Highlights of 3 Days of Design 2024 | John Pawson’s minimalist Dinesen Apartment

I have another highlight from 3 Days of Design to share with you today – a new addition to wood and flooring specialist Dinesen’s Copenhagen showroom, created to resemble a real-life apartment. Designed by the British architect John Pawson, who has been collaborating with Dinesen for over 30 years, it’s a wonderfully minimalist space that bathes you in a sense of calm from the moment you step inside.

Pawson was given free reign to do what he wanted with the apartment and chose to focus on three elements that represent his signature style: wood, light and the colour white. The result is a deceptively simple sanctuary, with considered details and layers of tactility that gradually reveal themselves as you wander from room to room.

Throughout, the walls and ceilings – many still adorned in original panelling and plasterwork roses – are painted in a gentle shade of white called ‘Cotton’, which Pawson developed for new Danish company Bléo. It sits perfectly with the natural grain of the timbers and enhances the airy mood, as does softly diffused natural light filtering through semi-sheer fabric blinds from Kvadrat. In some areas, Pawson has also installed ledges with integrated LED lighting that washes upwards, emphasising the soaring height and period architecture of the various spaces.

At the heart of the apartment is a large living room with white-soaped Douglas fir flooring. The furniture is also crafted from Douglas fir and comes from Pawson’s made-to-order Dinesen collection, first developed for his own London home in 1992 and now expanded to encompass seating, tables and more. Inspired by the dimensions of Dinesen planks, the pared-back pieces almost look as if they’ve been lifted from the floor beneath and sport subtle yet beautiful details such as oak shadow inserts and upholstery that wraps over the top of the chair arms. Finishing touches include a sculptural marble bowl, a sleek glass-tubed floor lamp from WonderGlass and Pawon’s ‘Holocene No. 4’ aluminium lantern for Swedish lighting brand Wästberg. The bubble-shaped opal pendants, meanwhile, are by Peter Zumthor for Italian company Viabizzuno.

Accessed through a set of grand double doors, the oak-floored dining room also features minimalist furniture from Pawson’s collection, together with Hans J. Wegner’s timeless ‘Wishbone’ chairs. Half-height grooved panelling runs around the entire space, giving it a cosier and more cocooning feel than the living room, while a trio of glass pendant lights, again by WonderGlass and originally conceived for one of Pawson’s residential projects, creates a focal point over the table.

The units in the kitchen beyond are from the ‘Layer’ series, designed by Baks Arkitekter for Garde Hvalsøe. The vertical grain and central grooves of the fronts contrast beautifully with the smooth stainless-steel worktop, as well as neatly echoing the wall panelling and table shadow insert of the dining room. Open shelving, again accented by integrated LED lighting, provides storage and display space for a selection of minimalist glassware and crockery created by Pawson himself.

At the other end of the apartment is a study that’s bathed in natural light from two tall arched windows. A dining table acts as a large desk, and there’s a cushioned daybed for reading and quiet contemplation. The aluminium table lamp is Pawson’s ‘w223’ design for Wästberg, which combines curved and rectilinear elements to form a sculptural expression. Another Wishbone chair, herringbone-pattern flooring and additional wall panelling create an air of classic elegance, despite the prevalence of clean, contemporary lines.

The apartment is set to remain open for the foreseeable future and is an immersive complement to Dinesen’s main showroom. I found it very inspiring and I wasn’t the only one – in fact while I was there I heard another visitor remark that it was the most minimalist of all the spaces he’d seen at 3 Days of Design, yet the one where he’d taken the most photographs. I can fully understand why!

All photography by Abi Dare