few years ago, the Danish kitchen and home accessories
brand Vipp built a prototype plug-and-play woodland
shelter in Sweden to introduce customers to the
qualities of its products (W*191). It became so popular
with clients that the brand decided to initiate a series
of one-roomed ‘hotel’ residences, ostensibly for guests
to experience the pleasures of its high-end kitchens
before making what might be a once-in-a-lifetime
investment in buying one. ‘We were inspired by the
car industry, where you always do a test drive before
choosing the final model,’ explains Vipp’s CEO Kasper
Egelund. But, he adds, it’s also about ‘giving people
an extraordinary experience’ through good design.
The first ‘Vipp hotel’ opened in 2017 in a 400 sq m
loft above the company’s Copenhagen HQ, with
interiors by David Thulstrup, the Danish designer best
known for his work for René Redzepi’s Noma restaurant
(W*229). ‘The job David did at the Vipp Loft was
brilliant,’ says Egelund. ‘He completely understood our
vision for the hotel and has the capacity to unfold it.’
Which is why Vipp turned to him again for its next
project, the Vipp Chimney House. The task this time
was to restore a 1902 pumping station, complete
with its own 35m-high chimney, near the harbour in
the northern part of Copenhagen.
To turn the building into a two-bedroom residence,
Thulstrup and his team added a second floor and set
a monolithic concrete box within the old brick frame,
opening up the building with big windows through
the original arches so you can ‘read the building from
the inside to the outside and vice versa’, explains
Thulstrup. Inside, the various materials, colours and
furnishings were chosen and designed to complement
Vipp’s products – specifically its graphite-coloured,
powder-coated steel modular kitchen. All in all, the
Chimney House has the makings of a home-from-home
that will be very hard to leave. ∂
Scherfigsvej 6b, Copenhagen, tel: 45.4588 8800, vipp.com/
hotel. Rates: from €2,000 (two-night minimum stay)THIS PICTURE, THREE
DAVID THULSTRUP-DESIGNED
PENDANTS ILLUMINATE
THE DOUBLE-HEIGHT LIVING
SPACE AND THE UPSTAIRS
GLASS-WALLED BEDROOM,
ACCESSORISED WITH THE
‘VIPP 521’ LAMP
BELOW, THE NEWLY
RESTORED 1902 BUILDING
OPPOSITE, FEATURING
LIME-WASHED BRICKWORK
AND TERRAZZO PEBBLE
FLOORS, THE VIPP KITCHEN
AND LIVING ROOM (WITH A
PIERRE PAULIN SOFA AND ‘VIPP
451’ CHAIR) ARE SEPARATED
BY A SHARP STEEL STAIRCASEA
Checking In
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