Playing with notions of public and private, visible and obscured, open and closed, the Private Collection by Space Copenhagen forms the most comprehensive line of storage and display furniture in the GUBI Collection. With the addition of this typology, GUBI has further extended its distinctive aesthetic throughout the home, enabling bespoke curations of personal narratives by showcasing the things that signal our identities.
The Private Collection is a dedicated exercise in clean lines, symmetry and tonal restraint – calm and composed, but undeniably generous in its expression. The visual simplicity and careful balance of dimensions and materials enable each piece to feature in any room of the home and to fit seamlessly into a range of different interior styles – from an open modern loft apartment to an intimate and traditional home, as well as hospitality and retail environments. Each piece is motivated by Space Copenhagen’s repeated experience of having to source vintage pieces or custom-make display and storage solutions for their interior projects. The Private Collection addresses this lack of beautiful, modern and functional cabinets, chests of drawers, dressers, consoles and side tables.
The collection comprises a glass-paneled upright vitrine, a sideboard with four deep drawers, an elegantly pared-down desk suitable for homeworking, and a side table with space for both display and personal storage. Ever since the likes of Charlotte Perriand and Hans J. Wegner drew on Asian design traditions to help define the mid-century aesthetic, Japanese craft has become a touchstone for modern and contemporary style. The Private Collection is no exception. Space Copenhagen looked to the simplicity and craftsmanship of antique Japanese furniture for inspiration, even incorporating visual hallmarks of Japanese wood joinery into the collection. “For the Private Collection, we found inspiration in the beauty of vintage Japanese storage and display furniture – in fact, the defining detail for each piece is a Japanese wood joint. We searched for a simple, strong and recognizable design language focusing on high quality, beautiful materials and refined, elegant details,” explain Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, designers, Space Copenhagen. The understated design concept highlights Space Copenhagen’s material choice of oak veneer combined with antique brass.
The simplicity of the form also emphasizes the traditional cabinetry techniques and craftsmanship, such as grainmatched veneers, involved in the construction of each piece. Each is supported by two vertical tapered legs with a horizontal wooden beam wedging them in place – a feat of structural engineering that elevates each piece, enabling it to carry such weight, while imbuing it with a feeling of lightness and uniting the entire collection with levity and spaciousness. Metal handles with an antique brass finish complete each piece with a considered detail. The Private Collection combines the presence to make a powerful statement with a sense of refined elegance, ensuring each piece will be cherished and passed down through generations, only becoming more beautiful over time. Embodying understated sophistication while still making an impact, the collection has a timeless quality that will make sure it remains relevant for generations to come.
The Private Vitrine is a statement display cabinet for the bedroom, lounge or kitchen – and would also work well in a hotel or spa lobby where a touch of personality is required. Its brown/black-stained or light-stained oak veneer frame encases a tall glass case, recessed into the frame, creating depth. Three shelves offer the opportunity to store and display books, tableware, glassware, or precious ornaments, and the chance to weave personal narratives into a space. In contrast to the rounded handles on the rest of the collection, the Vitrine features elongated oval door handles. Jacob Gubi, Owner and Creative Director at GUBI says: “The vitrine is a personal favorite typology that I have always wanted in the GUBI Collection. Using materials that balance practicality with textural richness, Space Copenhagen’s interpretation is understated and elegant and will perfectly frame the objects its owners can display in their homes.
I’m delighted to introduce this new typology to the collection, enabling GUBI to embrace the entire home interior further than ever before.” Concealed storage is offered by the Private Sideboard, a horizontal form designed to sit neatly against a wall in living room, dining room or bedroom, or to be deployed back-to-back with another unit. Its four symmetrical soft-close drawers provide substantial space in a way that is both practical and functional, while retaining refinement in their execution. The top can be used as an elegant surface on which to showcase ornaments, objects and artworks. The Private Desk offers flexible functionality, operating as a desk for homeworking during the day and as a console out of hours.
This dual aesthetic enables it to fit easily and elegantly into existing interior schemes in a living room, bedroom or kitchen, responding to the emerging needs, reflections and discoveries within the modern home. The Private Side Table is a compact solution to the multiple and varied storage and display needs of this hardworking typology and can be used beside a bed, sofa or armchair. While many side tables offer a surface for a lamp, a book and perhaps some flowers, the Private Side Table’s drawer also enables storage of more personal items or those that might need to be close at hand, but out of sight. The kinship between Space Copenhagen and GUBI is defined by a shared philosophy that combines a signature of elegant simplicity with a cosmopolitan international outlook. Prioritizing functionality and personality in design while focusing on a few effective details has resulted in a self-assured design universe that emphasizes a sense of spaciousness and identity paired with a nuanced understanding of materials and craftsmanship.
