Danish goldsmith and jewelry designer bodil binner’s love of ‘nordic minimalism’ shines through from every angle in the design of her workshop and boutique in Copenhagen.

Key facts

PROJECT: Bodil Binner Jewellery shop and Boutique, Copenhagen
DESIGNER: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Design
CLIENT: Bodil Binner, Lars Eriksen
SIZE: 60sq m
COST: Undisclosed
COMPLETION TIME: 12 Months

Project description

In goldsmith Bodil Binner’s newly renovated shop in the centre of Copenhagen, azure glass display-cases and shimmering steel tiles evoke the sea, which inspires so much of her work. Under its surface, says Binner ‘inspiration is endless’.

Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, the white floors and raw concrete walls make it feel more like a sculpture gallery than a shop. Binner’s jewellery has inspired an interior that ‘tells the story of the artist’s strong belief in nature and her respect for its finest materials’, says head of design Lars Vejen.

This story begins with fantastic visual play: a dramatic entrance corridor with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, clad in polished steel that feels like a giant treasure chest. It leads to a double-height entrance, giving access to both the basement and mezzanine floors. A reception table by Jensenplus is designed to make the most of the limited space. It is a piece of ‘furniture-jewelry’ in itself says Vejen.

The basement houses an ultra-modern workshop where customers can watch as Binner hones her designs. The main retail space, on the mezzanine level, is stripped of all extraneous design elements, embodying the ‘Nordic minimalism’ that Binner cites as an inspiration.

‘The biggest challenge, says Vejen, ‘was to eliminate visual disturbances’. Binner stipulated that the display-cases could not have visible locks, which might distract the eye, but that they still had to be secure.

A display wall with integrated drawers, winds through the space, from the basement to the mezzanine. Its luxurious marble plaster finish contrasts with the rough concrete and wood of the rest of the interior.

Rather than imposing its design, this interior mirrors the strong linear forms of Binner’s work, creating a jewellery box in which diamonds shine in the rough, and gold glitters under polished steel.

Project suppliers

 

•  Jensenplus – http://www.jensenplus.dk
•  Piiroinen – http://www.flakes-piiroinen.com
•  Lumiere – http://www.lumiere.dk