New micro-hotel opens in Copenhagen boathouse
Meet Kaj: Copenhagen's newest sustainable micro-hotel, designed as a private boathouse using recycled materials
The Copenhagen architecture scene is full of must-sees – from modernist masterpieces to contemporary marvels, such as OMA's BLOX. Yet there are also some smaller gems that bring a sense of architectural experimentation to the everyday for the discerning visitor – such is Kaj, the town's latest sustainable micro-hotel, which has been designed as a boutique, one-room boathouse you can rent.
It all started when owners and partners in work and life Barbara von Haffner and Toke Larsen spotted a gap in the market. With the help of architect Karl Smith Meyer, they decided to put a plan into action.
‘We have often been contacted by people who wanted to rent our houseboat or asked what it is like to live on it,' they say. ‘The idea for KAJ Hotel arose in the wake of these questions, which were almost impossible to answer unequivocally, as the experience varies depending on wind and weather conditions, as well as what time of day – or year – one stays there. One has to try it out for one self – and every moment has its own charm.'
Now, set on Copenhagen harbour and built literally on the water, Kaj is created primarily in recycled wood. Its structure was partially prefabricated (on the deck of the couple's houseboat) and craned directly into the site. Von Haffner also leads Undercover Copenhagen, a company specialising in recycled and sustainable fabrics, while the couple's own home was created using environmentally friendly ways, so looking at this project from an eco-friendly angle came naturally to the pair.
As a result, the historic window frames, for example, used to belong to a former Danish Defense Command building; the foundations make use of old railroad poles; and the stairs and gangway are recycled from an actual ship.
Inside, modern minimalism meets a Scandinavian aesthetic with a distinct domestic feel. A master suite and a further bedrooms on a mezzanine can sleep up to four people and a baby. Even though spanning a mere 16 sq m, the boathouse feels spacious and comfortable thanks to a neutral, calming colour and material palette, large windows that allow the eye to wonder, and a terrace. This is as close to a houseboat as you can get, without actually being on one – it even comes with its own boat.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Molly Goddard on creating a community of contemporary brides
As new Molly Goddard bridal wear is released, the designer talks about creating romantic but real wedding dresses, while three recent brides tell the stories behind their own Goddard gowns
By Jack Moss Published
-
Palazzo Roma embodies the heritage of Roman noblesse
Palazzo Roma, part of the Shedir Collection, boasts eclectic and eccentric interiors by Giampiero Panepinto
By Luke Abrahams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
3XN exhibition in Copenhagen discusses architecture through our senses
3XN exhibition 'Aware: Architecture and Senses' opens its doors at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Opera Park in Copenhagen is an urban green island where ‘nature comes first’
The Opera Park creates a new urban green lung near Copenhagen's fast-developing Paper Island district, courtesy of Danish architecture studio Cobe
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Cave Bureau uses geology to refocus and understand the relationship between architecture and nature
Cave Bureau’s exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art opens in Denmark, marking the latest – and last – entry in the gallery's The Architecture Studio series
By Marwa El Mubark Published
-
Nordic architecture explored in Share, a book about contemporary building
Discussions about Nordic architecture and contemporary practice meet in a new book by Artifice, Share: Conversations about Contemporary Architecture – The Nordic Countries
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
BIG’s Refugee Museum of Denmark addresses ‘one of the world’s greatest challenges’
BIG has converted and extended buildings at a Second World War Danish refugee camp to create the new Refugee Museum of Denmark
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Aalborg’s Utzon Center exhibition celebrates the Danish holiday home
A new exhibition at the Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark, titled ‘Holiday Home’, focuses on the iconic Danish sommerhus
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Kengo Kuma’s Hans Christian Andersen’s House mixes nature and fairytale architecture
Odense's Hans Christian Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma opens its doors in Denmark, inviting the public to explore nature and fairytales
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Villa Kirk is a surrealist-inspired, futuristic home in Denmark
Spol Architects crafts a ‘hedonistic’ house extension in Denmark, Villa Kirk, featuring curves and attitude aplenty
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated