Interior design: Space Copenhagen
Bespoke reception desks, dining and lounge tables, cabinets, bar: on design by Space Copenhagen
Furnishings: Artilleriet Ateliers, B&B Italia, Bonacina 1889, Cassina, De La Espada, De Sede,
FRAMA, Fredericia furniture, GUBI, Knoll, Massimo, Michael Anastassiades, RH, Sika design,
Studio Oliver Gustav, &Tradition
Lighting: 1stDibs, Cassina, Karakter Copenhagen
Fabrics: Dedar, Kirkby, Kvadrat, Sahco, Skandilock
Leather: De Sede, Søresen Leather
Photo credits: Joachim Wichmann
Born as a defensive stronghold in the 12th century, Schloss Schauenstein has, over centuries, embraced countless stories and individuals, evolving its appearance without ever losing its profound essence. Today, its spirit is beautifully expressed through the sensitive design by one of Denmark’s most acclaimed architectural studios. The castle is located in Fürstenau, a small village home to just over three hundred inhabitants. After its military origins, Schloss Schauenstein served as a private residence, then a college, and later a gathering place for artists and intellectuals. For several years now, it has been owned by Michelin-starred chef Andreas Caminada, who operates it as a luxury hotel and restaurant. This is where Space Copenhagen entered the scene, tasked with revitalizing the castle’s image to suit its new purpose.
The intervention focuses on a dialogue between past and present, aiming to forge connections between history and contemporary living. It is within this temporal flow that the castle’s new identity takes shape. Central to the design is also the relationship between the built environment and the surrounding landscape, interpreted through materials like stone and wood, and a color palette featuring muted greens and rust tones, echoing the textures of the mountains and the changing seasons.
The designers’ delicate approach is evident from the moment one enters the hall, where ancient stone walls are balanced by soft materials like linen and wool in the furnishings. In the restaurant, rough-hewn walls form a backdrop where soft lighting casts shadows, highlighting the silhouettes of chairs crafted from wood, leather, and fabric.
The bar features a blend of newly conceived furnishings and restored original castle pieces. The guest rooms, each unique, feel like serene retreats where time seems suspended, and elegance is expressed through understated simplicity. Against a backdrop of stone and wood walls, furnishings include bespoke elements designed by the studio and modern design icons.
The muted tones of the cladding materials – soft grey, burnt orange, forest green – subtly emphasize the connection to nature, evoking valleys, mountains, and forests. As Signe Bindslev Henriksen, co-founder of Space Copenhagen, comments: “Each room is a study in understated elegance, deliberately stripped of excess to let the architecture, and the guest’s own experience, breathe.”
