Rose is wearing Valli Blouse and Caroline is wearing Marge Coat
Rose Hermansen, design MA and Caroline Sillesen, architect MMA have known each other since childhood. None of them can precisely recall their first meeting, but when their creative paths crossed, they decided to join forces and founded atelier axo.
Today they provide services within art, architecture and design. And at the moment they are working on an extensive restaurant and office project at Refshaleøen, which opens in 2020.
Where’s your favourite place?
Our favourite place is our small office and second home at Frederiksgade 1 in the center of Copenhagen.
Why is this your favourite place?
The office has a view to the old Frederik’s Church – also known as The Marble Church. The architecture in Frederiksstaden is both mesmerizing and majestic. This little time warp really inspires us to think big – somehow it´s as if the surroundings expect it of you. Or at least, that’s how it makes us feel. We look out our window and see spaces that endured changes through many centuries.
The address houses a lot of different creative businesses and design studios. We share our floor with File Under Pop and PLEASE WAIT to be SEATED. It’s such a pleasure to be a part of a creative community, where we can run up and down the stairs and share ideas and pick each other brains.
We call our office the shoe box – it´s a narrow, long room measuring four meters from floor to ceiling. In this small space, we think creatively, free and loud. We draw, laugh and discuss freely as both friends and business partners.
When did you experience the place for the first time?
R: Caroline and I saw the space, when I was still a student at The Danish Design School. It used to function as a storage space for File Under Pop and packed with tiles. Nevertheless, we immediately saw the potential and how our future tiny office would be perfect just there.
C: And now we are here. The space changes a lot. Both because of its size but also as a result of all the various functions we cram into the few square meters, consequently we reexperience it quite often.
Things you usually do when you're there?
Work and laugh. Draw and discuss. We listen to music or podcasts all the time while we work, but at the same time we are always in some sort of dialogue. It´s seldom quiet here.