My son recently started school and he told me that one of his teachers posed a question to the class of "if you could pick anywhere in the world to live, where would it be?" It's a tough question because there are so many cities I love, but I can say with full confidence that Copenhagen is at the very top of my list!
Back in June, I had the opportunity to visit friends Helene Blanche and Jannik Martensen-Larsen in Copenhagen. Helene was celebrating the opening night of her art exhibition, Chiaroscuro, at Gether Contemporary and I was lucky enough to fly over with my husband to see the exhibition in all its beauty. It was a glorious long weekend filled with art, friends, late night bike rides with the sun still shining, and the tastiest food imaginable. I am excited to share a few of my favorite bits from our trip with you here. Helene has also just released some gorgeous new textiles and wallpapers, so I promise this newsletter is not just me rambling about my Copenhagen crush!
x
Kate
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Helene's collection of textiles on display at her husband Jannik's design studio, Tapet Cafe
An afternoon visiting the beautiful home of Helene and Jannik in Hellerup, just north of Copenhagen.
Scenes from the Chiaroscuro opening night at Gether Contemporary and the courtyard of Hotel Sanders (which was a dream) featuring Helene's textiles draped from above.
Tapet Cafe was established in 1974 by Jannik's parents and there are moments of pure design beauty around every corner. Jannik actually grew up living on the top floor of this stunning building and his parents used the downstairs of the home as the original showroom space.
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Meet the first of Helene Blanche's new fabric launches: Drop Voile Linen, made from 100% linen and available in two colorways, Charcoal and Ivory. Adding the sheer quality of the voile linen to the ever-popular Drop pattern makes this fabric perfectly suited for window treatments, letting the light and shadows elegantly dance through the subtle printed pattern.
The second debut of the collection: Vera's Stripe, available in both fabric and wallpaper, alludes to a silhouette of pearls set against the backdrop of the Nordic Seas. The fabric is printed on 100% hemp with a pretty, translucent quality to it, while the wallpaper is printed on an eco-paper with subtle texturing throughout. Available in three colorways, Burgundy, Sage, and Sea, the fabric and wallpaper coordinate to tell a cohesive story of timeless design.
The effortless draping of the Drop Voile Linen, available in two colors, Charcoal (at left) and Ivory (at right).
Immerse yourself in the Scandinavian coastline with Vera's Stripe in Sea, shown in both fabric and the coordinating
A close-up of Vera's Stripe fabric in Sage, alongside the coordinating textured
A handsome play on a red-brown color palette, featuring Vera's Stripe in Burgundy, also available in both fabric and wallpaper.
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PEDAL STOPPERS, AKA GORGEOUS EXTERIOR BUILDING FACADES
What better way to explore a city than on a bicycle, and especially when the city is filled with bike rule obeying citizens (sorry NYC, I love you but you're not what I would call bike friendly just yet)! I loved riding around and exploring all of the colorful streets. I went extra slow as I pedaled past the homes of Olufsvej and Sofiegade.
THE MAGICAL WALLS AND CEILINGS AND COLOR COMBOS AT THOVALDSENS MUSEUM
Helene and Jannik recommended we stroll around this magical museum. I thought I was there for the art, which was worth the visit alone... but let's be real, I was really there to ooh and ahh over these incredible ceilings!
TASTY BITES AND SIPS
I could easily go on for hours about how much I loved all the restaurants and bars we visited, but I'll keep it brief and just list a few favorites.
Cocktails — Hands down favorite was the small neighborhood bar, bird, they excel at music and tasty libations.
Relaxed lunch outside — Kødbyens Fiskebar, I would go back every day for these tiny Fjordshrimps served in a newsprint cone.
Best sweet treat — My morning bike ride to Juno the Bakery was not quite long enough to burn off the calories I consumed while there, but you only live once, right!
QUIRKY DESIGN INSPO THAT I LOVED
There is so much incredible design to take in throughout the city. While walking by a local fish market, I stopped to admire their terrazzo and chrome table... way chicer than any table I've ever prepped fish on! I also loved these cute metallic restroom signs and this creative rope and iron curved banister for a particularly tricky curved staircase.
