classic copenhagen landmark to get facelift

the panoramic view of the towers and spires of the danish capital will remain the same, but the interior of the radisson sas royal hotel copenhagen will get a new look.

the very first hotel in the radisson sas chain will be completely refurnished in a fresh innovative design by the end of next year. with some room already showing a new face, the first phase in the $10.5-million-dollar project of remodelling the five-star royal hotel has already been completed.

the german-iranian architect and interior designer yasmine mahmoudieh will put her personal touches on the radisson sas royal hotel, which was originally designed and decorated by the renowned danish architect arne jacobsen in 1960. she is recognised around the globe for her avant-garde styling, and has revamped the look of broad range of hotels, including hotel baltschug kempinski in moscow and even the suites at the regent berverly wilshire where richard gere and julia roberts found romance in the film pretty woman.

for the radisson sas royal copenhagen, ms. mahmoudieh uses the kidney form popular in the ‘50s as her lietmotiv to draw out and exploit the aluminium, glass maple and marble, to complement jacobsen’s clean, simplistic lines, while retaining the elements of his signature work. the bathrooms in each room have been done in stunning mosaics, accentuated by green granite floors.

“danish design has developed from the deep hands-on knowledge that designers have for their mediums. ms. mahmoudieh’s interior design has its starting point in the same judicious selection of materials as expressions of intent. her respect for history, culture and local environment is elf-evident, but there is also a distinct sense of contemporary trends and developments,” says frank fiskers, vice president, nordic countries.

arne jacobsen is nothing short of an icon in the realm of danish design. he helped usher functionalism into denmark during the 1930s. his distinctive lines and curves deliver the perfect harmony between form and function, and he was instrumental giving danish housing and public buildings a facelift. on an international level, jacobsen has done st. catherine’s college in oxford, the danish embassy in london and the city hall in mainz, to name but a few.

radisson sas royal hotel copenhagen is a nationally listed monument to the functionalism of danish design. jacobsen approached the building as a total entity and complemented the basic form with his signature decorating schemes and furniture to complete the visual effect.

to maintain the spirit of jacobsen’s original work, room 606 remains exactly as it was when the hotel opened its doors in 1960. his legendary swan, the 7 chair and other works can still be seen in various areas of the hotel, and mesh perfectly with ms. mahmoudieh’s work.

“we are very proud of the result that maintains and continues the radisson sas royal hotel tradition of unique design that gives our guests a singular experience from the moment they arrive. the tremendous challenge of succeeding arne jacobsen has been carried out with the greatest respect for his work. but this has also been done with a distinctive personal touch that has resulted in the new interiors living up to our expectations of something unique – something that heralds a new era in the world of hotel design,” says frank fiskers.

functionalism remains the key word, as the radisson sas royal hotel copenhagen has been designed, equipped and furnished for use by its guests.