Responding to the ever-growing popularity of midcentury Scandinavian furniture and interior design in the UK, Carl Hansen & Søn has opened its second London showroom.
The new flagship Danish design emporium is housed within a 20th-century building in Pimlico. Dedicated to the private market of consumers, interior designers and architects, the store is internally geared to serve clients seeking domestic makeovers with a personable touch, countering the larger contract-based services provided by the brand’s Clerkenwell store. ‘London is a design-led city with some of the world’s best architects and interior designers calling it home,’ states third-generation CEO Knud Erik Hansen. ‘As the UK is such an important market to us, we felt it was time to invest in a retail location.’
Office pieces adorn one of the lengthy front window displays
The 220 sq m space was something of a blank canvas, so the brand employed its palette of heritage colours throughout the interior, finishing walls in hues of dark green, burgundy, subtle grey and navy blue.
Sat above a light oak floor, the open-plan show space features domestic areas defined by colour and divided by airy, floor-to-ceiling curtains. Within home offices, lounges and dining rooms, visitors encounter staple pieces by Carl Hansen & Søn favourites, including Poul Kjærholm, Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen.
Knud Erik Hansen sought to enhance the homely retail environs with a touch of sentimentally. Hearkening back to his prior career with Danish shipping group the East Asiatic Company, the CEO brought an antique teak shop counter to the centre of the space, amplifying the outlet’s character.
The bespoke kitchen, featuring blackened oak fixtures by Mogens Koch
The showroom is to also host private events for customers and clients. A bespoke kitchen features blackened oak bookcases and cabinets by Mogens Koch, as well as a central island covered in linear tiles, warmly inviting guests to gather in the heart of the home.
‘I’m really excited to be opening a new flagship store in London,’ says Hansen, ‘and cannot wait to welcome customers and architects and interior designers alike to our newest space.’ §
