RESTAURANT
Best restaurant of the world
3 November 2017
Scoop! Danish design company Vipp opened a non-traditional hotel this week. A nature retreat in Sweden called Vipp Shelter and Vipp Loft in Copenhagen. I was their first guest and love to show you around!
Yesterday I’ve told you about my experience at the Vipp Shelter, a 55m2 design retreat surrounded by beautiful nature. It is a two-hour drive from Copenhagen where family company Vipp does not only have their headquarters, because since this week it’s also possible to check-in to their Vipp Loft.
Vipp is the Danish design company known for their famous steel pedal bin. Once made by founder Holger Nielson for his wife who ran a hairdresser’s salon. The pedal bin first attracted a lot of attention in the professional sector, after which the non-professional market embraced the robust design and the user-friendliness. At the moment the company is run by Nielsen’s grandson and Vipp is more than just the pedal bin: they also sell kitchens, lamps, cups and much more. And now they also open a non-traditional hotel, because, as owner Kasper told me: “Everything is revolving around brand-experiences nowadays. Think of Lego with Legoland and Disney with Disneyland. And now you can also immerse yourself in the world of Vipp in the Vipp Shelter or the Vipp Loft.”
The headquarters of Vipp are located in the Islands Brygge district of Copenhagen, a former port district where many warehouses are converted into lofts and apartments. It is a quiet neighborhood, but by taxi you are at restaurant Host in 8 minutes. Everything is quite close in Copenhagen. That’s why it’s worth discovering the city by bike. The Vipp headquarters once was a printing factory, but has been transformed into the world of Vipp and two classical music venues outside.
Jette Egelund, the daughter of Holger Nielson, welcomes us on the first floor of the headquarters. Striking is the black and white color palette in both the interior and the outfits of the people who work there. And the robot Vipp pedal bin on the desk also draws your attention. On the top floor of the headquarters 400m2 came available (they always rented it out to a fashion brand) and initially Jette wanted to turn it into an apartment for herself. The municipality was against it, so they came up with the idea of renting it to guests.
The Vipp Shelter is fully designed by Vipp Chief Designer Morten Bo-Jensen, while they have partnered with Studio David Thulstrup for the Vipp Loft. David Thulstrup worked for Jean Nouvel in Paris and Peter Marino in New York before opening his studio in Copenhagen in 2009. His studio is doing a lot of residencies and retail. The Vipp Loft is his latest project and his studio will also work on the new noma in Copenhagen.
When you open the door of the Vipp Loft and look to your right, you will have a jaw-dropping experience just like when you arrive at the Vipp Shelter. Not of the nature this time but of the immense space. Again, the senses are served in a very pleasant way. Under the Dinesen Douglas floor boards for example there’s floor heating which gives you a warm feeling immediately. The authentic beams make it into a cozy place despite the fact that we’ve arrived at a space of 400m2. Of course, you will notice the Vipp Kitchen, just like the round dining table with a pink base and marble table top.
At Vipp Loft they didn’t decorate it with Vipp products only: the green velvet couches in the living room are from Spain, the mustard-colored Kvadrat curtain is from Denmark and the mirror table next to the Tired Man chairs is from Rotterdam designer Sabine Marcelis. They also included a piece of family history in the Loft. The coffee table in the living room was once used by the founder of the brand. They only changed the table top.
On this floor you’ll also find the bedroom with a super soft duvet and the open bathroom with free-standing bath, rain shower and toilet. The amenities are of Aesop. The spiral staircase brings you to the mezzanine where you will find another study and library and a bedroom in warm, dark colors.
The Vipp Shelter inspires you to live on a smaller surface, while the Vipp Loft inspired me by the use of materials and colors. A wooden floor with floor heating gives you literally, but also figuratively a warm feeling. The interior feels serene, but they didn’t use monotone colors only. The couch is green, the thick curtains are mustard, the dining table has a pink base. Colors you might not choose quickly, but give the space just that extra idiosyncrasy.
The Tired Man chairs also have a nice story. Of course they are super fluffy and therefor comfy – definitely with a fireplace in front of you – and that’s because the starting point was to make you feel like a baby polar bear, safely in the lap of mother’s polar bear’s lap. If that’s not hygge, I don’t know what is.
Check out: www.vipp.com
For more cool addresses in Copenhagen, check out The Copenhagen Guide here
