Spacon brings Danish warmth to Edition Denmark in Seoul

Copenhagen studio Spacon has completed a 50-square-metre showroom and cafe for Danish-goods brand Edition Denmark in central Seoul, aiming for what founding partner Malene Hvidt calls the "layered feeling of a home".

The one-storey spaces sit in the Seochon district and serve a South Korean brand that sells Danish products. Reflecting the hospitality traditions of both countries, the store pairs its retail floor with an eatery next door — and the two are deliberately intertwined: visitors can buy the cafe's tableware and other products on display.

"For us, the project was about an exchange between two cultures and the things we already share," Hvidt told Dezeen. "Both cultures have strong traditions around gathering, and we wanted the cafe and shop to connect these everyday rituals in a natural way."

What materials define the interior?

Wood anchors both spaces, a material the studio describes as central to Danish design culture. "Wood became the foundation of the interior because we wanted the space to feel warm, familiar and lived in," Hvidt said.

The palette is specific rather than generic:

• Solid cherry wood
• Terracotta tiles
• Woven cord stools
• Bespoke textile lamps

"Solid cherry wood is combined with terracotta tiles, woven cord stools and bespoke textile lamps, bringing in softness and references to Danish craft and architecture," Hvidt explained.

Which Danish design classics appear?

Spacon layered classic Danish furniture into the scheme, including the Folkestolen chair by designer Børge Mogensen. The studio mixed these pieces with its own custom furniture, art and smaller found objects.

"We wanted the space to have the personal and layered feeling of a home, combining our custom furniture with new and vintage Danish pieces, art and smaller found objects," Hvidt said. The studio also produced wooden and aluminium trays engraved with Danish flowers, described by Hvidt as "small gestures at the intimate scale".

How do the cafe and showroom differ?

The cafe takes the warmer route, with moss-green stained wood and terracotta adding colour and calm. The showroom next door is starker in its material palette, with one conspicuous move: a mirrored ceiling.

"The shop has a slightly different character, with a mirrored ceiling opening up the small space and reflecting the objects on display," Hvidt said.

What comes next for Spacon and Edition Denmark?

The Seoul store is the first project in a long-term collaboration between Spacon and Edition Denmark, a brand founded by Dane Johan S Fuglsbjerg and creative director Ji Eun Lee. Spacon's other recent work includes a welcome pavilion for Rosenborg Castle's garden in Copenhagen, designed for the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, and an exhibition at the Danish Architecture Center. Photography of the Seoul space is by Seongju Mun and Mihyun Son. The long-term partnership signals that more Danish-crafted interiors in Korea are on the way.