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Grand opening
Vipp Studio NYC
TriBeCa, New York
While the world has been quiet, Vipp has made a lot of noise in a classic cast-iron building in Manhattan. After a year of gut-renovation, a 350 square-meter TriBeCa loft in a former factory dating back to 1883 now unveils itself as Vipp’s stateside domicile. The space doubles as showroom and private home of Sofie Christensen Egelund, 3rd generation Vipp-owner and her husband Frank Christensen Egelund, their two kids, and a Golden Retriever.
The residents
Meet Sofie and Frank
The homey vibe of Vipp’s new showroom, titled Vipp Studio NYC, stems from the fact that it is an actual home. The couple has perfected the art of balancing home and work since their move to Manhattan in 2014. Seven years ago, Sofie and Frank crossed the Atlantic from Copenhagen to New York. They brought with them the Vipp kitchen. The purpose of resettling in the United States was to share Vipp's refined design portfolio and now iconic modular kitchen system. After seven years of welcoming clients to their first TriBeCa outpost in Murray Street, the couple fell in love with a 5th floor apartment on Lispenard Street. Upgrading in size to a showroom that could house the entire Vipp furniture collection and showcase the entirety of the Vipp kitchen system, the couple took on interior decoration themselves. Raëd Abillama Architects pitched in on aesthetic elements like millwork and bathroom, and the custom joinery was crafted in Beirut by Elie Chaker.
The Art
Installed throughout the studio, alongside an expansive array of Vipp pieces, are selections from the couple’s collection of Scandinavian art and chairs, honoring the family’s aesthetic heritage which goes back to the founding of the firm in the 1930s in Denmark.
The Living Room
A glossy ceiling mirroring the floor to ceiling windows simulates a double height in the living room. The room reveals a series of custom Vipp designs not yet in production. “The etiquette of laboratory adds to the showroom/home-hybrid. We like to test and explore new materials and see how it reimagines our Vipp products”, explains Sofie.
The Building
A classic cast-iron building from 1883 now houses Vipp's new stateside domicile. Throughout the apartment, 17 huge windows overlooking SoHo to one side and TriBeCa on the opposite side guarantees a constant influx of light illuminating the diverse palette of textures.
The Kitchen
The kitchen occupies the heart of the studio where 4-meter-tall ceilings, 45 cm wide solid Heart Oak planks from Dinesen and plenty of light from repeated vitrines surround the Vipp steel kitchen. The modular kitchen unfolds in a large island with cooking hood and a version with bar seating accompanied by a backdrop of tall modules and Vipp’s open rack system.
Custom Storage System
The dark kitchen is contrasted by muted walls painted in a trio of warm grey tones from Farrow and Ball. The kitchen features wall-to-wall clay-colored extruded aluminum millwork by the Beirut-based Elie Chaker and a sui generis wine-glass storage system conceived in oak by Abillama and the Egelunds.
Downtown Cooking
“The Vipp kitchen concept is developed as a finished tool based on everything we’ve learned about metalwork in over 80 years. Vipp was born out of a need for functional tools in the professional market. Just like my grandfather, Holger Nielsen, who crafted the bin for my grandmother’s hairdressing salon in 1939, we still consider ourselves as ‘tool builders’", explains Sofie Christensen Egelund.
Counter Culture
The island with seating module is companied by Vipp's new 'Cabin' counter stool in solid oak.
