A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE
ALCHEMIST
BLENDING ART, DRAMA, GASTRONOMY AND SPECTACULAR VISUALS INTO ONE ALL-ENCOMPASSING MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE.
The new Alchemist restaurant in Copenhagen’s industrial Refshaleøen is pushing the boundaries of fine dining. Two years in the making, Alchemist finally opened its massive bronze doors to the public in July 2019 and was awarded two Michelin Stars within just seven months.
ALCHEMIST IS THE BRAINCHILD OF CHEF RASMUS MUNK, WHO IS DETERMINED TO TAKE DINERS ON A JOURNEY OF BODY AND MIND.
Guests enter the 22,000-squarefoot warehouse building – once a boat-builders workshop and then the space in which the Royal Danish Theatre designed, made and stored stage sets – through ominous three-meter-high hand-sculpted bronze doors. Once inside, the New York City room awaits – plastered with graffiti by Japanese-born, Brooklyn-based artist Lady Aiko, it is accompanied by a soundscape comprising Fifth Avenue’s traffic.
A partition wall slides up to reveal a lavish bar beyond, furnished with four-meter-long brass pendant lamps, Beetle Lounge Chairs in navy-blue velvet and Stay Sofas paired Bat Lounge Chairs in taupe, all overlooking a towering, 13-meter wine cellar on one side and a futuristic test-kitchen on the other. A dramatic staircase leads to the main restaurant in which dark blue Beetle Bar Chairs are arranged along a winding dining bar beneath a staggering 18-meter-wide dome. 12 mapping projectors supply dinner guests with a 360-degree visual experience that might feature the anything from the aurora borealis to a bloom of jellyfish interspersed with plastic bags – part of Munk’s attempt to use his platform to bring about positive social change. An elevator takes diners up to an intimate and cozy final room, complete with fire pit and tea ceremony bar, in which dessert is served.
“Working on such a spectacular scale inherently creates an element of theatre, but it would have been a mistake to rely on the size of the space alone, so we had to work hard to create intrigue and ambience – the Beetle Bar Chair, Stay Sofa and Beetle Lounge Chair were all crucial elements in achieving this throughout the restaurant.”
MIKE DUNCALF, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDIO DUNCALF