john pawson redesigns dinesen's copenhagen showroom launched at 3daysofdesign

DINESEN UNVEILS NEW DINESEN APARTMENT BY JOHN PAWSON

The redesigned apartment, located at Dinesen’s Copenhagen showroom, is a joint project between Dinesen and British architectural designer John Pawson and marks three decades of collaboration. The 145 sqm space is a physical manifestation of a 30-year friendship and a testament to the enduring influence of the partnership between Pawson and Dinesen, Denmark’s leading manufacturer of handcrafted wooden flooring and products. The renovated showroom space opens its doors during 3daysofdesign.

The Dinesen Apartment by John Pawson follows the recently announced Made to Order Pawson Furniture Collection (see more here), which will debut to the public for the first time in the new Copenhagen space. The apartment provides visitors with the perfect opportunity to immerse themselves in the Dinesen brand by experiencing the potential of a Dinesen and Pawson residence.

all images by © Monica Steffensen

Dinesen apartment reveals Pawson’s minimalistic approach

John Pawson and his team were intentionally not given a specific design brief from Dinesen. Instead, from their years working together, Dinesen had faith in Pawson’s uncompromising vision for the apartment and the result is a solution that bravely showcases the John Pawson and Dinesen brands’ shared dedication to craftsmanship, quality, and a sense of peaceful tranquillity through design. John Pawson comments on the new apartment saying, ‘Creating this apartment for Dinesen, as the natural home for the furniture pieces I have designed, feels like a completion of the full circle.’

Combined with the building’s existing historic features, the vision of Pawson and his team reflects his architectural viewpoint in the finest way. John Pawson is known for his minimal solutions in properties of any age and the apartment is demonstrative of his expertise in producing solutions that appear deceptively simple to the eye. John Pawson is a master of sleek concealing storage solutions for the functional necessities needed for everyday life, ensuring the space is clean, calm, and ‘noiseless.’ As a residential space, the practical functions are never negated; instead, Pawson merely wraps these necessities in a veil of clever minimalism.

the redesigned showroom marks three decades of collaboration between Dinesen and John Pawson

The furniture placement in John Pawson’s design is not arbitrary. Each piece is intentionally positioned as a center piece which adds a sense of grounding thoughtfulness to the space. A subtle shelf solution is added along the edges of some of the very high ceilings to create a classic John Pawson-style ambient lighting from above, giving the space a restful atmosphere.

Hans Peter Dinesen, Fifth generation and Brand Director at Dinesen, comments: ‘In the same way that everything about the new Pawson Furniture Collection is pared back to the logic and poetry of the wood, everything about the Dinesen Apartment by John Pawson is refined back to the logic and the poetry of the spaces. Our vision was a space where people experience an instinctive ease and affinity with the physical environment, which is the essence of feeling at home.’

Dinesen’s 145 sqm renovated showroom opens during 3daysofdesign

The Living room, library, and dining area, as well as the Layer kitchen by Garde Hvalsøe, are conceived as a sequence of atmospheric volumes and charged thresholds. The kitchen style, designed by Baks Arkitekter for Garde Hvalsøe, is made in Dinesen Layers Oak with invisible oil from Hesse and a steel worktop, which mirrors the worktop found in Pawson’s own kitchen at Home Farm.

Dinesen has utilised its full range of flooring throughout the apartment, to carefully curate and install the most suitable material for each individual space. The library is Herringbone Oak Classic with a White Oil finish; the Living room is Douglas Classic in Curated Widths and Lye and White Soap; the hallway is Bond Oak Classic in Natural Oil; the Kitchen is HeartOak in Invisible Oil; and the dining room is Oak Classic also in Invisible Oil.

John Pawson’s design showcases dedication to craftsmanship and quality

All walls, ceilings and panels are painted in a deliberately inviting shade of white named ‘Cotton’ created by Pawson for the Danish company Bléo, while fabric screens and blinds softly diffuse the influx of natural light, which produces a distinctive radiance throughout the apartment. Miscellaneous styling objects have been provided by Belgium company Whenobjectswork. Items including glassware, crockery, and tableware have been designed by John Pawson. All textiles and curtains are by the Danish textile company Kvadrat. In the living room, Pawson has designed a bespoke textile wall which creates a small corridor along the doors to the back office. All windows have been installed with Kvadrat Shade roller blinds, supplied by Kvadrat in Loa 0208.

Softly diffused lighting conditions have been achieved throughout the space from brands such as WonderGlass, who designed the floor lamps and pendants, both designed by John Pawson. Ceiling pendants are by Viabizzuno by Peter Zumthor. Styling lamps include the Holoscene No 04 and w223 Pawson, both designed by John Pawson for Swedish lighting brand Wästberg. Special ambient lighting is by Anker & Co and is developed in partnership with John Pawson. The focus of each visual field falls naturally on the sensory richness of the Dinesen timber floors and furniture – revealing the finer details such as grain, color, and tactile character.

the kitchen, designed by Baks Arkitekter for Garde Hvalsøe, features Dinesen Layers Oak and a steel worktop

Having previously collaborated together on projects of varying scale and type; including private homes, exhibitions, museums, and chapels – the new furniture collection and Dinesen Apartment by John Pawson distill the ethos of the Danish word Umage, which means going beyond what is expected or considered possible, as it expands this sense of progression that Dinesen and Pawson bring to their work.

The new furniture collection includes the Dining Series, which encompasses a dining table, bench, and stool, a design that John Pawson drew back in 1992. This design has been updated, adding a shadow gap detail in Dinesen Oak. The Lounge Series is a new complementary addition to the original Dining Series. Made from solid Douglas wood, it includes a lounge chair, lounge table, sofa, and daybed. Skilled local cabinet makers have built the wooden frame in Denmark, with upholstery from Danish textile company Kvadrat.

furniture placement in Pawson’s design adds a sense of grounding thoughtfulness to the space