Colour Class #12 — A Creative Approach to Minimalism

Photo credit Céline Hallas

In the 12th edition of Colour Class, we journey to the vibrant and bustling Nyhavn district in Copenhagen, where Céline Hallas and her family call home. Nestled in this lively area, her residence sets the stage for our latest project.

The aim was to craft a white minimalist gallery space that invites reflection and creativity, without veering into clinical or overly minimalist territory.

Join us in this edition of Colour Class as we uncover the design strategies that turned this room into a serene, inspiring gallery. The takeaway from this transformation is simple: you can indeed have your cake and eat it too.

Location: The home of Céline Hallas, founder of Color Connaisseur, and her family, is situated in a beautifully preserved listed apartment right next to the vibrant and bustling Nyhavn district in Copenhagen.

Mission: To create a white minimalist gallery space that invites reflection and creativity yet avoids being clinically white or overly minimalist.

Colours: A desire to have it all at once became the starting point for this room. The walls needed to be white and calming, but not just plain white. The solution was to wallpaper with the beautiful Klöverblad design by the great Swedish architect and designer Josef Frank in the 1940s. It’s white, yet not simply white. One might be tempted to pair it with coloured panels for a 'cottage feeling' or completely white panels for a 'clean Scandi look' – the choice ended up somewhere in between. All the woodwork, doors, and ceiling were painted an off-white with plenty of depth and orange undertones – neutral on its own, but when paired with the Klöverblad wallpaper, it became a serene statement.

Similarly, there was a need for plenty of storage space for a large collection of magazines and art books. The furniture needed to be a statement piece while still providing a sense of visual calm to the room. The solution was a stunning wall-mounted, almost floating installation focused on texture: a chequerboard pattern of closed white modules against White Oak modules with ribbed glass doors, allowing glimpses inside while also providing concealment. This perfect duality was accentuated by beautiful brass handles and fittings on the glass doors.

The 'white' gallery room is filled with colourful art and collections from travels. Centrally placed are a small sofa and a large pouf, upholstered in warm, burnt hues, grounding the room and inviting you to sit down and find peace to be inspired anew.

The lesson from this room is that you can indeed have your cake and eat it too.