Wulff & Konstali

“I wanted to do something in the style of a classic diner but sharpened up with fresh colours and clean surfaces that makes you feel almost as if you are sitting in a bakery or a kitchen,” says David Thulstrup, principal of the Copenhagen-based Studio David Thulstrup.

Previously an old-style bodega, the space was stripped back and reconfigured to combine built-in banquette style seating with a welcoming front counter where bread and takeaway food is displayed in glass and metal display cases and open shelves.

Walls are lined in pale eggshell blue glazed tiles, which are offset by chocolate brown matt tiles on the floors. A light pale grey acoustic sprayed textured ceiling is a soft foil for the brightness of the wall tiles and absorbs the noise of the bustling café. White neon tubes, slightly curved to evoke the shape of outdoor market awnings are suspended on steel pipes from the ceiling, 
“Doing custom lighting like this, has become really important for us and I think these neon tubes unify the space as well as add a touch of whimsy to the strong lines of the tiles,” says Thulstrup.

To bring a sense of craft to the room, David Thulstrup commissioned glazed lava stone tabletops in light beige with dark brown spots from Copenhagen-based File Under Pop, adding a custom-made table leg in galvanised steel as an industrial contrast. Other design elements include the Ton chair 14 in natural beech, Ulrik bar stool by SCP in natural ash, dark brown leather-covered banquettes and a lot of pot plants.

The new space is in a historic building on Skt. Hans Torv in Nørrebro with room for 50 inside and 80 seats on the famous square outside. On the square outside, updated versions of the classic Fermob ‘Bistro Metall’ folding chairs in shades of turquoise, cedar and russet brown animate the popular haunt.

Design: Studio David Thulstrup
Photography: Irina Boersma