David Thulstrup Shares His Favorite Design Destinations in Copenhagen
With stints under architects Jean Nouvel and Peter Marino, David Thulstrup has lived in New York and Paris—but since 2009, Copenhagen is the city he once again calls home. “We have a very beautiful respect towards private life versus office life,” explains the Danish designer and architect, who first moved to Copenhagen with his family at age 16.
Since opening Studio David Thulstrup, Thulstrup has made his own indelible mark on the Danish capital, with high-profile projects including the Vipp Loft Hotel—a one-room hotel sleeping four on top of a printing factory. Most recently, he completed the interiors for Noma after the world-famous experimental restaurant moved to a new lakefront location. Thulstrup reveals his favorite destinations in Denmark’s most populous city, from an open-air restaurant perfect for a quick dip in the sea to a gallery that explores the liminal space between design and art.
On a prime waterfront spot in Copenhagen’s hippest area, the industrial district of Refshaleøen, this open-air bar is perfect for relaxing to music or sliding in for a dip on warm summer days.
This gallery specializes in a cross-aesthetic method, meaning it explores the liminal space between art and design, as well as abstraction and function, in its journey to extend and enrich the field of interdisciplinary, collective culture.
Refreshing and innovative contemporary art—as well as modernist classics—take pride of place at the Louisiana Museum, located on the shore of the Øresund strait in Humlebæk, 25 miles north of Copenhagen.
In the large, bright rooms of this design and interior object shop located in the vibrant Vesterbro district, you’ll find great items for the home.
One of the city’s most peaceful spots (with a recently opened butterfly house!), Copenhagen’s botanical garden has a high-tech air-conditioned system that can recreate environments suitable for Arctic and continental plants. Don’t miss the cast-iron spiral stairs leading to the top of the 19th-century Palm House.
At this iconic wine bar, located in an eye-catching room sporting a glass-tiled ceiling, guests can sip wine with picturesque canal views.
On the small island of Slotsholmen in Copenhagen’s harbor, this museum’s grand architectural design is enhanced by vividly painted walls. It houses a comprehensive collection of Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen’s (1770-1844) works in marble as well as plaster.
Find top-notch Nordic cuisine and cozy woodworking in this Michelin-starred restaurant and beer bar, which belongs to the Noma family of restaurants and opened last year in Noma’s previous home, a waterfront warehouse.
In the heart of Copenhagen, within a historical extension to the Charlottenborg Palace, Kunsthal Charlottenborg offers one of the most striking exhibition spaces for contemporary art. Its ambitious exhibition program includes established as well as rising talents, from Denmark and abroad.
10. Torvehallerne
Find two glass-covered markets with over 60 stands selling all kinds of food, drinks, spices, and flowers, where you can also sit and have a quick bite to eat.
