Sirin, Copenhagen, Denmark

Although concept stores are a dime a dozen these days, Sirin sets itself apart from the pack on two counts.

First is its wildly diverse catalogue that includes geographical posters by the Estonian designer Bold Tuesday, beard combs made from Soviet-era recycled vinyl, hand-made porcelain by the Norwegian outfit Modellstuen, and bespoke furniture by newbie Danish company Novel Cabinet Makers. The second is Sirin’s back story.

Located in Copenhagen’s buzzy Nørrebro quarter, the store’s eclecticism is an homage to Vladimir Nabokov whose pen-name was Sirin and whose peripatetic life mirrors that of its owner, Natalia Selivanova. ‘We are a Russian-Norwegian family that lived in Paris, Moscow, London, Oslo, and Luxembourg before moving to Denmark two years ago,’ says the Wallpaper* alum who spotted a gap in the Danish design market for a more international mix of products, specifically ‘continental Europe charm versus Scandinavian cool, a mix of old and new, furniture, magazines, photography, jewellery and perfume from places that are all connected to our family’s journeys.’

Selivanova adds that she orders only a small series of products each month from small businesses and up-and-coming designers. The store also hosts regular art exhibitions, its most recent being a retrospective of black and white photographs of the Côte d'Azur by Anton Mayr.