Danish design company, Vipp, originally moved to New York City from Copenhagen in 2014 to open the company’s first American showroom. Over the ensuing years, as the brand’s popularity and client base grew, Vipp co-owner and concept director Sofie Christensen Egelund and her husband, Frank, who is Vipp’s vice president, realized they needed to expand the company’s showroom space to accommodate its growing business. The couple was inspired to experiment with their new space in Tribeca, a 3,800-square-foot apartment in a former lace factory, by creating a dual-purpose space — the family’s residence and a showroom all under one roof.
With the help of Lebanese architect Raëd Abillama, they gutted the entire space, opening the previously boxed-in floor plan to take advantage of the 13-foot ceilings and walls of windows lining the northern, southern, and eastern elevations. Last month, after over a year of grueling construction, Vipp Studio NYC opened its new showroom which highlights the brand’s kitchen module units, furnishings, and accessories.
Upon exiting the elevator, one enters the space in the kitchen, outfitted with Vipp’s wall module, which includes a stainless-steel countertop and a built-in sink and cooktop. The dark palette of the walls matches the freestanding kitchen units, containing storage drawers, with Vipp shelving lining the walls. Moving through the space, the office features a Vipp table custom-made with travertine slabs, providing a place to meet with clients. Upholstered millwork walls surrounding the table conceal two workstations and help buffer sound. The living room is the anchor of the showroom and is chock full of Vipp furnishings and accessories. The bathrooms even feature Vipp’s utilitarian sink modules in counterpoint to the Persian travertine and scalloped folds of Ceppo stone used throughout.
The Christensen Egelunds are betting that architects, interior designers, and potential clients will be drawn to this unique space, complete with the kids doing homework and Cooper, the family dog, underfoot. What better way to show how one can live with the products Vipp produces? The couple hopes, of course, to increase sales but they also value the prospect of building lasting relationships. “It’s a different conversation than had we just been a storefront. Hopefully, that leaves a stronger footprint,” says Sofie.
For more about Vipp, check out the Vipp Swivel Chair.