Words By Emily Martin
PROJECT INFO
Client Gubi
Interior design File Under Pop www.fileunderpop.com
Completion May 2024 Previous spread
INSIDE AN ELEGANT London townhouse on a cobbled street, Gubi has unveiled its first permanent London showroom, known as Gubi House London. Located at 12 Charterhouse Square in Clerkenwell, it’s Gubi’s first dedicated show space in the UK, giving Londoners the chance to fully explore four floors showcasing Gubi’s design universe in person. It teamed up with fellow Scandinavian brand and surface design specialist File Under Pop to deliver an interior space full of texture and colour to set the scene for its products.
Led by founder and creative director Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer, who has worked in the field of surface design for over 20 years, File Under Pop delivered a design scheme that blends traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. The new showroom features tiles crafted from Spanish clay and Italian lava stone, matt paint, and hand-painted wallpaper to elevate walls, floors and ceilings, resulting in characteristic surfaces and richly layered interior environments.
File Under Pop has paid meticulous attention to the interplay of surfaces in the space
The brand’s dedication to craftsmanship and high-end design have help cement a perfect partnership, with Gubi’s chief brand officer, Marie Kristine Schmidt, praising the fluidity and enthusiasm between the two: ‘Gubi and File Under Pop have worked together with extraordinary energy and agility to create something truly special. Both brands are rooted in creativity and curation, and each has brought a distinctive and complementary vision to Gubi House London.’
The shared aim for both Gubi and File Under Pop was to ensure that Gubi House London felt less showroom and more authentic, liveable space, with distinct design stories plus a coherent aesthetic and tactile expression running throughout. For Gubi, this meant thoughtfully combining and juxtaposing pieces of furniture to create different themes – such as elegant 1970s leisure, boho chic, boutique hotel elegance and laidback communal living – further enhanced by File Under Pop’s thoughtfully curated surface design. For File Under Pop, the project was about finding a balance between furniture, light and texture to create an atmosphere that enhanced the house’s individual narratives and the overall experience of its spaces.
File Under Pop has paid meticulous attention to the interplay of surfaces in the space
‘Surface design can be key in creating meaningful connections across rooms and between objects, interiors, artworks, and the people inhabiting a space,’ comments Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer, founder, File Under Pop. ‘At Gubi House London, we put dynamics and durability at the heart of our work. We tried to challenge and support the existing elements, architecture and furniture with our surface design, to create a spatial experience with honesty, soul, and a connection to real life lived in the space.’
File Under Pop has paid meticulous attention to the interplay of surfaces in the space. Hand-painted fabrics in forest green, interspersed with stripes of tangerine, adorn the walls of the ground-floor ‘dining room’, for example, creating an appealing contrast with the grey smoothness of the custom-made lavastone countertops and fire surrounds. In the bathrooms and kitchens, File Under Pop’s clay tiles are complemented by custom-made limestone basins.
File Under Pop has paid meticulous attention to the interplay of surfaces in the space
For Hoffmeyer, the result of the collaboration evokes a landscape painting. She says: ‘File Under Pop created the large surfaces and general textures, while Gubi is carefully placing the shapes and sculptures that add volume and create context of the story in the picture. Together, we are creating a threedimensional painting and a powerful visual and emotional experience for people visiting Gubi House London.’
Schmidt takes a similarly artistic perspective, crediting ‘a truly extraordinary duet.’ Together, the two brands have transformed a historic property in Charterhouse Square into an immersive vision of contemporary townhouse living: File Under Pop has set the stage for Gubi’s portfolio of iconic contemporary design.
KEY SUPPLIERS
Furniture and lighting Gubi www.gubi.com
Roller blinds and curtains Kvadrat www.kvadrat.dk
Kitchen and bathroom fixtures Toni Copenhagen www.tonicopenhagen.com
Carpets Ege Carpets www.egecarpets.com
Speakers and audio Artcoustic www.artcoustic.com
Fixings and interior detailing Corston www.corston.com
Leather goods August Sandgren www.augustsandgren.com
