Need a city escape that is pure serenity? Try this calm oasis in Copenhagen.
Words by Dorothea Gundtoft – Photography by Lasse Fløde
Scandinavia has long been the go-to destination for lifestyle enthusiasts – apart from having a vibrant food scene thanks to restaurants like NOMA who led the way of The New Nordic Food concept – there are also exciting new hotels appearing almost every time you revisit the city.
One of the great additions to Copenhagen is the concept space The Audo – a home-like boutique hotel that merges the best design with a concept shop, a restaurant and a lounge area frequently used as a calm work space for the locals of Nordhavn, a new modern neighbourhood close to Østerbro in Copenhagen in constant development.
The Audo was conceived by Bjarne Hansen, founder and former CEO of MENU — a globally recognized leader in the design and lifestyle sector — with the vision to connect kindred spirits from all over the world.
Speaking about the concept, Hansen says:
“We are trying to blur the lines between home-life and work; uniting design, business and community in one innovative space that is alive and under constant renewal. The Audo as a concept is a unique place to experience elements of our built environment as a whole.”
Collaboration and experimentation are at heart of The Audo, and the space is a testimony to what is possible when creative minds meet and play under one roof. For the opening of the space in spring 2019, Hansen worked with Norm Architects as the principal architects, and Nathan Williams, co-founder of Kinfolk magazine, as the creative director for the identity.
The calm earthy tones of beige, terracotta, creme-greyish hues relaxes your nervous system and transports you to a state of tranquility. The corridors and the rooms had a monastic silence that was welcoming and calming.
Every morning the breakfast menu provided you with a choose between three main courses and either a coffee/ tea or juice. The freshly baked sourdough bread matched the earthy interiors and the Scandinavian aesthetics. The beautiful fruit bowl or the yogurt with berries were refreshing colour splashes that made you feel as if you were on a retreat – yet still in the city – but close to the harbour where the brave ones could go for a ice-cold plunge. A destination one would surely return to.
The manifest and the collaborative environment that The Audo preaches:
The space aims to offer fresh ideas, encounters, and inspiration to all who walk through the door. In short, The Audo acts as a stage for users and makers to meet and better understand each other’s wishes and needs. The space provides an opportunity for creatives to be involved in the shaping of the world through the arts, and acts as a platform for partaking in the conversation about what creative work is and could be.
Want to visit The Audo? Book a stay here.