Bar & Leisure Toby Maxwell speaks to designers shaping enticing spaces, and we assess a few examples of projects that have harnessed uniquely creative ideas to set themselves apart in a highly competitive hospitality field
Edited by Toby maxwell
SPACE COPENHAGEN, the Danish design studio founded by Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, has completed the interiors for AMBRA, a new restaurant in the heart of Copenhagen. AMBRA is the latest creation from Andreas Bagh, the chef behind Restaurant Esmée at Kongens Nytorv Copenhagen – also designed by Space Copenhagen.
Fusing Italian culinary traditions with Danish design, Space Copenhagen carefully curated AMBRA’s atmospheric, inviting interiors to complement the casual dining experience nested amidst Copenhagen’s enchanting cityscape.
On entering AMBRA from the buzzing street of Store Kongensgade, guests are welcomed into an expansive space featuring double-height ceilings with exposed features that celebrate the building’s industrial origin. Banquette seating and a cloud of large bespoke Space Copenhagen chandeliers from &Tradition bring a sense of human scale to the space, with the chandeliers providing a soft ceiling suspended in mid-air.
The 10m-long wooden bar, lowered passage, and large, open kitchen. Image Credit: Joachim Wichmann
A 10m-long wooden bar, crowned with a brown travertine bar top and paired with bar stools from Frama, offers guests a place to enjoy drinks, small plates, and conversation. Upholstered banquettes, lounge chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Sika, and dining seating from Gebruder Thonet, surround the bar in ochre and dark plum, complemented by tables in brown travertine and yellow marble.
Space Copenhagen opted for simple and minimal spatial features and surfaces for AMBRA, which provide a subtly decorative aesthetic to the space. The light chalky walls, which are treated with marble paint from St. Leo, are complemented with earthy tones of terracotta brick flooring, with wooden panels partially covering walls and niches. The material palette for the millwork and furniture is kept to burnt colour tones to add warmth and elegance, with fabrics from Dedar, Pierre Frey, Kvadrat and FuturLiberty enhancing the overall scheme.
Guests are invited to continue their journey through a lowered passage guided by amber-coloured blown wall sconces by Helle Mardal, which connects the two restaurant dining areas. The first stop is the unexpected Raw Bar, featuring Seine ceiling lights by Space Copenhagen for Gubi. Further on is the rear dining space, framed by an industrial metal and glass structure, referencing the heritage of the former warehouse building. The ceiling height is reduced to more intimate and horizontal spatial proportions, making the space warm, social and inviting.
The main restaurant features a large open kitchen, with walls clad in hand-crafted burnished glazed tiles, yet the restaurant itself is kept simple in design, with the flow being determined by the arrangement of the banquettes populating the terracotta brick flooring. The bespoke chandeliers featured in the front bar appear here in a smaller more domestic form, accompanied by handmade rattan wall sconces shaped like ancient baskets, sourced from Atelier Vime, which light up the wall niches. Heavy linen curtains combined with woven bistro sheers, as well as rustic, beautifully crafted striped fabric in amber and sand colours, pay a subtle homage to Italian cuisine and traditions.
The 10m-long wooden bar, lowered passage, and large, open kitchen. Image Credit: Joachim Wichmann
Signe Bindslev Henriksen, co-founder of Space Copenhagen, says: ‘We are delighted to have collaborated with chef Andreas Bagh once again. AMBRA is a perfect place for a casual, easy and relaxed night out on any day. It’s a place to entertain and lean into the city buzz through a unique Italian-inspired dining experience, which we wanted to blend seamlessly with our Scandinavian design.”
Peter Bundgaard Rützou, co-founder of Space Copenhagen, adds: “AMBRA is all about unpretentious dining, so we created a modern space that celebrates the heritage of the building, with a warm and wholesome atmosphere where guests can enjoy themselves surrounded by subtle yet beautiful design.” www.spacecph.dk
