If you are a design fan, then a visit to the Oresund Region means you can take in the designer influences of two Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Sweden, in one easy trip. Copenhagen is arguably one of the design capitals of the world, but half an hour across the Oresund Bridge, you can also sample Swedish style in Malmo and the surrounding Skane region.
Arne Jacobsen, Georg Jensen and Henning Larsen are just a handful of the internationally acclaimed Danish designers who have helped put Copenhagen on the style map. Shop ‘til you drop for anything from Danish designed chairs, tables and lamps to glassware, cutlery and coffee pots. The design department store of Illums Bolighus and Georg Jensen, the famous Danish silverware brand, are on Copenhagen’s main shopping street “Stroget”, or pay a visit to Bodum’s more affordable flagship shop.
When Arne Jacobsen masterminded the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen just across the street from Tivoli Gardens in 1958 it was the world’s first design hotel. This iconic hotel still features the “Swan” and “Series 7” as standard chairs in the rooms. True 60s design aficionados can book room 606, the only one retaining Jacobsen’s original furniture and fittings.
But there is more designer sleeping in Copenhagen. Twenty one young designers were given carte blanche to use their creativity in designing the Hotel Fox which opened in 2005. Each of the 61 rooms is different. Options include a tent in a room with walls painted as a forest or a room with walls right out of a psychedelic 60s movie.
You do not need to be rich to sleep in style. Danhostel Copenhagen City opened in 2005 and is Europe’s first design youth hostel just a stroll from City Hall Square and Tivoli Gardens. Furniture for the rooms and public areas were designed by the same company that furnished the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
This month the Arp-Hansen Hotel Group will open the Copenhagen Island hotel which is being built on a newly created artificial island in the harbour. The spectacular structure has been designed by architect Kim Utzon. The landmark feature is a 7-story glass tower containing the lobby, but which also works as a link between the two wings of the hotel.
Copenhagen boasts art galleries galore where provocative video installations rub shoulders with established Danish painters and sculptors. The variety of galleries in the city is impressively varied. In contrast to many major European cities, Copenhagen's contemporary art galleries are relatively centralised, making a two-day visit a distinct possibility for the intrepid art lover.
For interior design lovers a visit to the striking new glass-fronted 5-story Danish Design Centre on HC Andersens Boulevard is a must. The centre regularly hosts separate exhibitions on a diverse range of design-related themes.
Art aficionados can explore four major museums in Copenhagen which boast changing as well as permanent collections. Statens Museum for Kunst - The National Gallery – shows European and Danish paintings and sculptures from the 15th century onwards; Arken museum of modern art features 20th-century paintings, architecture, sculptures and collages and the Louisiana Museum of modern art has an extensive collection of modern art from 1945 onwards including Calder, Warhol and Picasso. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is reopening this month after major refurbishment. The museum is renowned for its French Impressionist collection and its café, housed in the spectacular Conservatory with huge palm trees and fountains, making it a favourite spot for afternoon tea.
Across the Oresund Bridge in Malmo, The Form Design Centre exhibits the best and most current design in Sweden and Scandinavia. It presents over 20 exhibitions per year covering architecture, design, arts and crafts. The centre is housed in a beautiful 19th century warehouse off Malmo’s quaint square Lilla Torg.
Designer must-sees in Malmo also include the Malmo Art Museum which holds one of Sweden's largest collections of Nordic 20th century art; The Rooseum, one of Northern Europe’s most renowned art galleries; and Malmo Konstall (Art Gallery) which opened in 1975 and is one of Europe’s largest contemporary art centres.
Malmo has over 45 galleries, both large and small. The cream of Scandinavian and international design can be found throughout the city from chair sand tables, to coffee pots and candle holders, jewellery and textiles.
Last but not least, take a look at Turning Torso, architect Santiago Calatrava's spectacular apartment building in the Western Harbour, which was ready for occupancy at the end of earlier this year. At 190 metres, Turning Torso is the tallest building in Sweden. It was inspired by a sculpture "Turning Torso" by Calatrava himself and consists of nine cubes with a total of 54 stories and a 90° twist from base to top.
For the best way to explore the Oresund Region, visitors should buy an “Around the Sound” ticket at Copenhagen Airport, Copenhagen Central Station, or Malmo Central Station. The ticket costs 249 DKK (£25) for 48 hours and allows access to trains in the region, Oresund bridge crossing, and discounts on attractions.
For more information visit:
www.visitoresund.info www.visitcopenhagen.com
www.malmo.se
www.visitdenmark.com