Is This a Store or Just the Coolest Danish Apartment Ever?

A good chunk of the credit for the interest these past few years in Danish style should go to Ganni. The 10-year-old brand is best known for its status as a streetwear darling: colorful, not too serious, and with a healthy dose of sustainability woven into its DNA (it recently launched a rental service, and a whole section of its website is dedicated to environmental responsibility). The Copenhagen-based label clearly applied the same approach to designing its first-ever U.S. stores—one in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, the other in Los Angeles’s Melrose—which both launched this week. 

First to open was the New York spot, which was designed in partnership with Stockholm design studio Stamuli Architecture. Naturally, it’s a Scandi haven. Inspired by Ganni founders Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup’s home, the shop is filled with furniture and decor from such brands as Artek and Area. Sculptural pendant lamps from Le Klint and Hay’s Ana Kras collaboration hang from the ceiling; artwork by Danish artists adorns the walls.

For anyone who has Nordic style on the brain, Ganni’s store presents a crash course in mastering the vibe—it essentially looks like a cool Copenhagen apartment but without an IKEA bookcase in sight.

Start With Color-Blocking

Ice cream pastels are still going strong—you need only look to the shop’s ice blue and lemon yellow walls for proof. Bring contrast to the soft palette with shiny metal pieces. We recommend taking a page from Ganni’s book and getting some garage-style shelving. 

Feature One Unexpected Touch

Here, that would be the bubblegum pink tile flooring, an oversize version of the retro grid pattern usually reserved for walls (and sometimes coffee tables). Set against the oak floors in the rest of the space, the contrast looks even more striking. 

Give Some Love to Mother Earth

The accents—display podiums made from recycled yogurt containers by Smile Plastics, rugs upcycled from old Ganni scraps, colorful sofas made by Kvadrat using deadstock fabrics—add up. You don’t need to turn your whole home 100 percent green overnight, but do keep these sustainable options top of mind whenever you’re thinking of buying something new. After all, it’s the Scandi way. 

See more cool new stores we’re excited about: The Ultimate Scandi Design Store Just Opened in Chicago A Foolproof Formula for Mastering Laid-Back Mediterranean Style A Freehand Paint DIY That’s Basically Impossible to Mess Up