original tree. In the view of fourth-generation
owner Thomas Dinesen, to do anything else
‘would be disrespectful to the trees, and to all
the foresters who have tended to them’.
Naturally, the wooden space is populated
with wooden furnishings. Redzepi wanted a
dining chair with a neutral design but plenty
of personality – and armrests. It was agreed a
new chair would be created by Thulstrup and
Brdr Krüger, a local joinery workshop that
had already created custom chairs for another
New Nordic cuisine pioneer, Kadeau.
The resulting design’s seating angle gives
it a slight formality, which is offset by the
subtly organic forms of the armrests, back
legs, and swooping backrest; each component
is seamlessly joined without a single nail. The
majority of the chairs have been smoked and
oiled to achieve a dark, luscious tone, while
others have been coated in a mix of natural
plant oils and waxes to retain a lighter hue.
To provide a dash of warmth to the design,
all backrests were then wrapped – and the
seats woven – in paper cord by a local weaver
who had trained under Hans J Wegner.
Jonas Krüger of Brdr Krüger describes the
chair as among the most challenging pieces
of furniture his workshop has produced: ‘The
precision detailing is done most effectively
on CNC machine,’ he explains, ‘but it takes
craftsmanship and an eye for detail to keep
each line seamless.’ True to Noma’s ethos,
the chair has an unostentatious complexity.
‘We built on Danish tradition and added
something new and light,’ says Krüger. ‘We’re
calling it “Arv”, or “heritage”, to capture that
feeling of standing on the shoulders of giants.
Before Noma, Danish cuisine was meatballs
and potatoes. Like the design greats, Noma
has become an integral part of our heritage.’
Within the main dining room, ‘Arv’ chairs
encircle oak tables also by Thulstrup and »∑ 195
Intelligence
Jonas Edvard and
Michael Anker
Lighting
Edvard, pictured in his studio holding one of
his seaweed creations, manufactured the new
restaurant’s pendant lights, while Anker designed
a high-tech adjustable lighting system
Christine Rudolph
Ceramics
Rudolph, pictured in her Copenhagen studio,
was tasked with commissioning 6,000 pieces
of ceramic tableware from five different artists