Since its construction in the 1910s, Reykjavík’s Old Harbour has developed into one of the Icelandic city’s most noteworthy tourist destinations and creative business hubs. Compactly knitting together cultural and shopping hotspots, the area’s latest retail outlet by one of Iceland’s booming design groups – HAF Studio – takes inspiration from its eclectic environs.
The local multidisciplinary firm was in need of both a physical retail presence to showcase its lifestyle and interior design pieces, as well as an office to call home. This requirement was met in the form of an old fisherman’s shed located on Geirsgata Street, a stone’s throw from Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavík Museum of Photography and artist Olafur Eliasson's warehouse studio, which housed his popular pop-up restaurant in 2018.
HAF's new home was originally built in 1933, but the building had fallen into disrepair, so required an interior refit to sustain a new lease of multi-purpose life. Over the course of 14 months, the studio almost completely reconstructed the house in a meticulous restoration. The result: a historic space given 21st-century purpose. Now, it’s a cosy 180 sq m blank canvas for the design group’s rotating selection of contemporary collections.
RELATED STORY
Inside, a subdued material palette of concrete, steel and plywood acts as a pedestal for an array of furniture, interior and office design. Grey-beige surfaces are offset by black fixtures and fittings ranging from steel support girders to wall panelling, window frames and a spiral staircase connecting the retail space with the studio’s mezzanine level office.
Custom-made LED lighting crisply displays pieces by both HAF Studio and a host of international design talent. Featured lighting designs come from Mustache and Petite Friture, accompanied by Objekto’s ‘Paulistino’ chairs, ‘Pallo’ vases by Skrufs Glabruk and HAF Studio’s very own ‘Nero Marquina’ sofa table. It also highlights the store’s sole untouched architectural element: the wall directly behind the counter, which now features a neon sign bridging the building’s past with its newfound role.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the HAF Studio website
ADDRESS
Geirsgata 7
101 Reykjavík
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
OMA revolutionises department store architecture with Galleria GwanggyoTrails of rugged glass disrupt the impressive stone façade of the Galleria department store designed by OMA to bring daylight and city views to shoppers. For South Korea, the design is a revolution in department store architecture, which usually tries to keep customers oblivious of passing time and fully absorbed in the retail experience
-
Sybarite designs a 2.7 million-sq-ft luxury retail destination in China’s oldest city
