Signe + Peter of House Copenhagen

In 2005, Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou launched House Copenhagen, a design studio specializing in quite a lot of disciplines, from furnishings together with furnishings, lighting and refined objects, to inside design for personal residences, motels and eating places, to artwork installations and artwork course. The duo brings their “Poetic Modernism” method to every venture whereas balancing contrasting design components, like traditional and trendy, industrial and natural, sculptural and minimal, mild and shade. On this month’s The place I Work, we just about head to Denmark to see contained in the places of work of Signe and Peter, and the House Copenhagen group, to see the place they make all of it occur.

What’s your studio/work setting like?

Our studio setting is sort of informal and vigorous – together with two studio canine that are very a lot a part of the household! We attempt to hold a sure construction to the mess – which isn’t at all times simple when you have got an enormous assortment of supplies together with various kinds of wooden, stone, steel, glass and textiles. The supplies are always moved round for venture lay–ups and shopper conferences. We even have numerous prototypes, unfinished items of furnishings and designs coming out and in of the studio for revisions and corrections – and all of it simply provides up!

How is your area organized/organized?

Our studio is one huge area divided by a number of glass partitions in a burnt iron construction. All of us have very huge particular person desks in an open plan setting.

We (Signe and Peter) even have a glass walled workplace with doorways, which we are able to shut when we have now calls or small conferences. In the course of the studio area, we have now an enormous counter peak desk, which additionally serves as storage for materials samples. We use this desk for every thing – for inner conferences, conferences with purchasers, for sketching and processing and likewise for Friday bars and dinners.

How lengthy have you ever been on this area? The place did you’re employed earlier than that? 

We’ve been right here for greater than three years. Previous to that point, we have been working in an analogous – simply smaller – area for 10 years.

For those who may change one thing about your workspace, what would it not be?

We actually love the area – it has stunning mild coming in from three sides of the studio and the placement within the metropolis is completely excellent. Nevertheless, we may at all times use more room! We might like to have all our furnishings and designs on present right here, and likewise to have a much bigger workshop area for 3D fashions, printing, mannequin making and clay.

Have you ever needed to make any changes to how you’re employed due to the pandemic?

We’ve been fortunate in that sense, so probably not… Protecting every thing clear has clearly been necessary and we suggest to our expensive group members to take lunch in small teams, in order that we are able to hold extra distance than common.

Nana + Nova

Is there an workplace pet?

As talked about, we have now a few very cute, furry canine within the group – Nova and Nana.

Do you require music within the background? In that case, who’re some favorites?

Sure – we at all times take heed to music, numerous totally different music – a relentless problem. We love artists like Kerala Mud, Feathered Solar, Kalabrese, Huge Assault, Nicolas Jaar – but in addition take heed to numerous traditional music, generally simply mushy piano or very mushy jazz. We’re always trying to find new tunes as we expect that music may be very defining for the overall environment and temper of the workplace.

How do you document concepts?

We get by means of numerous Leuchtturm sketch books – and notebooks with mushy covers. They’re the perfect.

Do you have got an inspiration board? What’s on it proper now?

We’ve simply began a tremendous new resort venture in Norway and we’re within the strategy of gathering numerous inspirational materials from the realm, equivalent to imagery from nature, fauna and flora, meals, historic motifs and traditions, instruments, crafts, rituals, methods and native furnishings items. It’s extremely inspiring and enriching.

What’s your typical work model?

We’re tremendous regimented and have a sure set of routines, which we have now complied to for over 15 years. We want that construction to align expectations and to not hold round simply daydreaming, which is at all times tempting!  When we’re not touring, we begin work round 8am and three days per week we start the day with train in a small health club simply subsequent door, which we designed a number of years again. In the course of the day, we’re good at being environment friendly and centered with our group. We’re in fixed dialogue however are additionally getting higher at dividing the work between us. While we largely end work within the late afternoon to nurture household, buddies and hobbies, as with all artistic studios, we even have loopy days and weeks, even months the place we have now to work at night time and out of common studio hours to get the work accomplished. Good artistic concepts don’t at all times come on the pace you desire to them to.

What’s your artistic course of and/or artistic workflow like? Does it change each venture or do you retain it the identical? 

It very a lot relies on the size of the venture. A resort in Tokyo or a chair demand two very totally different approaches. Designing a resort is like beginning an enormous puzzle. It begins with an intense strategy of gathering details about the location, the goals and ambitions of the shopper, the aspirations and the capabilities, to slowly be capable of attain a story that factors in direction of an method to areas and atmospheres, a palette of related supplies, typologies of surfaces, furnishings and so forth. On the opposite facet, the artistic course of behind a chair is usually rather more intuitive and generally very introvert. It entails simply you, with pencil and paper, sketching away following roughly distinctive concepts. As soon as it begins to take form, we go from the pencil sketching to numerous investigations in 3D to make it possible for the proportions and particulars are proper.

What sort of artwork/design/objects may you have got scattered concerning the area?

Prototypes of design and furnishings, 3D prints and many supplies.

Are there instruments and/or equipment in your area?

Printers, plotter and a 3D printer.

What software(s) do you most get pleasure from utilizing within the design course of?

For positive – pencil and paper – that’s the place all of it begins.

Let’s speak about the way you’re wired. Inform us about your tech arsenal/gadgets.

We’re all on huge Macs, primarily working in A Cad, Rhino, and Key Shot Adobe, with some extra amenities for renderings in V-Ray for the larger initiatives. We even have a set-up with a giant display screen in our assembly room for on-line calls, which we have now been utilizing rather a lot over the previous 12 months.

What’s in your desk proper now?

Some sketches of bespoke gadgets for a resort venture.

Is there a favourite venture/piece you’ve labored on?

It’s troublesome to select one – they’re all our infants!

Inform us a couple of present venture you’re engaged on. What was the inspiration behind it?

We’re engaged on a tremendous resort venture in Portugal, which is a small suite resort in a heritage Unesco-protected location within the centre of Porto. This venture has allowed us to dive deep into Portuguese tradition, custom and craft. We visited native stone quarries, workshops of wooden and steel, glass blowers, weavers – it has been extremely inspiring and seems like a really related approach to work.

Do you have got something in your house that you simply’ve designed/created?

Oh sure, we have now numerous our personal designs. In actual fact, every thing that’s in our studio, however an previous rocking chair from Thonet and the workplace chairs, are our personal designs. Similar goes for each our houses. Choosing product on your own residence is the proper take a look at for a brand new piece you have got designed.