LEFT, FROM LEFT, VIPP CHIEF
DESIGNER MORTEN BO JENSEN;
CHAIRMAN JETTE EGELUND;
AND HER SON KASPER
EGELUND, THE BRAND’S CEO
BELOW, THE NEW ‘VIPP456’
LOUNGE CHAIR AND ‘VIPP421’
MARBLE-TOPPED SIDE
TABLE, WHICH ARE DUE TO
BE RELEASED NEXT YEARMore recently, it enlisted architect David Thulstrup
to create the 400 sq m Vipp Loft, on the top loor and
mezzanine of its Copenhagen HQ. The Loft is billed
as a one-room hotel, providing clients with a full
immersion into the Vipp universe (the room rate can
be credited towards the purchase of a Vipp kitchen).
But in the rare absence of guests, it also doubles
as a testing ground for the brand’s upcoming releases.
Prototypes are paired up with existing Vipp oferings
to ensure that they will become seamless additions
to the product family.
It is here that we catch a glimpse of Vipp’s next
move, its irst proper foray into the furniture market.
To be sure, the brand has dabbled in furniture before,
including shelving, a dining table and a side table
(all in powder-coated steel, with ceramic tops), as well
as a daybed, upholstered in aniline leather, that sells for
DKK99,500 (£11,745). But the upcoming launch, which
includes two dining chairs, a lounge chair and a cofee
table, is a bolder project, involving a more diverse
palette of materials and colours, thus marking a shift
in the brand’s direction.
The lounge chair and one of the dining chairs
have a metallic frame that is distinctively Vipp – black
stainless steel, with the usual powder-coated cofee
surface that gives it the tactility of cast iron (it also has
a subtle lustre, courtesy of aluminium dust). What setsthem apart is the leather upholstery, available
in black but also a luscious dark brown that diverges
from Vipp’s monochrome aesthetic. The circular
lounge table can be thought of as a wider, lower version
of the side table, but notably is topped with marble
or smoked oak instead of ceramic. However, it is the
second dining chair, still in early prototype stage during
our visit, that catches our attention. This is the irst
time the brand has made a piece of furniture entirely
in wood, and though its gently elevated seat, clean
proile and precise contours identify it as a Vipp design,
it is a clear statement of intent.
It is a deliberate efort to shift perceptions,
according to Kasper Egelund, third-generation owner
and CEO of the company. ‘If you create everything in
black steel, it’s not interesting anymore. We’re working
on a balancing act.’ His mother Jette, Vipp’s chairman
and daughter of founder Holger Nielsen, adds: ‘We’ve
made all these hard things, so now we’re turning to
our more feminine and cosier side to add to our range.’
She took over the company when Nielsen passed in1992, developing the product range beyond the iconic (^) »
‘Consumers should have the benet of
keeping a product for many, many years’
∑
Design
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