Image-making studio Kühl & Han's new office is designed for focused work, collaboration, and conversation – a balancing act of calm and creative energy. It is an example of how to intentionally use colour, light, materiality, and tactility to enhance the user experience and inspire.
Morten Kühl and Matias Hansen founded the Copenhagen-based image-making studio Kühl & Han to create an alternative to what they dub 'macho motion graphics aesthetics,' embracing a softer, more tactile approach. Their clients include Muuto, Google, Nike, and Arc'Teryx, to name a few.
The company's new headquarters, located in an old umbrella factory in the bustling neighbourhood of Vesterbro, intertwines their work with a love of the analogue, blending the borders between digital and tangible. Take a look inside with Muuto.
Photos: Muuto.
Craft of composition
Essentially, their work is about light and surfaces, framing and illuminating objects and people. It is a playful process. Graphic compositions are seen as if through an analogue lens, grounding the digital version of an object in something physical. The result is evocative and strangely close to what we consider 'real life.' It is soft and striking.
'We want it to feel as natural as possible, but also to be able to 'direct' nature,' says Matias.
Their craft lies in the small details and nuances that make something feel just right, physically compelling, and recognizable. It is about materiality and tactility, the feel of a fabric. It's technical, but the experience feels effortless. Kühl & Han are known for their exceptional knack with colour, a sensitivity that also translates to their own space.
Colour affects the mood
When redesigning their offices, they subtly drew these elements into their own physical environment. Bright, deep, and gentle bursts of colour accentuate simple yet tactile spaces that feel spacious, dynamic, and calming.
'Some of the colour choices we have made are bolder than we've dared to be in our workplace before. Interacting with colour in this way can feel really energizing. It reflects the way we work with colour,' says Morten.
Leaning on light
Light plays an essential role here, with translucent curtains filtering the copious amount of daylight, supported by a generous blend of table, floor, and pendant lamps that allow the team to adjust the light to fit the task at hand.
Making space for transformation
More formal meetings take place next door, around a deep, blue-tinted solid Douglas wood table, a statement piece. It creates a grounding mood enhanced by the warm materiality of the Workshop Chair. Meanwhile, semi-transparent drapes enable a sense of immersion and privacy while contributing to gentler acoustics. It is a versatile and embracing space adaptable to the time of day and task ahead.
Objects that tickle the senses
The library, with its tangerine-coloured sofa, is a place for replenishing creative energy and focusing on research. Technology does not direct their process; on the contrary, their work is inspired by furniture design, among other things. Therefore, the space is not only an archive of previous work and a large collection of books; it is a library of objects of affection. Objects that inspire them, an exhibition of colours, shapes, textures, and materials that spur an instant sensation.
More information:
Muuto
www.muuto.com