SCANDI HYBRID
Residences at Copenhagen’s new collaborative lifestyle concept, The Audo – from interiors brand Menu – shows why Denmark’s design scene remains unsurpassed
LOCATION
The compact Danish capital has truly become the city break destination of the moment, with travellers tempted by its blend of quaint, historic charm and Scandinavian cool. As a city with an admirable and internationally renowned design heritage, it’s not surprising that Copenhagen has a wealth of places to stay. And yet The Audo – the new hybrid hotel concept by Bjarne Hansen of much-loved Danish design brand Menu, which also functions as its headquarters and showroom – feels utterly new, thanks to its collaborative ethos and warm, textured take on Scandi style. ➤
ARCHITECTURE
The 2,500-square-metre space sits behind the earthy red neo-baroque façade of a 1918 former merchant’s house, in an area that was once an industrial port. Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Peter Eland of local practice Norm Architects – and longtime Menu collaborator – were careful to preserve its original features,especiallyasitwasoneoftheneighbourhood’soldestbuildings.
It houses a host of shared spaces, including a co-working area, concept store and café, alongside the 10-room boutique ‘residence’ on the upper floor. ‘The concept of The Audo is a hybrid,’ says Bjerre-Poulsen. ‘On the outside it has historical references, but on the inside, the building is a rational, industrial concrete structure that allowed us to transform it rather freely.’
DESIGN
Internally, the team – which includes Kinfolk founder and creative director Nathan Williams – has opted to evoke a refined ‘collector’s home’, where furniture, lighting and accessories by Menu sit alongside a curated edit of pieces from friends of the brand. The resulting mix has a harmonious, organic feel, lifted by warm caramel tones and a restrained hit of abstract botanical pattern. Walls of the airy lounge are decorated with artworks by a rotating series of artists, testament to The Audo’s zeal for the local creative community. Each guestroom differs in design, but all share a similar aesthetic and palette with wooden furniture that is distinctively Danish and walls of chalky ecru or pink-tinged terracotta. ‘Our move to The Audo highlights the multidisciplinary, unifying nature of design, while serving as a showcase and testing ground for new concepts,’ says Joachim Kornbek Hansen, design and brand director of Menu. And with a space that promises to evolve in line with its revolving door of local innovators, there will be plenty of reasons for design lovers to return. From £340 per night (theaudo.com).
‘THE AUDO IS A HYBRID – ON
THE OUTSIDE IT HAS HISTORICAL REFERENCES BUT INSIDE, IT IS A STRUCTURE THAT ALLOWED US TO TRANSFORM IT RATHER FREELY’