SPACE PROGRAM The Chimney House, on the northern edge of Copenhagen, opens this month as the third hotel from Danish brand Vipp. Here, the interiors, still under construction, showcase Vipp products—a shelf, a floor lamp and the iconic trash can—alongside pieces that provided inspiration for Studio David Thulstrup’s design, including a Verner Panton sofa, a vintage Lucite chair and an aluminum Jonas Trampedach table. PHOTO: FELIX ODELL FOR WSJ. MAGAZINE
SPARKS FLY through the air, thick with a sawdust haze, as a workman solders a joint at the top of a makeshift staircase, inside an old red-brick building on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, near the coast.
FAMILY AFFAIR From left: Sofie and Frank Christensen Egelund, Jette Egelund and Kasper Egelund.
Kasper Egelund, the CEO and third-generation co-owner of Vipp—the 79-year-old Danish design company best known for its iconic trash can—climbs the rickety flight to survey the scene. Floodlights illuminate raw floors, stray wiring and unfinished walls below, and a recent roof extension overhead. The bones of the building are good, its proportions handsome; nevertheless, this is a construction site with quite a way to go.
“I realize it requires some imagination at this stage,” says Kasper, 43. “But soon enough this will be the ultimate showcase of our brand universe.”
This March, the Chimney House, named for the outsize stack that sprouts from this former water-pumping station’s roof, will become the third outpost of Vipp Hotel, a series of Vipp-styled spaces meant for short-term stays. Designed in collaboration with one of Copenhagen’s buzziest young architecture practices, Studio David Thulstrup, this two-bedroom addition to Vipp’s portfolio will allow visiting aesthetes the chance to live an idealized version of Danish life.
“Traditional retail seems to be losing its power, but what is not losing power is our desire to see or do or read about something interesting,” says Kasper. He sees the Chimney House as “the experience economy coming alive.”
Alongside several custom Thulstrup-designed pieces, a substantial selection of Vipp products will furnish the Chimney House, part of a lineup that today includes home accessories, furniture, lighting, bathroom units, a modular kitchen system and even a prefab home. The 1,800-square-foot space will be living proof of Vipp’s evolution: What began nearly 80 years ago as a humble bin business has become an international lifestyle brand with big ambitions and a strong point of view.