At the heart of Copenhagen, Nikolaj Kunsthal—once a medieval church and now a contemporary art space—has undergone a quiet yet transformative addition.
Engel Architects, has introduced a café and boutique that does not shout for attention, but instead whispers with intention. The intervention merges past and present in a refined choreography of materials, tactility, and spatial sensitivity.
The architects approached the former sacred space not as a blank canvas but as a palimpsest. By peeling back layers of modern accretion—acrylic paint, patchwork wiring—they restored the building’s original breathability with lime-based pigments and revealed historic openings that once connected the space to light and air. Yet this restoration was not nostalgic. It was a groundwork for insertion, a way to root contemporary design within an authentic architectural lineage.
Copper, fumed oak, and Kvadrat Raf Simons upholstery form a material palette that is simultaneously ecclesiastical and modernist. The raw copper sheeting behind the café bar nods to the patinated roof above, while the long bar itself functions dually as café counter and ticketing point—a gesture towards efficiency without sacrificing poetics. Seating discreetly conforms to the church’s structural niches, creating social intimacy within sacred geometries.
Lighting, developed with PSLab Antwerp, avoids spectacle in favour of nuance. Referencing wrought iron ecclesiastical fittings, the scheme is a masterclass in restraint and modulation, allowing sculptural speakers and targeted spotlights to imbue the space with both reverence and rhythm. Every choice, from the breathable finishes to the joinery-exposed furniture, suggests not merely design, but devotion.
