Tekla’s ‘soft and inviting’ London store is made to feel like you’re coming home

It has been over two years since Tekla opened its first store in the Old Town of Copenhagen, the city where the brand was founded in 2017 by Charlie Hedin and Kristoffer Juhl. Honing a vision of considered domesticity that aligned with their offering of home textiles and sleepwear, the store was designed to feel like coming home – albeit one populated with Gerrit Rietveld chairs and a Pierre Chapo bed (dressed, naturally, in Tekla’s satisfyingly hued bed linens).

In the time that has followed, Hedin and Juhl have been meticulous about finding the location for their sophomore retail space, which also marks the first opening outside of the brand’s home country. And, while numerous locations were considered, it was London’s Marylebone that the pair settled on, a neighbourhood that despite its central position is known for a village feel and slew of independent retail stores.

‘It felt like a natural home for the brand after opening in Copenhagen. We see a lot of overlap between Danish and British culture, and deeply value our connections to London,’ says Juhl, who now serves as the brand’s managing director. ‘Marylebone brings together design and lifestyle brands that share our appreciation for quality and considered living,’ adds Hedin, Tekla’s creative director. ‘It naturally aligns with our sensibilities.’

Not unlike the Copenhagen store, the new address is designed to evoke a domestic space – one which Juhl calls ‘soft and inviting’. At the heart of the project, which was conceived alongside Copenhagen-based studio Mentze Ottenstein, is a conversation between Danish and British design. This is largely done through materials, which have been sourced from the UK, seeing traditional wool panelling, oak parquet flooring and blackened iron reinterpreted in restrained Scandinavian style.

‘British and Scandinavian design share an appreciation for natural materials and craftsmanship, but it was the playful exchange between these two sensibilities that was most inspiring,’ explains Hedin. ‘We [wanted to find] unexpected ways to let British wit meet Scandinavian clarity. [There’s] the clean lines and functionality of Scandinavian design, but we also played with references to Victorian cabinets of curiosity through glass-front cabinets, for example.’

As in Copenhagen, the store features an enviable collection of furnishings, a reflection of both Hedin and Juhl’s longtime love of architecture and design, something that remains at the heart of the label (previous collaborations have included British architect John Pawson and Le Couleurs Suisse AG, which catalogues the colours used by Le Corbusier). This includes a number of pieces designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto – a longtime inspiration point for Tekla – as well as the same Pierre Chapo bed which appears in the Copenhagen store.

New for London is a series of works by Irish ceramicist Sara Flynn, who recently collaborated with Tekla to create vessels for the brand’s newly launched scented candle collection (designed to last, the vessel can be ‘refilled’ with a new candle rather than having to be replaced each time). ‘The pieces in the store have organically been collected through our interest in craft and design,’ says Hedin. ‘Sara is a close friend of the brand and recent collaborator; her artworks bring a sculptural sensitivity to the space.’

‘There’s also the classics from Scandinavian designers we continue to return to – notably lighting by Paavo Tynell and select works by Alvar and Aino Aalto from our own collection,’ he continues. ‘Together, these elements introduce a domestic layer, grounding the store to evoke the sense of home.’

Tekla, 10 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4BT. Opens November 26, 2025.