A Tale of Life & Craft
A Tale of Life & Craft. Built to remain.
A Danish design house rooted in cabinetmaking
There is a certain rhythm to a Garde Hvalsøe design. Since the company was founded in 1990, the work of Garde Hvalsøe has grown from the traditions of Danish cabinetmaking. A continuing practice shaped by patience, proportion and material.
Each piece is developed through a careful dialogue between design, material and construction and crafted in Denmark by skilled cabinetmakers, in close connection between the studio and the workshop. The ambition is not novelty but lasting relevance.
This book presents the work of Garde Hvalsøe across the Atelier, the Signature Collection and bespoke interior elements.
THE ATELIER
In the Atelier, cabinetmaking develops in close dialogue with architecture and the life that unfolds within it. Each project begins with observation and conversation, in which spatial conditions, daily routines, and architectural intentions gradually take form as furniture and interior solutions.
Some interiors grow from the established Garde Hvalsøe design language. Others emerge as entirely bespoke projects developed for a specific architectural vision.
In these projects, the expression may differ significantly from the Signature Collection, shaped by the architect or designer. What remains constant is Garde Hvalsøe’s more than three decades of experience in creating kitchens and interior furniture crafted for the individual home.
As both design and production partner, Garde Hvalsøe works closely with architects and clients to realise complex and highly tailored architectural projects.
Every project is crafted in Denmark by skilled cabinetmakers. Materials are selected with care, constructions refined with patience, and each detail considered in relation to the architecture it inhabits.
The result is furniture and interiors that belong naturally to their surroundings and continue to evolve with the life lived around them.
Quin Jackson
A private residence in San Francisco where cabinetmaking runs from the first step of the staircase to the last detail of the bathroom. Realised in close collaboration with Eisenhart A|D as a complete interior, designed and crafted as one.
Thatched House
Beneath a thatched roof in the North Zealand landscape in Denmark, every interior element was shaped in close dialogue with KHR Architects. Oregon pine and painted finishes throughout, from the kitchen to the bedroom, each piece part of an architectural whole conceived from the beginning to belong here.
Gramercy
A townhouse in New York where the cabinetmaking moves through every room, from the kitchen and bar to the dining tables, bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. Realised in collaboration with O’Neill Rose Architects as an interior conceived around a particular way of living in the city.
Amnesia House
A residence set in Napa Valley, where the interior was developed in close collaboration with ELA Architects. Kitchen, wall panelling, bunk beds, writing desk and storage: each element shaped by the architecture and the landscapebeyond.
Cowboy Heaven
A ski lodge in Big Sky, Montana, where the kitchen, wine room and a bespoke music cabinet for turntable and record storage were crafted to inhabit the character of the house. Realised in collaboration with O’Neill RoseArchitects.
The Signature Collection
The work of Garde Hvalsøe takes form through three defining expressions: Solid, Hoelgaard and Layer.
Each design explores a distinct approach to cabinetmaking while sharing the same foundation of proportion, material and construction. Together they form a coherent language shaped by the traditions of Danish cabinetmaking and refined through years of practice.
Solid reveals the material’s direct presence, where the character of the wood defines the expression. Hoelgaard reflects the logic of classical furniture construction, where structure and proportion guide the design. Layer explores rhythm and alignment through repetition and measured composition.
Together, they represent three interpretations of the same discipline. Three ways of working with cabinetmaking as both craft and design. A coherent language that unfolds throughout the home.
KITCHEN
The kitchen remains the natural centre of the home. Here, the principles of the Signature Collection take their most complete form. Cabinetmaking defines the space through material, proportion and careful construction.
Designed as furniture for everyday life, the kitchen becomes a place where architecture, function and craft meet.
Solid
Solid expresses cabinetmaking in its most direct form. Wide planks continue across the drawer fronts, allowing the grain of the wood to define the character of the piece. Construction and materials are allowed to speak with clarity.
The result is a design shaped by the inherent strength and beauty of the wood itself.
Solid Minimal
Solid Minimal in natural oiled oak with a marble worktop and shelving unit.
Solid Minimal in invisible oiled oak with Koshido wall cabinets and open shelves.
Solid Minimal in natural oiled elm with a quartzite worktop and backsplash.
Solid Minimal in white oiled ash with a glazed lavastone worktop.
Solid Minimal in invisible oiled ash with a stainless steel worktop. Shelves and hood storage in raw steel.
Solid Minimal in natural oiled elm with a granite worktop.
Solid Classic
Solid Classic in natural oiled Dinesen HeartOak with tall cabinets in black linoleum.
Solid Classic in invisible oiled Dinesen HeartOak paired with a Merge table in marble.
Solid Classic in natural oiled Dinesen HeartOak.
Solid Classic in white oiled Dinesen HeartOak with a marble worktop and backsplash.
Solid Framed
Solid Framed in white oiled beech with natural zinc fronts and worktop.
Solid Framed in white oiled ash with a zinc frame and Koshido cabinets in ash.
Solid Framed in white oiled ash with a brunished copper frame.
Hoelgaard
Hoelgaard draws inspiration from classical furniture construction. Finger-jointed drawers are framed within a single cabinet and defined by a precise grip line. Structure and proportion shape the identity of the design.
A study in balance between tradition and precision.
Hoelgaard in white oiled oak with a marble worktop and open shelving.
Hoelgaard in invisible oiled oak with an oak worktop. Dining table with a linoleum tabletop.
Hoelgaard in painted finish with a marble and lavastone worktop.
Hoelgaard in white oiled oak with an oak worktop. Tall cabinets with a stainless steel hood and worktop.
Layer
Layer explores proportion through repetition. Vertical fronts create rhythm and structure while reducing the design to its essential elements. The composition is guided by careful alignment and measured proportions.
The result is a disciplined expression of cabinetmaking.
Layer in natural oiled oak with a stainless steel and oak worktop.
Layer in invisible oiled oak with a rounded curlet stainless steel worktop.
Layer in painted finish with a rounded steel worktop and Koshido cabinets in oak. Coffee station with a lavastone worktop.
BATHROOM
The principles of cabinetmaking extend beyond the kitchen. Bathrooms by Garde Hvalsøe are shaped by the same attention to proportion, material and construction that defines the work of the house.
Furniture and storage elements are designed to fit naturally into the architecture and support the rhythm of everyday life.
Solid bathroom furniture in white oiled oak with a Corian worktop.
Opposite: Solid bathroom furniture in white oiled Oregon Pine with a stone worktop.
Solid bathroom furniture in natural oiled oak with a brass worktop.
Opposite: Koshido bathroom cabinet in invisible oiled oak.
Solid bathroom furniture in natural-oiled Dinesen HeartOak with a lavastone worktop. Opposite: Tall bathroom cabinets and open shelves in natural oiled oak.
Solid bathroom furniture in Oregon Pine with a marble worktop.
Opposite: Pilaster bathroom furniture in natural oiled oak with a marble worktop.
Solid bathroom furniture in oiled Dinesen HeartOak with a Corian cabinet.
Opposite: Solid bathroom furniture, natural oiled in oak with a granite sink.
Handcrafted mirror frame in brass.
Opposite: Bathroom furniture in painted finish with a marble.
INTERIOR
Cabinetmaking continues throughout the home. Shelving, wardrobes and interior furniture are developed from the same design principles that shape the Signature Collection. Material, proportion and construction create continuity from room to room.
Each element becomes part of the architecture of the home.
Solid furniture in white oiled oak with leather seating.
Opposite: Walk-in wardrobe in white oiled oak with stainless steel rails.
Wardrobe in natural oiled walnut with Interwoven doors.
Opposite: Wardrobe in natural oiled walnut with Koshido doors.
Walk-in wardrobe in white oiled Oregon Pine. Opposite: Solid walk-in solution in white oiled Oregon pine with steel rail.
and
Freestanding walk-in
wardrobe solution in natural oiled Dinesen HeartOak.
Walk-in wardrobe in invisible oiled oak with slatted doors.
Wardrobe in white oiled Oregon Pine with slatted sliding doors.
Opposite: Wardrobe in natural oiled smoked oak with slatted doors.
Freestanding Koshido cabinet in natural oiled cherry with brass rail.
Pilaster shelving system in natural oiled oak with Koshido doors.
Bunk bed with drawers in invisible oiled oak. Opposite: Room divider and shelving in invisible oiled oak.
Wine cabinet in natural oiled smoked oak with glass doors.
Dining table in white oiled Dinesen HeartOak with a steel base.
Opposite: Integrated wine cabinet in black oiled smoked oak.
Founder
Quality has always been the starting point for Søren Hvalsøe Garde. One of his first design investments was a set of Wegner chairs and Mogens Koch bookcases. Pieces chosen not for a moment, but for life. They remain important references today, alongside the work of Danish cabinetmakers such as Hans J. Wegner, Mogens Koch and Finn Juhl.
Garde Hvalsøe began in a small workshop in Ryesgade in Copenhagen, a street once filled with metal and woodworking shops. In the early years, Søren Hvalsøe Garde secured his first commissions by going door to door. Growing up with a father who spent long hours at the workbench, working with wood felt natural from an early age.
An early collaboration with the architects Boje Lundgaard and Lene Tranberg would prove formative. Together, they developed one of the first Garde Hvalsøe kitchens. Conceived as a piece of furniture rather than a fitted system, it established a design language that continues to shape the work of the house today.
For Søren Hvalsøe Garde, wood remains an extraordinary material. Organic and alive, capable of carrying both craft and time within it. From the beginning, the ambition has been to work with natural materials that age with dignity and beauty.
Dialogue has always been central to the process. Every project develops through close collaboration with clients, architects and craftsmen, guided by trust and a shared understanding of the work. The decision to produce in Denmark has never been in question. Local production keeps the house closely connected to the craft itself and to the standard the work demands.
More than three decades after the company was founded, the same principles remain unchanged. To work with respect for the material. To refine construction through experience. And to create furniture and interiors that will continue to serve and inspire the life lived around them.
Craft Practised
For more than three decades, Garde Hvalsøe has worked within the tradition of Danish cabinetmaking. The principles have not changed. Proportion, material and construction. Patient dialogue between design and making. A commitment to work that endures.
Every project begins with a conversation. Spatial conditions, daily routines, and architectural intentions are carefully considered before a single line is drawn. Ideas take form slowly, moving from early sketches through detailed drawings to finished construction, each stage shaped by the one before it.
Production has always remained in Denmark, not as a statement, but as a necessity. The workshops sit close to the design studio, and that proximity is not incidental. It keeps design and craft in continuous conversation, and ensures that every detail is followed with the attention the work demands.
Each piece leaves the hands of cabinetmakers who have spent years learning to read a material. To understand how wood moves, how it ages, how it responds to light and to life. Around them, a trusted circle of joiners, stonemasons, blacksmiths, upholsterers and leatherworkers, each a master of their own discipline, each holding the same standard.
This is not production in any conventional sense. It is a craft practised with continuity and care, refined through decades of work on some of the most demanding interiors in the world.
The ambition is not novelty, but longevity. A tale of life and craft.
Meet us
Every Garde Hvalsøe project begins with a conversation. We welcome you to visit our showrooms in Copenhagen or Aarhus, or to reach out directly. We are always happy to talk about your project, however early the idea.
Showroom Copenhagen
Esplanaden 8D, ground floor 1263 Copenhagen
Showroom Aarhus
Mejlborg, Kystvejen 65 8000 Aarhus
mail@gardehvalsoe.dk
+45 7022 2260
gardehvalsoe.dk
Imprint
Published by Garde Hvalsøe, Copenhagen 2026 Third edition, print run 1000 Graphic design by Michael Kornmaaler
Photo credit:
Birgitta Wolfgang Bjørnvad, Irina Boersma, Joe Fletcher, Maja Karen Hansen, Anders Hviid, Ditte Isager, Heidi Lerkenfeldt, Matthew Millman, Paul Raeside, Lisa Romerein, Michael Rygaard, David Thulstrup, Claus Troelsgaard, Pernille Vest, Alona Vibe, Merete Vyff.
gardehvalsoe.dk
Head Office
Esplanaden 8D 1263 Copenhagen
Denmark
Showroom
Esplanaden 8D, ground floor 1263 Copenhagen Denmark
Showroom Mejlborg, Kystvejen 65 8000 Aarhus
Denmark
Contact: +45 7022 2260 mail@gardehvalsoe.dk
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Garde Hvalsøe.
A Tale of Life & Craft
To us, it is essential to stay true to the rhythm that is our signature. Therein lies the key to creating the world of tomorrow, which –in our understanding of life and craft – has to be built of quality materials in honest, thoughtful designs with a timeless beauty to be appreciated by generations to come.
gardehvalsoe.dk