Restaurant Bobe in situated in the 1731 Gråbrødretorv, a former’s brewer’s house in Copenhagen’s old town that’s been on the city’s protected building’s registry for nearly a century. It was previously occupied for 60 years by a beloved restaurant that closed last year, and now celebrated Danish chef/restaurateur Bo Bech has taken up residence.
In collaboration with Bo, design duo Rose Hermansen and Caroline Sillesen of Atelier Axo had mere months to sweep in and create the restaurant’s new look, a process, Rose says, that began by chewing over the essentials: “food, art, and atmosphere, and how to let the historical layers be while introducing new elements.”
The results are a perfectly composed, pale wood-accented dining room and bar imbued with a serene excitement. From patchwork cafe curtains to tiled columns, it’s filled with light-touch ideas worth applying at home: here, eight to consider.
Photography by Peter Dalsgaard, unless noted, all courtesy of Atelier Axo.
1. Let nature provide the decoration.
Above: Power in numbers. A drift of scallop shells from the kitchen welcomes diners. On the menu at Restaurant Bobe: lobster with yuzu and hibiscus, and beetroot with black currant.
2. Embrace the signs of time.
At Restaurant Bobe, they were careful to tread lightly and allow the historic qualities of the building to be “emphasized,” says Rose.” Photograph by Peter Dalsgaard.
3. Consider quietly powerful window coverings.
Above: The dining room’s original windows are hung with half curtains of vintage fabrics by Danish textile artist Fie Paarup that provide privacy and diffuse light while playing a little duet with the moldings: see our Trend Alert: Patchwork Window Cloths. Says Rose, “We wanted to screen the lower part of the windows using textiles since there are no white tablecloths on the tables,” says Rose
The w151 Extra Large Pendant Light is by Claesson Koivisto Rune. See it and others in 10 Easy Pieces: Cone-Shaped Pendant Lamps. The glassware is made for Bobe by Copenhagen design firm Studio 0405.
4. Combine clean-lined architecture with the warmth of wood.
Atelier Axo designed the tables for the space: the round Puffin Table which stands on four rods of solid oak, and the square, Shaker-inspired Bobe Table. Both are available on request: email [email protected] for details. The tables are paired with Børge Mogensen J39 chairs, “reused from the previous restaurant as a subtle memory.”
5. Adorn unexpected places with tiles.
6. Display essentials as art (and vice-versa).
7. Display glassware as decor.
8. Rediscover the charm of monograms.
Restaurant Bobe is at 11 Gråbrødre torv in Copenhagen’s old town.
Here are three more favorite restaurants filled with design ideas worth applying at home:
- Gem Wine NYC: 8 Design Lessons from a 25-Year-Old Star Chef’s DIY Restaurant Makeover
- Jolene in London: 7 Simple, Budget Design Ideas from the Year’s Most Rustic Bakery
- Ideas to Steal from Brooklyn’s Happening Korean Cafe Dae
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