Experiential design, especially in home décor, may be nothing new—but one Danish company is taking the experience to a whole new level. Menu, a Danish furniture and lighting company, opened a 10-room hotel in Copenhagen where quite literally everything is for sale.
The Audo—the name is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “Ab Uno Disce Omnes” or "from one, learn all"—is located in a 1918 neo-baroque building in the Århusgade neighborhood of Nordhavn and also houses Menu’s headquarters, event facilities, a café, restaurant, and a store.
The idea behind the concept is for the entire space to act as “a living gallery” for the company’s range of furniture, lighting, and accessories as well as to showcase the work of other premium brands. The Penthouse at the hotel, for example, is stocked with bath towels crafted from organic cotton by the Danish design studio Tekla while the king-size bed is by the Swedish mattress manufacturer DUX, and the toiletries by Aesop.
The boutique hotel also offers several suites and standard rooms that all feature bespoke furniture, books, ceramics, home accessories, as well as specially curated works of art.
"You can actually purchase everything that you see, from floor to ceiling to furniture. We have 20 brands that are using The Audo as their showroom,” Menu’s founder Bjarne Hansen told DeZeen.com. “One of the things that distinguishes The Audo from many other places is that you can go in and experience products before you want to buy them.”
Another unique feature of the hotel is that since it’s also a showroom, the suites and rooms are constantly refurnished so guests can experience different brands' products each time they stay at The Audo.
Hansen’s goal was to create a space that encourages collaboration and communication, where people can meet and interact with one another as well as the design around them.
