Copenhagen-based OEO Studio honours iconic designer Kaare Klint’s clean lines and meticulous craftsmanship in the newly revamped public spaces at the Designmuseum Denmark.
The first major renovation of the museum since undertaken by Kaare Klint, known as the father of modern Danish furniture design, in the 1920s, OEO Studio started out honouring Klint’s work while creating new, exciting and highly functional public spaces that retain a real sense of place.
First up is giving new lease of life to Klint’s designs. The café and the adjacent lounge areas form a 240-sq.m. all-day dining venue on the museum ground floor. The centrepiece is a monolithic 6-metre-long bespoke counter created according to Klint’s simple and austere aesthetic. Le Klint 101 pendant lamp and the vintage Kaare Klint frames adorning the walls can also been seen.
“How do you build on the legacy of a master? Our focus from the outset was to maximise the benefit of the limited resources at our disposal, turning this limitation into strength and coming up with a design solution that bridges the past, present and future,” said Thomas Lykke, Head of Design & Founding Partner of OEO Studio.
For the 140-sq.m. museum shop, the studio went beyond the quintessential museum shop, creating a more fluid space with a series of small islands and zones. Glass cabinetry by Klint, an essential part of the museum’s history, has been repurposed and integrated into the environment.