Copenhagen has always been one of the cities I have wanted to go and visit. The pictures posted online with the colourful houses and the beautiful Nordic pieces of design enticed me into loving the capital-even before any plans were made to visit! I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity of visiting Copenhagen for 5 days with university and who could say no?
| Day 1 After waking at a ridiculous time on the Monday morning, I was on the coach to the airport and arrived in Copenhagen late morning. This first day was spent "mooching" around the area close to the hostel we were staying in. We explored the beautiful shops, admired the streets and found ourselves at the harbour where the famous colour houses stood. It was picturesque. The streets were freezing but sat below the array of colours were many restaurants all with outdoor heaters and blankets that created the perfect cosy setting. I had fallen instantly in love with this city. |
Day 2 Today was our first full day and so we were ready and set to go and explore more. We learnt very quickly that not only do we need to watch out for cars when crossing roads, but cyclists own those roads. You don't want to step out on the street with a beautiful bike and cyclist heading straight for you. Nuh-uh! We spent the morning roaming the streets and then in the afternoon we visited the Design Museum. The museum was set in a beautiful horse-shoe shaped building with a central garden area where eventually we sat out in the sun, drinking cups of tea and being very British! The museum had a variety of exhibitions ranging from "Learning from Japan", "Danish Design Now", "Arts and Crafts 1890-1910" to "Fashion and Fabric". Every aspect of the museum intrigued me but the Danish Design Now exhibition interested me the most. The simplicity in Danish design is fascinating, I constantly wonder how something so plain can work so effectively in almost any surrounding? If you ever find yourself in Copenhagen then do visit the Design Museum, it's the best design museum I have visited (as of yet) and I wouldn't want anyone to miss out. Plus you can seat yourself in a huge red Wegner Shell Chair. | |
| Day 3 We decided today was the day that we would embrace the Danish life and brave the Danish streets on a bicycle. The nerves however were taken over by the excitement of having a beautiful bicycle with a basket on the front-a life long dream of wanting a basket on my bicycle that finally came true! We set off and slowly started to understand the roads, so we headed to The Little Mermaid statue. Of course when we arrived she was surrounded by tourists and so it was hard to appreciate her sat on the rocks but the journey there was well worth it. We then cycled to the Normann store where we were able to look around and ask any questions we wished. Again I'm going to rave about how amazing Danish design is, but wow! One of my friends is lucky enough to have a placement with Normann for 6 months next year and I'm so happy for her! Normann is the epitome of Nordic Design and where better than learn from the best. For the rest of the day we cycled some more and visited the shops and cafes in Christiania. |
Day 4 We were up early on Thursday as we had to make our way all the way over to the Meatpacking District in Copenhagen to visit Space 10. I had read a bit about Space 10 before we left as they work with Ikea and so it linked with my current project. However I was unsure what exactly it was that they did in this space. But after a 40 minute talk kindly given to us by Kaave Pour who explained the work they did. Space 10 "investigates the future of urban living by detecting major challenges set to impact people on a global scale, and explore the possible solutions". The research that they gather and present is extraordinary and the space itself is amazing! The place didn't feel like a work space, but a friendly environment that is practical, aswell as fun. Look at the "Tomorrow's Meatball:A Visual Exploration of Future Foods" that Space 10 created; amazing work. Designer Zoo was the next stop. This is a store that is the largest provider of Danish Craft and Design. The shop is also a gallery, with workshops that are available to rent so the skilled individuals can work and sell their items in the same place.. We were extremely lucky to be able to visit one of the sellers workshops, Karen Fly. Her jewelry was so delicate and showed so much skill; each piece was beautifully simple and I could have easily have bought all of the rings from the Stone + Wire collection-if only money wasn't an issue! | |
| Day 5 Final day! and so we spent it shopping and eating-of course! First stop was food and so we visited a large warehouse based on the canal which hosted 30 independent food vans and bars. They served anything from fresh pasta to pulled pork burgers to falafal pitta sandwiches, to Chinese dishes to so so much more! Like most places in Copenhagen-I could have stayed there for hours. I very definitely left full and unable to walk, but the shops were calling so off we headed to the main centre. We visited the home furnishing shops and gathered as many catalogues as we possibly could fit in our hand luggage and explored the clothing shops. The whole week I was in awe at every single individuals fashion sense. Like their furniture, their clothes are simple and yet they have so much style. When I visit Copenhagen again, I'm heading straight back into "& Other Stories" and spending all my money in there-as well as buying a Karen Fly ring of course! |
I loved every single minute of this trip and could easily never have left. I am sure to go back again and explore more on my little 'basketed' bicycle! I can't recommend Copenhagen enough for whatever length of time.
If you ever need a friend to go with, you know where to find me!
If you ever need a friend to go with, you know where to find me!