Interior design: Space Copenhagen
Furnishings: Arne Jacobsen for Sika, Frama, Gebruder Thonet, Pedrali, Sorensen Leather; Vintage pieces Barbara Werner / Holly Golightly
Lighting: &Tradtion, Atelier Vime, Gubi, Helle Mardal
Fabrics: Dedar, FuturLiberty, Kvadrat, Pierre Frey
Photo credits: Joachim Wichmann
Drinks and small dishes accompanied by lively conversation. Tensions ease inside the new Ambra Restaurant in Copenhagen, the latest creation of Chef Andreas Bagh that merges Italian culinary traditions with Danish design. The easy, relaxed atmosphere comes from the human-scale space created by Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou of Space Copenhagen using simple, minimalist choices and a subtly decorative aesthetic. The design duo also responsible for Esmée Restaurant at Kongens Nytorv Copenhagen carefully planned a warm, honest design for this second collaboration with Chef Bagh.
The double-height ceilings of the front room pay homage to the building’s industrial origins, softened by large cloud-like chandeliers custom-made by &Tradition. The 10-meter-long wooden bar features a brown travertine countertop. In both the bar and the restaurant burnt tones predominate, adding intimacy and elegance, along with amber and sand-colored linen curtains, bistro sheers, and rustic striped fabrics by the likes of Dedar, Pierre Frey, Kvadrat, and FuturLiberty.
The light-colored walls are offset by the earth tones of the brick floor and the wood panels partially covering the walls and niches. Handmade burnished glazed tiles embellish the open kitchen. Softly upholstered chairs in shades of ocher and plum designed by Arne Jacobsen and Gebrüder Thonet surround the dark bar and the tables made of brown travertine and yellow marble.
There is something almost domestic about the blown-glass wall sconces by Helle Mardal and the handmade rattan ones shaped like old baskets by Atelier Vime. Even the height of the dining room has been lowered to make the space more intimate and horizontal. Playful vintage touches include Italian shell-shaped brass lamps framing the bar and a large hand-woven 18th-century wall tapestry.
As the designers explain, “Ambra is the perfect place for a casual, easy and relaxed night out on any day. It’s a place in which to linger and immerse yourself in the buzzing city, where we wanted to fuse a unique, Italian-inspired culinary experience with our Scandinavian design. Ambra is all about unpretentious dining, so we created a modern space that celebrates the building’s heritage with a wholesome atmosphere in which guests can have fun surrounded by a design that is subtle yet beautiful.”
