Space Copenhagen discuss their latest collaboration with &Tradition, an outdoor furniture collection that pays tribute to Copenhagen’s renowned neo-classical architecture.
Danish architecture and design studio Space Copenhagen has once again joined forces with long-term collaborators &Tradition to reveal Thorvald, a modern collection of outdoor furniture. Created to pay homage to Copenhagen’s celebrated architecture, Thorvald is a versatile collection, designed by Space Copenhagen, that encourages the art of outdoor living – anywhere in the world.
With its sculptural silhouettes, the Thorvald Collection is a nod to Danish Sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s mastery of form, rhythmic lines and the eponymous museum housing his extraordinary sculptures. The Thorvaldsen’s Museum was built in 1848 next to as a framework for the artist’s oeuvre.
Deeply inspired by the museum, Space Copenhagen’s design of the Thorvald Collection captures the contrast between the mosaic patterns and the repetitive structure of the museum building, expressed in the collection’s steel frame and grid seating. At the same time, the collection alludes to the lyrical lines, curves, and classic, romantic imagery of the sculptor’s work. The result is an exquisite aesthetic, which projects an interplay of light and shadows – perfect for the outside environment. The airy appearance and soft, inviting silhouettes effortlessly blend with their surroundings while maintaining a distinctive look.
We caught up with Peter Bundgaard Rützou and Signe Bindslev Henriksen, Co-Founders of Space Copenhagen, to find out more about this artful collection.
Can you talk about how the work of Bertel Thorvaldsen influenced this collection?
We wanted to approach the collection with this juxtaposition and contrast of a tight geometry and a sculptural expression with accents of romantic and classic details which we admire in Bertel Thorvaldsen’s work. As we experience Thorvaldsen with his austere strokes and sculptural motifs, down to the details, the tight grid in the seat and back is a direct reference to the beautiful multichromatic mosaic motifs found in the floor throughout the Thorvaldsen Museum, while the collection’s soft silhouettes are references to the luminous organic sculptures in the museum, pointing to the body
and the scale of the body. When the chair casts its shadow, it draws the finest geometric lines on the paving, a reference that points back to the mosaics of Thorvaldsen – wherever it is in the world.
We have travelled so much over the past years which is incredibly inspiring and rewarding. Travelling makes you hold a mirror to yourself, making you think about where you come from and discovering what is deeply rooted in your DNA and culture. We feel so incredibly privileged to be from Denmark and
Copenhagen. We love the city’s diversity, energy, size, accessibility, creativity and beauty. We have felt a big change in the last 10-15 years, where the cultural, food scene and social life have blossomed to an extraordinary degree.
Metaphorically speaking we imagine that after living abroad for many years, Thorvaldsen has returned to a city he loves and is proud of, but at the same time wants to bring back something exotic, his experience, a new approach to aesthetics and a rush of dreams and foreign climes. We love Thorvaldsen’s museum for all these reasons, it feels at once austere and geometric, Danish in context, but also equilibristic, exotic and aesthetically so beautiful and poetic. Without comparison, we feel a kind of kinship with the desire that the experiences we go through are also reflected in who we are and how we approach the world and our profession.
How do the Thorvald pieces encourage outdoor living?
Whether it’s a café, restaurant, hotel terrace or private garden, the collection offers a welcome escape from the everyday indoors. It was key for us to find the right balance between the tangible seamless functionality and the intangible, more poetic features. We really like wooden furniture, especially when it has been left outside and becomes beautiful and grey on the surface. But we realized that very few pieces of wooden furniture do well outdoors in the long run unless you at least keep them well maintained and move them in and out according to use and weather. We are personally thrilled that with Thorvald we finally have a solution that feels poetic, simple and super comfortable. It allows us to just leave the furniture out and let it look nice and personal as it stands there in the garden and on the terrace, even when not in use.
Who is the collection designed for?
Our collection is for people who love beauty of everyday objects and priorities quality furniture. We believe that as human beings and consumers, we should invest in a few, but good quality things, things that have a long life, and that mean something to us and become part of our history. Thorvald is a tribute to Denmark and Thorvaldsen across the world. We used the Thorvald collection when completing the interiors for Hotel Toranomon Hills in Tokyo on the outdoor patio and it was incredible to see how the collection can make a place become a retreat, juxtaposing to the lively city surrounding the hotel.
How does your architecture and interior design work shape how you approach product design?
We call our approach to product design `Poetic Modernism.’ We are modern human beings in a very modern world, which infers a curiosity and belief in modern ideas. But at the same time, we try to insist on some traditional or less tangible values, such as beauty and poetry as well. Also, we try not to be too affected by passing trends, we like the notion of slow aesthetics and spatial qualities of a more timeless nature. Our relationship to materials is a good example of this. Instead of using primarily new and modern materials, of which there is a huge range, we tend to have an almost oldfashioned approach to materials. It is an ongoing love story looking into the possibilities of working with different typologies of stone, wood, metals and different treatments, combinations and qualities. Organic materials have the imbedded quality that they age well, and they grow more beautiful and over time, their patina and the wearing tell a story.
Poetic Modernism aims to suggest a parallel of relevance between intuition and pragmatism. That design, spatial relations, objects, life in general benefit from creating synergies between function, pragmatism, being clever and organised, paired with our intuitions and sensibilities. Our desires and appetites surface to resolve our inner needs. Holistic terms and patterns that best are described by metaphor rather than specifications. The duality within our presence, the human spectrum.
If you could be remembered for one element of your design, what would it be?
Longevity is the most important element of our designs. Our design process is centred around ‘Slow Aesthetics’, prioritising quality. We take things at a considered, and thoughtful pace, making sure that the rationale behind specific choices is clear. By celebrating craftsmanship and the beauty of materials,
we wish to leave a lasting mark on each project. As such, our colour and materials palette are often earthy and subdued, which builds on our idea of slow aesthetics by allowing space and giving respect to the inherent colours and qualities to the things we use.