it and imagine having these kitchens themselves.’
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