Copenhagen Design Guide

Our Local Expert Says:

With rooms like this, who needs to visit the National Gallery?

Description:

Part of the Brochner hotel chain, Fox is a surprisingly affordable option for those wishing to stay in a design hotel. Cool and quirky, each one of Fox's 61 rooms is different, having been individually decorated by one of 21 international artists, illustrators and graphic designers. The idea is to reflect a different mood, but sleeping in a room that feels like it should be in a modern art gallery can be a little overwhelming for some. In keeping with the hotel's hip, youthful profile, the foyer is home to a sushi and cocktail bar; there is also a roof terrace. The hotel is CO2 neutral and entirely non-smoking.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the city's hotel landmarks.

Description:

There are two Radisson SAS hotels in Copenhagen, but we infinitely prefer this one because of its pedigree, although its competitor, the Radisson SAS Scandinavia, attracts those with more modern tastes. The Royal, Copenhagen's first skyscraper, in the city center near Tivoli and Town Hall Square, is famous within the orbit of the Danish design world because of the role of Arne Jacobsen, one of the patriarchs of Danish design. Between 1958 and 1960, he designed not only the hotel but also most of the furnishings within it. Today the building is classified as a historic monument that retains most, if not all, of Arne Jacobsen's original mandates. Rooms are beautifully furnished and well maintained, with light maple furnishings and the world-famous Jacobsen lamps. The most requested chamber is no. 606, which is kept just as it was in 1960, except for paint and repairs. All the Jacobsen furnishings in this room are original, including the radiators. Several of the units open onto views over the Tivoli Gardens and the rooftops of Copenhagen. At the Business Club, on the top floors, guests can take advantage of a lounge and speedier check-ins.

Our Local Expert Says:

Classic hotel with an atmosphere all its own.

Description:

A stay at three-star Alexandra is something out of the ordinary; as a retro design hotel it rose to popularity in the 1990s, when its combination of turn-of-the-century architecture and original 20th-century interior design brought it to the attention of magazines as diverse as Elle and Wallpaper. Originally built as an apartment block around 1900, the hotel's original furniture classics range from Kaare Klint chairs to Poul Henningsen light fittings, and can be found in the hotel bedrooms as well as in the lobby and hallways. A green-key approved, environmentally-friendly hotel, the Alexandra is also ideal for people with allergies: four of the hotel's floors are non-smoking, and one has been approved as being entirely allergy-friendly.

Description:

The Danish Design Centre offers exhibitions and information about Danish design to students and design professionals as well as to interested parties out to view an exhibition. Long-term displays like "Denmark by Design" (until May 2013) as well as more temporary ones illustrate what is meant by Danish design and how the world-famous aesthetic of function and form has affected everyday lives the world over. The glass-fronted building from 1999 was designed by internationally-renowned architect Henning Larsen and is a work of art in its own right; there's also a pleasant cafe and a shop, where small-scale design pieces can be bought to take home with you.

Description:

Buses, trams, cars and bicycles were banned in 1964 to allow for the thousands of shoppers, that walk down this open air market. The 'cheap' end is at Rådhuspladsen, with simple bars and burger joints, but things get more expensive further down with stores like Gucci and Birger Christensen. Some come here to shop, others just to see and be seen. Walking down Strøget is always an experience; Denmark's national poet, Klaus Rifbjerg, summed it up in a song titled Imagine Walking Down Strøget Dressed In Your Light Blue Pyjamas.

Description:

Royal Copenhagen's trademark, three wavy blue lines, has come to symbolize quality. Founded in 1775, the factory was a royal possession for a century before passing into private hands in 1868. Royal Copenhagen's Christmas plates are collectors' items. The factory has turned out a new plate each year since 1908, most of the designs depicting the Danish countryside in winter. There's a huge selection of seconds on the top floor, and unless you're an expert, you probably can't tell the difference. Visitors are welcome at the factory at Søndre Fasanvej 5 (tel. 38-14-48-48), where tours are given Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. (These tours, which occur at a location about 15km [9 1/3 miles] west of Copenhagen, can be arranged, along with transportation from central Copenhagen, by contacting the Royal Copenhagen store.) Purchases cannot be made at the factory.

There are also various porcelain and silver retailers in this same location, as well as the Royal Copenhagen Antiques shop, which specializes in buying and selling antique Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen, Bing & Grøndahl porcelain, and Michelson Christmas spoons. In November 2006, the showrooms of this place were radically renovated...

Description:

Starting out small in 1995, two brothers, Teis and Bjørn Brunn, soon had fashionistas beating a path to their door. Their clothing is now seen on the catwalks of Paris and has, in fact, gone around the world. Today the Bazaar is an innovative and international design company, creating beautiful clothing for both men and women, as well as accessories. Somehow they manage to blend a classic style with cutting-edge designs. The shop also designs a trendy line for younger women and carries a collection of delicate footwear for women, in the most seductive colors.

Description:

Add a unique dimension to your favorite space with stylish furniture from Hay. Launched in 2003, this upmarket store has been showcasing fine Danish furniture. The creativity of designers like Jakob Wagner, Hee Welling and Peter Johansen, is reflected in the artistic creations on display. One look at their furnishings, and you are sure to be bowled over by the old-century charm yet contemporary appeal of this collection. Head to Hay to reinvent your home.

Description:

Henrik Vibskov, one of Denmark's most flamboyant and outrageous clothing designers, opened his first store here in 2006 (another store has since opened in Oslo in 2008). Open from Mon-Sat from 11am, this city center boutique stocks many of Vibskov's lines, including clothes for both men, women and even kids, as well as lines from other designers. In keeping with the porovocative Vibskov philosophy, the store's decor is just as playful as the outfits within.

Description:

Named for the innovative hotelier and international gourmet Alberto Kappenberger, this restaurant is the most successful in wedding Danish raw materials with the culinary techniques of the new Italian kitchen. From the homemade durum bread freshly baked that morning to the just-caught lobster, the chefs here place a great emphasis on freshness. Most fusion dishes are successful, including Danish rabbit with Umbrian truffle oil, or Danish lump fish with fresh rosemary grown in the Tuscan countryside. Pigeon and woodland mushrooms are served with polenta, pumpkin, chestnuts, and wood sorrel, or North Sea cod and oysters arrive with tiny spheres of fresh apple, each drizzled in Prosecco. The restaurant lies on the 20th floor of the Royal Hotel.

Description:

Frequently visited by celebrities and royalty, the Library Bar was once rated by the late Malcolm Forbes as one of the top five bars in the world. In a setting of antique books and works of art, you can order everything from a cappuccino to a cocktail. The setting is the lobby level of the landmark Hotel Plaza, commissioned in 1913 by Frederik VIII. The bar was originally designed and built as the hotel's library; Oregon pine was used for the paneling, and hundreds of books line the walls. It's open daily from noon to midnight (till 2am on Fri and Sat). Beer costs DKK60 ($10/£6); drinks cost from DKK75 to DKK95 ($13-$16/£7.50-£9.50).

Our Local Expert Says:

World class concert hall

Description:

Designed by acclaimed French architect Jean Nouvel, the new concert house of national broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) finally opened to the public in January 2009 after going well over budget. Located out of town in the up-coming Ørestad region not far from the city's Kastrup Airport, it is hoped that the venue's superior acoustics and star-studded programme will place Copenhagen within the international concert circuit.

Description:

The Danish Architecture Center understands architecture as a broad concept that embraces everything from the creative process, planning and urban development to the finished space or construction involved. They offer a wide range of professional and cultural activities, including exhibitions, professionalism, seminars, guided tours in the city, etc. most of the projects they carry out are performed in conjunction with Danish and International partners who share their vision.

Description:

At the Museum of Applied Arts you will find handicrafts dating from the Middle Ages up until today. Amongst the many items there are fabrics, china and faiences, silverware and jewels, but also furniture and other household goods. The museum is located in an old Rococo building dating from 1757. In the summer the Grønnegård theatre holds performances in the beautiful garden belonging to the museum.

Description:

One dinner at the übertrendy restaurant Nobu in Manhattan did it all for the owners of this restaurant. Returning to Copenhagen, they created their own version of a gastronomic sushi temple, luring the power players and major celebs who come to Copenhagen. The setting is beneath the high ceilings of what was originally built as a bank during the 19th century. Permeated with a sense of Japanese minimalism, within sightlines of the kind of clientele who knows precisely how fashionable this place is, you can enjoy creative cuisine that's been written about almost as a matter of course within the Danish press. Don't overlook the place as a potential lounge and club, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when a DJ spins tunes from a spot near the bar. Drink suggestion? Try sake infused with lemongrass, or any of several kinds of hallucinogenic martini. The street level is the site of the cocktail bar; upstairs is the restaurant, and sushi is available virtually anywhere. Note: One of the most whimsical corners of the place is within the former vault, site of today's men's and ladies' toilets.

If you're not quite sure what Japanese cooking is with a French touch, try the seared foie gras...

Description:

You could be forgiven for assuming that K-Bar is named after (k)ocktails, rather than the bar's owner and resident cocktail maker, Kirsten Holm, who can boast of 22 years as bartender and cocktail maker, most notably at the Royal Hotel, on her CV. The highly original mixes (which include no less than 13 variations on a martini) are all her own invention. Small and intimate, K-Bar's interior seduces with its dark sofas and soft, light cushions, while the canal side location offers superb views over Christiansborg.

Description:

It's not London's British Library, but the Danish Royal Library, dating from the 1600s, is the largest and most impressive in the Norse countries. The classical building with its high-ceilinged reading rooms is a grand and impressive place. The library owns original manuscripts by such Danish writers as H. C. Andersen and Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen). In 1998, sorely in need of more storage space for its many historically important records, the library was expanded with the addition of a gargantuan and sharply angular granite annex, the Black Diamond, which extended the venerable antique structure out and over the waterfront traffic artery, expanding it in a dazzling (and dizzying) study in architectural contrasts.

If you have the time, don't suffer from any kind of vertigo, and aren't stopped by a security guard, consider taking the elevator to the highest floor of the echoing interior spaces of the Black Diamond. Because of locked doors and security codes on that level, you'll probably remain within the hallways, and not within any of the "Sanctum sanctorums"; but even from the catwalks and walkways of the top floor, the sense of height, the interplay of sunlight and shadows, and the...

Our Local Expert Says:

Landmark building, world class shows

Description:

One of the most expensive opera houses ever built, Copenhagen Opera House was designed by Henning Larsen and officially opened in January 2005. Located on Copenhagen's harbour, it lies directly opposite Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church (Marmorkirken). In addition to the lavish productions of the Main Stage, the smaller black box theater 'Takkelloftet' is used for experimental performances. Also the official home of the Royal Danish Orchestra, Operaen has full disabled access.

Description:

Named after Denmark's most celebrated philosopher, this is an artfully minimalist dining room that's on the ground floor of the Black Diamond (the ultramodern, intensely angular addition to the Royal Library). It has the kind of monochromatic gray and flesh-toned decor you might find in Milan, and glassy, big-windowed views that stretch out over the nearby canal. Menu items change frequently, but the chef never cooks with butter, cream, or high-cholesterol cheese, making a meal here a low-cholesterol and savory experience. In a land known for its "butter-and-egg men," this type of cooking is heresy. Some Danes boycott it, but foreign visitors, especially those watching their waistlines, flock here for a superb meal. Your taste buds will love you if you order such dishes as a velvety foie gras, a carpaccio of veal, and a truly superb oyster soup. Attention to detail and a proud professionalism distinguish such main dishes as veal chops served with lobster sauce and a half-lobster or else roasted venison with nuts and seasonal berries with a marinade of green tomatoes, the latter providing a wonderful savory taste that we enjoy. To reach this place, you'll have to enter the library, and...

Description:

Terence Conran owned restaurant empire has converted the former hovercraft terminal, Custom House, to house this Bar & Grill in addition to two other restaurants. The Custom House has a magnificent view of the water, the Opera House and the Christiansborg Palace. The restaurant serves unpretentious hearty fare from roast port, grilled chicken to lobster and fish. Bar & Grill is specially attractive to American tourists longing for delicious greasy traditional American fare.

Description:

In the Østerbro district, this is an international design firm installed in a long-deserted old movie house. Jan and Poul are the two Normanns, one with the last name of Andersen and the other called Madsen. Locals flock here to purchase ever-changing furniture and objects in Danish design, including avant-garde ceramics.

Our Local Expert Says:

This world-class art museum makes a perfect day trip.

Description:

You could visit Louisiana Museum of Modern Art for its collections, or you could enjoy it for its surroundings, its views and its architecture. Throw it all together, and the experience is breathtaking whether you're a modern art lover or not. Built in 1958 right on the North Zealand coast, Louisiana was conceived as an interaction of art, architecture and landscape; with its challenging architecture and panoramic views over the Øresund Channel, the vision appears to have succeeded. The museum houses a large permanent collection as well as 4-5 temporary exhibitions annually, and includes a children's annex where the youngest visitors can play creatively. With some of the biggest international names in modern art over the past century on show, you could easily spend a day wandering around the many different galleries, the restaurant and the surrounding sculpture park - which is even more possible since the museum began evening opening in 2008.

Description:

Although by no means as extensive as Louisiana, Ordrupgaard combines a day out in the country with the opportunity to view art exhibitions of an international calber. While the original building was created in 1918 to house a collection of French impressionism as well as a number of works from the Danish Golden Age, a new extension by acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid in 2005 has added a new modern dimension to a visit. Ordrupgaard's large park is also open to the public, and visitors can choose between the museum's cafe and bringing a picnic basket to enjoy in the grounds. Public transport takes you virtually to the door: take the S-train to Klampenborg / Lyngby followed by bus 110.

Description:

This upmarket restaurant can be found at the edge of Bellevue Strand and was designed - as the name suggests - by Arne Jacobsen himself back in the 1930s. The restaurant reopened in 1999 as a kind of tribute to the famous architect's work, with its current owner reviving the original architecture and interior in keeping with all things Jacobsen. On top of the sleek Danish design, guests here are treated to the very best of the modern Danish kitchen and beautiful views over the Øresund coast. All things considered the prices are fairly reasonable, with a three-course dinner menu (including wine menu) coming to a little over DKK 500 per person - far under the equivalent downtown restaurant. Brunch is served on Sundays from 10.30am-2pm, and reserving ahead is generally recommended.