Vipp Journal vol. 1

D ES IG N

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A RCHITECTU RE

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FOOD

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ART

VIPP JOURNAL

ISSU E · 1

Architect couple Frank Maali and Gemma Lalanda have transformed a mid-century garage into a cultural catalyst for Vipp, proposing dialogues between, design, art, food, music, and architecture.

EDITO Sometimes great design begins with rubbish. It holds true in the case of Vipp, founded in my grandfather’s metal workshop in Jutland, Denmark in the late thirties. Our company is built on the pedal-controlled waste bin he crafted for my grandmother’s hair salon.

In fact, more than 80 years later, our contemporary design philosophy is taken straight out of the bin. Central in our philosophy is the ambition of refined and long-lasting product experiences. In recent years, we have upscaled this product experience by framing it in architectural settings such as the Vipp Hotel. With a growing palette of one-room-wonders dispersed in out-of-the-ordinary locations, we invite guests to test-drive our kitchen, switch on our lamp, and step on the pedal in a home away from home atmosphere.

Another bookable experience is the Vipp Supper Club. We lend our kitchen to talented chefs from around the world who serve fabulous food on the plate and food for thought in the conversation.

An intimate chef’s table experience unfolds in venues that are quite a mouthful on their own. A new venue in the making is a mid-century garage currently being transformed into a cultural venue for the future. In ‘Vipp Garage’, we will park our wildest dreams about design, art, architecture, music, and food.

This approach forces us to look beyond product design and into architectural ventures with interior schemes shaping a dialogue with our palette of products. Presenting the first edition of this periodical titled ‘Vipp Journal’ is an invitation to look beyond the product itself, beyond a traditional catalogue. Instead, our intention is to relay this amplified experience and the stories that transpire when artists, chefs, interior designers, and architects step into the world of Vipp.

— KASPER EGELUND, CEO AND 3RD GENERATION VIPP OWNER.

A retrospective colour choice resurfaces

New brush strokes for a historic painter's house in Skagen

Mr. A., an illustrated alter-ego hits a new canvas

Riccardo Canella brings us on a motionless, culinary journey

Mikkel Karstad serves the catch of the day

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

CON T E N T

T H E H O ME — p 6

AT THE TI P OF DEN MA RK A historic painter’s house in Skagen finds new purpose.

T H E CO L LA B — p 1 2

A LOV E I NJECTI ON BY A N DR É S ARAIVA Colourful playfulness meets sleek industrial minimalism in the ‘Amour’ edition.

T H E D EST I N AT I O N — p 1 6

GON E F I SHI N G AT LA K E I M M ELN Chef Mikkel Karstad throws out his fishing rod in the lake by the Vipp Shelter.

T H E I D EA — p 2 2

BACK TO B EI GE Jette Egelund, daughter of Vipp founder, takes us back to the early beginnings.

T H E PO RT RA I T — p 2 6

A TALE OF A VENETIAN IN DENMARK Chef Riccardo Canella brings his Venetian roots to the table.

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THE HOME

At the tip of Denmark A historic painter’s house in Skagen finds new purpose.

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

Skagen – the northernmost town in Denmark, where Kattegat

Locher’s original high-ceilinged atelier that caught the attention of

meets Skagerak, has always been surrounded by a mythical atmo- Thomas Schlosser. “I am born and raised in northern Jutland and sphere. The spirit of Skagen has been brought to life and perpetuated

have spent endless summers in Skagen. The combination of white

by the renowned impressionist art cluster of ‘Skagen Painters’ who

beaches, breathtaking nature and vibrant village life is unparalleled.

settled in the area in the late 1800s. One of the famous Skagen

That’s why acquiring Locher’s house is a dream come true. The house

Painters, Carl Locher, built a house here in 1910 facing the beach.

is designed by architect Ulrik Plesner, who is also the name behind

It housed a grand atelier where he could paint his favourite motive

many of Skagen's most famous buildings which I think is a big stamp

– the sea. Standing idle and in ruins for years, the house has been

of quality,“ explains Thomas.

restored to its former grandeur by a new owner, Thomas Schlosser.

After a gut renovation of this cultural heritage building, where

Specialised in restoring and selling mid-century modern,

original wooden panels and large atelier window facing the sea have

Danish furniture and art pieces via his company ‘KLASSIK

been meticulously restored, you get the impression that Carl Locher

Copenhagen’, Thomas holds a certain eye for spotting objects with

painted his last strokes just yesterday.

an unseen aesthetic potential. As a listed building, Thomas took on the challenge of safeguarding its original architecture during a

Most Danes hold a memory of summer, sand, and seafood from

two-year renovation. The process became a family project since

Skagen. As a magnet for summer tourists, this town of only 7,500

Thomas asked his brother and father, who are both masons, to under-

residents explodes with visitors in the summer months. Among the

take the rebuild. Complimenting the original architectural shell is

endless rows of yellow houses with red roofs that form the pictur-

a cavalcade of interior design pieces that spark a contemporary

esque charm of Skagen, a yellow house stands out in size and with

Scandinavian design sensibility in the home.

its vast atelier window. And when put up for sale in 2018, it was Carl

PHOTOGRAPHY ANDERS HVIID

WORDS CHRISTINA HINDING

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The heart of the home is still the grand atelier where paintbrushes and canvases have been exchanged with furniture from Thomas’ own stores. Kept in neutral hues the eye is drawn to the window framing the neighbouring yellow homes and green reeds defining the border to the harbour.

An open kitchen space with a small dining area is dominated by Vipp’s simplistic and raw V1 kitchen in black aluminium and stainless steel. In the middle of the kitchen, Thomas has placed a ‘Bamsestol’ by Hans J. Wegner.

“The subtle details and refined look are what I fell for in the Vipp kitchen.

The interior is kept in bright and nude colours, so a completely black, steel kitchen was a welcoming contrast. I like that it is raised on legs, it adds a lightness to a sturdy kitchen”, explains Thomas.

If not cooking at home, Thomas heads around the corner to his favourite restaurant in Skagen, Brøndums Hotel: “The hotel premises have the same special atmosphere as my house. Maybe because it was designed by the same architect and is built in the same period.”

THE HOME

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THE HOME

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

A Vipp kitchen in black coated steel adds an industrial and contemporary element to a classic house. With access from the kitchen, Thomas has established an indoor pool area. After a dip in the sea, a refreshing swim in the pool with counter current, makes the small pool seem endless. The guest bedroom wall is adorned with family heirlooms.

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THE COLLAB

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

André Saraiva B LAN K CAN VAS

An injection of love Opposites attract. So says the unwritten law of love. Vipp’s recent Blank Canvas partnership with French street artist, André Saraiva, is an exploration of what happens when exuberance meets minimalism, when colourful playfulness meets sleek industrial design. Titled ‘Amour’, the collab is a marriage of opposing expressions living worlds apart on the style spectrum. The mat black V1 kitchen and steel pedal bin from Vipp have been given a love injection with Saraiva’s predilection for pink and signature cartoonish Mr. A. character.

The collaboration springs from André commissioning custom Vipp pedal bins for his Hotel Amour in Paris, where the collection takes its name from. Doubling as an art piece and functional tool, the editions pay tribute to the artist as well as the product design itself. Unexpected partnership PHOTOGRAPHY ANDERS SCHØNNEMANN

indeed. But we say it is a love match. André Saraiva talks about his love for

Q&A WITH ANDRÉ SARAIVA A

Denmark, the colour pink, street art and overlooked objects.

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THE COLLAB

“This collaboration is a celebration of all the love that takes place in a kitchen. The love for food, for cooking, and sharing it with your loved ones.

And the leftovers go into the bin!”

Q You were the first graffiti artist to paint a character in

Q Why a collab with Vipp?

place of the traditional tag name. It marked a significant turning point in the history of street art when you introduced the cheerful, top-hatted stick figure, and now iconic Mr.A. Who is Mr. A.?

hotels. I loved the result. Together with Vipp, we decided

A

used to very large canvases in my work as street artist, I

Mr. A. is my alter-ego, but he also represents everyone’s

best friend and lover. He has been painted over 300,000 times across six continents. All of my many ventures are part of the same irreverent lifelong art piece. One that I always approach with a wink—just like Mr. A.

A I ordered a series of custom Vipp pedal bins for my to make a small collection out of it. And we added the Vipp kitchen – a giant pink kitchen covered in graffiti. As I’m was thrilled to also do a Vipp art kitchen.

Initially made for my hotel, naturally it got the title ‘The Amour Bin’. And the name resounds even more, when I learned that this 80-year-old product was made in a small Danish town in 1939 by metal smith, Holger Nielsen, as a

Q How did pink become your signature colour?

A

In the early 90s my style revolved around layers of vivid

token of love for his wife, Marie, who needed a practical waste bin for her hair salon.

and playful colors, but pink has always been my favorite.

In graffiti, it was neither common nor popular. So, generally, pink spray cans were the ones left standing on the shelves in store. That left plenty for me to steal. Pink has an advantage over all the other colors—it mixes well with all of them, it makes everything harmonious. Pink became my color.

Q What’s the story behind the artwork?

A

It’s about eternal Love. I wanted to give a bit of life

to the bin, the object that sometimes gets forgotten in the kitchen. I thought it was one of the most important, and that we should bring it back to life. It is maybe the element of the kitchen that we use the most. That tool deserves more love.

Q You have done several collabs with Danish brands

– is there a reason you keep “coming back” to Denmark?

Q Why is ‘Love’ a recurring theme in your work?

A

A

Denmark is one of my favourite countries in Europe.

I’m a huge fan of Scandinavia. I was born in Sweden.

Denmark and Copenhagen remind me of the Sweden.

I grew up in in the 70s, that was very social avant-garde.

And I feel that Denmark has kept that progressive social vibe.

Because it is also a recurring theme in my life.

And my art is an extension of me.

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THE DE S TINATION

Gone Fishing at Lake Immeln

He was hooked from the moment when he as a six-year-old boy

shellfish from sustainable species only. With beautiful photography

caught a gigantic cod in the stony fjords of Greenland with a simple

by Anders Schønnemann, Gone Fishing also chronicles a getaway to

hand line and fishing lure. Danish chef, Mikkel Karstad recalls child-

the wild beauty and vast lake system of Immeln in southern Sweden

hood summers being spent on the Danish islands where the hunt for

where Mikkel checks into the Vipp Shelter.

fish and seafood transformed into simple and tasty dishes. Fish inspired him to train as a chef at the renowned Krogs Fiskerestaurant in Copenhagen where he learned to master this ingredient.

With panorama views to the Immeln lake, the Vipp Shelter stands like a black steel and glass pod gently placed in nature. The 55m 2 nature retreat is fully equipped with Vipp products including

Gone Fishing is the title of Mikkel Karstad’s recent book. In the

a kitchen where Mikkel prepares the simple accompaniment to the

quest of sharing his passion for fish and seafood and teaching others

catch of the day. Plenty of fish inhabit the lake such as bream, pike,

about the simplicity and straightforwardness of serving fish, he shares

roach, tench, lavaret, whitefish, eel, trout, and perch. The latter

80 simple recipes. He takes us on a fishing trip around the lakes, rivers,

catches the hook of Mikkel’s fishing rod and ends up on the bonfire

and coastline of his native Denmark, catching and cooking fish and

and eventually on the dinner plate.

RECIPE MIKKEL KARSTAD

PHOTOGRAPHY ANDERS SCHØNNEMANN

WORDS CHRISTINA HINDING

56°13'09.5"N 14°15'12.6"E Immeln, Sweden

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THE DE S TINATION

The Vipp Shelter offers widescreen to the lake. Sliding panorama windows blur the distinction of indoor and outdoor giving the sensation of cooking in nature. Book your own getaway to the Vipp Shelter on vipp.com

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

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THE DE S TINATION

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

Perch over open fire

1 Clean perch of entrails and rinse thoroughly in cold water so that all blood comes out.

2 Sprinkle perch with salt and freshly ground pepper. Now dip heather, spruce, and fern leaves in the lake or in water you have in a bucket.

3 Now wrap perch in the moist green branches, first heather, then fern leaves and finally spruce and wrap with wire or wet string. It is important that the bast string is wet as it otherwise will burn.

4 Now tie the "perch package" to the stick and put it over the fire.

5 It is an advantage to have 2 y-branches standing on each side of the fire on which the stick can rest.

6 Now fry the perch over a fire for approx. 20 –30 min. Depending on how much heat there is on the fire, remember to turn the stick a little so that the perch gets heat on all sides.

7 Take the perch off the stick and unpack the well-burned branches.

Salt and freshly ground pepper Spruce branches Heather Fern leaves 1 long stick Steel wire or bast string

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The new and original beige pedal bins have an age gap of 83 years.

RIGHT: The first Vipp pedal bin in the hair salon in Randers, Denmark.

Jette Egelund and her father, Holger Nielsen, on the beach in 1958.

THE THE IDE IDE A A

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

Back to Beige Jette Egelund, daughter of Vipp founder, takes us back to the early beginnings.

colour assortment in black, white, and stainless steel. But somehow, Holger’s beige was never forgotten. Weekly calls from clients demanding

If we go back to the beginning everything

we bring back the beige made sure of this.

was beige. My father’s first colour choice for his pedal bin was beige. I’m convinced this choice was

In recent years, our product family has been

inf luenced by my mother as it matched the interior

upscaled with a complete furniture collection. Vipp,

of her hairdressing salon, for which the bin was

known for its legacy in steel work, has softened up

originally made. From the 1940s and decades

its universe with focus on natural materials like

ahead, my father’s bins were primarily sold to

wood, glass, textile, stone, and ceramics. This

doctors, dentists, and veterinarians. To match the

aesthetic path prompted the desire to infuse our

hospitals, institution walls and inventory at the

steel-born products with warmer, nostalgic notes.

time, he used the same off-white colour for his

After decades of a stringent black-and-white-only

pedal bins.

colour scheme, we’re bringing back Holger’s beige − a retrospective colour choice that seems ever

After my father passed away in 1992, I decided

more contemporary.

to explore the potential of this product that in over a decade had never reached beyond the borders of

The permanent Vipp collection including the

Denmark. I learned the bin-trade from scratch and

five-sized pedal bin, soap dispenser, toothbrush

offered an abundant colour palette. As we crossed

holder, toilet brush, and laundry basket have been

the threshold to the private market and suddenly

dipped in a sandy, matt powder-coating with a

saw the bin and its companions in design shops

slightly rugged surface – an interpretation of the

around the world, we opted for a more stringent

very first colour my father chose for his bin.

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THE IDE A

"If we go back to the beginning everything was beige.

It matched my mother’s hairdressing salon, for which it was originally made."

— JETTE EGELUND, DAUGHTER OF HOLGER NIELSEN.

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

PHOTOGRAPHY MIKKEL MORTENSEN TOLD BY JETTE EGELUND

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THE PORTRAIT

A Tale of a Venetian in Denmark Former R&D sous chef at Noma, Riccardo Canella, shares how he went from the grandeur of Noma to the intimacy of a Vipp Supper Club.

PHOTOGRAPHY ANDERS SCHØNNEMANN

TOLD BY RICCARDO CANELLA

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

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THE PORTRAIT IDE A

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

When I bought the Noma book in 2010, I was blown away by

I appreciate the intimacy of a 26-person long table with an open

the novelty of it, both in terms of the ingredients and of the aesthetic

kitchen that transforms preparation into a performance and dialogue.

and creative aspect. I met René for the first time the following year at

It was like cooking at home. The dinner was about creating a link

an event in Milan, organized by Le Grand Fooding, and immediately

between Venice and Copenhagen. Being able to be on a journey

I wanted to experience his restaurant. An internship led the way to

standing still, it’s an antithesis that is so contemporary after what

a role as René Redzepi’s R&D Sous chef.

happened to us after covid19. My objective was to give a glimpse of my Venetian roots seen through a lens of someone that spent the last

After 6 years at Noma, just before the third Michelin star was

7 years cooking and understanding the Nordic cuisine.

granted and the prominent title of the world’s best restaurant was awarded to Noma, I handed in my resignation. My goodbye letter

After 18 years in the kitchen, I still feel like I'm at the beginning

stated that “free is the man who has deep roots”. It was time to sow

of my career. It is a time of awareness and to find a balance in all

new seeds. Roots are essential to grow tall with balance. Our roots

aspects of my life, I feel it is necessary to take the next step and of

absorb what we feed them with.

having a place where I can express myself.

My roots are Italian or rather Venetian. In the world of gastro-

Whether in the kitchen of Noma, of Vipp or now as head chef

nomy Venice veers away of traditional Italian cuisine. So, when Vipp

at Cipriani’s in Venice the goal is getting to the essence of the

reached out with an invitation to host its first supper club, it proved

ingredients. Simplicity is a necessary element for a successful dish,

a welcome opportunity to bring my Venetian roots to the table. In

but it is the result of a long search. Simple is not easy, as I always

a time where physical travel was at a standstill, I liked the idea of

say, even joking about it. If you have knowledge, you can convey all

inviting a small, intimate crowd on a culinary and sensory journey

the thoughts and effort through execution. A good cook is like an

with dishes titled ‘Cuttlefish bones’, ‘An oyster in the lagoon’, ’Ri.

archer who knows when to hit the bull's-eye, but not everyone has

sotto acqua’ (under the sea risotto) and ‘Venus belly button’.

the sensitivity to understand and grasp all this.

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Vipp Pencil Factory in Copenhagen is a scene for chefs hosting supper club experiences. From the long-table, guests are offered front-row seats to watch talented chefs show off their craftsmanship in the Vipp V2 kitchen, preparing, plating, and presenting dishes right before their eyes.

THE PORTRAIT

V IP P J OU R NA L · I S S U E 1

Supper Club [suh·puh kluhb] A supper club refers to an underground restaurant, a home bistro, a guerrilla dinner, a pop-up, or even anti-restaurant. Supper clubs typically incorporate musical acts to complement the atmosphere.

Consider it an intimate and social dining experience without the formality of a ball or crowdedness of a club. Vipp Supper Club brings to life the natural connection between manufacturing kitchens and inviting chefs to use them.

NEXT ISSUE After two years of transformation undertaken by architect-duo Frank Maali and Gemma Lalanda, a mid-century garage in Copenhagen reopens its gates as cultural catalyst for Vipp.