Villa Copenhagen: Former Post and Telegraph office becomes Grand hotel
The Montreux washbasin and bath mixers from Axor were custom-made for the eight Shamballa suites at Hotel Villa Copenhagen.
Photos: AXOR / Hansgrohe SE
Behind the Neo-Baroque façade of Villa Copenhagen, located in the Danish
city of the same name, hides a world of conscious, contemporary luxury with an
ambiance all its own. The 390-room hotel is housed in the former Danish Post
and Telegraph office, which dates to 1912, and wants to offer a conscious,
approachable luxury complemented by intuitive and personalized service. For the
bathrooms of the hotel the London-based practice Universal Design Studio, who
was in charge for designing the Villa Copenhagen, used Axor fittings.
In the bathrooms, hand-crafted Zellige tiles, an internal window of
textured glass, and custom marble vanity units feature alongside Axor fittings,
finished in Chrome and Brushed Black Chrome, an exclusive AXOR FinishPlus
surface. Interior Architect Richard McConkey, Universal Design Studio, explains
why the choice fell on Axor products “We used the Montreux collection because
we were looking for a product that had a heritage feeling, but was still
contemporary, especially using the black chrome finish.”
Close cooperation in individualisation
To symbolise hot and cold water, the handles of the taps in the bathrooms of the eight Shamballa suites were set with a ruby and a sapphire.
Photo: AXOR / Hansgrohe SE
Among the 390 rooms of Villa Copenhagen are eight Shamballa suites,
which were designed by Danish luxury brand Shamballa Jewels. In these bathrooms
bespoke Axor Montreux basin and bathtub faucets underline an atmosphere of
luxurious warmth, laid-back tranquility and exciting contrast. For that the
Shamballa team worked closely with Axor Signature, the customization service of
Axor, to create bejeweled handles—cast as double thunderbolts, the symbol of
Shamballa—for the faucets. The handles were inlaid with ruby and sapphire to
represent hot and cold water. Olga Krukovskaya, Architect, Shamballa Jewels, describes
the cooperation with the faucets, showers and accessories manufacturer from
Schiltach “Axor were really open to approaching this almost unrealizable thing
with both care and attentiveness. It was super helpful to have the team from
Germany helping us with the technical aspects, producing prototypes, and always
with quality from the start. I have extremely good memories about the whole process
of working with Axor.”
All Axor fixtures at Villa Copenhagen aim to achieve the hotel´s high
sustainability goals. Axor even developed a special shower system design
featuring its water-conserving EcoSmart technology. Richard McConkey explains “In
Scandinavia, there are, and rightly so, very tight water flow rate
specifications that we needed to adhere to for the project. Axor have been
excellent in helping us meet those criteria.” And rather than compromising the
guest experience, such resource-saving measures are ought to actually enhance
it. Indeed, that’s what conscious luxury should be all about he adds. Joyful,
inclusive, and sustainable. Thus, he makes sure, Villa Copenhagen is a perfect
match for the city with which it shares a name.
