Today I’m focusing on Danish design brand GUBI, which has just opened its first dedicated UK showroom in the heart of London. Sadly I couldn’t make the launch event last week in person, but it’s providing lots of design inspiration from afar and I couldn’t resist sharing some of the press images.
Located on Charterhouse Square in the Clerkenwell design district, the showroom occupies a Grade II-listed townhouse that has been sensitively renovated throughout. It took GUBI two years of searching to find the property, but it was worth the wait: the elegant Georgian architecture provides the perfect backdrop for the brand’s collection of timeless furniture, lighting and accessories, and it’s the kind of old-meets-new pairing that I always find appealing.
The GUBI team took their cue for the interiors from the original features and layout of the building, working with the existing divisions, fireplaces and staircases to form a series of curated spaces arranged over four different levels. The walls, floors and ceilings, meanwhile, are the work of Danish surface-design specialists File Under Pop, who used clay, lava stone, carefully chosen paint colours and handmade wallpaper to create rooms with their own distinctive palettes and moods, while adhering to a cohesive overall aesthetic. The result is intended to feel more like an authentic home than a showroom, and it looks absolutely beautiful.
The ground floor was designed to capture the atmosphere of a boutique hotel, with a living room, a dining / reading room and a meeting space decorated in airy yet calming blues, beiges and off-whites. Elements of brass and marble enhance the mood of quiet luxury, as does gently curved seating upholstered in plush velvet. My favourite pieces are the ‘9464’ wall lamps, designed by Paavo Tynell in the early 1950s and arranged in a trio to the right of one of the fireplaces, and the ‘Sejour’ lounge chairs by GamFratesi, which offset chunky seats with slimline frames and armrests. I also love the grooved column base of Space Copenhagen’s ‘Moon’ dining table, here shown in oak and flanked by padded ‘Bat’ dining chairs covered in tactile two-tone wool.
The first floor takes visitors back to the 1970s, with a gently retro vibe that encompasses low-slung seating, playful shapes and an array of earthy browns, oranges and terracottas. Standout pieces in the main room include two of Pierre Paulin’s cloud-like ‘Pacha’ lounge chairs, one in striking monochrome stripes and the other in fluffy sheepskin; a spiralling cluster of sleek metal ‘Semi’ pendant lights; and Gianfranco Frattini’s tassled ‘Model 597’ table lamp from 1961. In another corner sits Illum Wikkelsø’s voluptuous ‘Croissant’ chair, originally designed in 1962 and now updated for today’s body shapes.
Inspired by co-working clubs, the second floor puts a more sophisticated, minimalist spin on this sense of playfulness. Crisp white walls and dark accents contrast beautifully with sculptural pieces in jewel-like hues, most notably a curvaceous ‘Revers’ armchair in pale blue and a ‘Croissant’ sofa in a rich cerise. They sit around a marble ‘Doric’ coffee table, designed by GamFratesi and inspired by classical architecture.
The top floor, by contrast, is more relaxed and boho in style. Natural colours and textures take centre stage here, and the eclectic selection of pieces include Marcel Gascoin’s iconic 1947-designed ‘C-Chair’ in oiled oak, French cane and woven paper cord, plus Mathias Steen Rasmussen’s rope-backed ‘MR01 Initial’ lounge chair. There’s also another nod to the 1970s, with a rattan-based ‘Basket’ sofa alongside a group of Louis Weisdorf’s helix-like ‘Turbo’ pendants – not to my personal taste, but an interesting and eye-catching combination nonetheless.
It really does look like a stunning place, and even the blush-pink bathroom is a delight for the eye! I hope I get the chance to visit when I next make it to London, but in the meantime I’ll be browsing GUBI’s dedicated UK webshop, created to coincide with the showroom’s launch.
GUBI House London is located at 12 Charterhouse Square, EC1M 6AX, and open to industry professionals by appointment. You can browse GUBI’s webshop here.
All photography courtesy of GUBI
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