Former ballet dancer Alexander Kølpin has launched Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen – with interiors inspired by the golden age of travel.

The 54-room hotel takes over a Neoclassical Jugendstil building opposite the city’s Royal Danish Theatre, where Kølpin – who was awarded the Benoir Prize of Dance in 1993 – was principal dancer. He enlisted London design duo Pernille Lind and Richy Almond to craft the hotel’s interiors which blur colonial, midcentury Danish and Asian touches.

‘Alexander was clear in his wish that the hotel wouldn’t feel “typically Danish”,’ says Lind. Whitewashed minimalism has been ditched in favour of warm textures and old Danish colonialism. ‘We used rattan and bamboo to create a colonial edge, the golden age of travel and exploration of new places and new cultures,’ she says.

But the pair, who’ve worked for Soho House, Anouska Hempel and Conran + Partners among others, were careful to ground Sanders in its context.

‘It could not be alien to Copenhagen. Our approach was to reference Danish mid-modern design in the furnishings of the guest rooms, which are generally calmer and quieter than the public areas. We like to think of the hotel as a Danish home – one belonging to someone who has travelled the world.’

Green walls and wooden floors mix with bespoke furniture in the bedrooms, while artworks commissioned by Dais Contemporary, dot the walls.

In addition to 54 bedroom suites (which start at £370 per night for a double) there are five bars and casual dining spots within the hotel. Sanders Kitchen is a Scandi-style cafe with white subway tiles and wooden flooring, while TATA cocktail bar is inspired by a classic theatre bar, featuring red velvet mixed with timber and rattan.

Casual drinks can be enjoyed in the courtyard and Living Room (which as its name might suggest, is a cosy lounge) and a rooftop conservatory crowns the building.

Explains Lind: ‘The intention was always to create a bit of a melting pot of personalities. To encourage performers from the nearby Royal Theatre to mingle with guests in the cocktail bar, and for local Copenhageners to share a morning coffee while international visitors eat breakfast in Sanders Kitchen.’

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