"Imagine, no counters and formalities, the future - and it is gorgeous - is arranged in displays you could practically move into. It is the only shop in the world which can truly call itself the mome of modern living"To plan Copenhagen vacation without wasting time, ask Inspirock to design an itinerary.
The Travel writer Temple Fielding on Illums Bolighus in the 1950s
Illums Bolighus was founded in 1925 under the name of BO. The man behind the venture was Danish entrepreneur Kaj Dessau, who was blessed with a strong aesthetic sense as well as a flair for business. Working with his artistic consultant, Brita Drewsen, he created a concept that had never been seen before: a store with furnished interiors, where textiles and furniture interacted with art. Drewsen and Dessau’s exceptional foresight and feeling for quality during the 1930s has since played an important role in the status achieved by Danish interior design internationally.
After the store was taken over in 1941 by the Illum, Berg and Trock-Jansen families, who also owned the A.C. Illum A/S department store, it was renamed Illums Bolighus A/S. The present building, which with underplayed extravagance stands out on busy Amagertorv as an extremely stylish and classical edifice, was designed in 1961 by Kay Kørbing, architect and Member of the Architects’ Association in Denmark. Illums Bolighus no longer has links of any sort with the Illum department store.
Illums Bolighus is now owned by an investment group headed by the store’s Managing Director, Henrik Ypkendanz. Since his appointment in 2001, the store has enjoyed positive development in turnover and increasing profitability. It is therefore a source of great satisfaction to Henrik Ypkendanz that he is now co-owner of the successful interior design store.
The trendsetting and visionary display windows of Illums Bolighus have always been a feature of the store, which has kept up with social development ever since it opened in 1925. Its business concept is illustrated by an attractive and inspirational shopping environment that is always at the leading edge of development.
In addition to the store at Amagertorv in Copenhagen Illums Bolighus has expanded with stores in Sweden, Norway and Germany. Below historical timeline gives you a brief overview of our development and store openings:
2019 Illums Bolighus opens a 1,326 m2 in Täby
2019 Illums Bolighus opens a 875 m2 store at Field's
2019 Illums Bolighus opens a 1,500 m2 stop in Stavanger
2018 Illums Bolighus opens a 800 m2 store in Hørsholm
2018 Illums Bolighus opens a 3,300 m2 store in Oslo at Vikaterrassen
2017 Illums Bolighus opens a 200 m2 store at Tivoli Hjørnet
2017 Illums Bolighus opens a 850 m2 store in Stockholm
2017 Illums Bolighus opens a 3,500 m2 store in Oslo at Glasmagasinet
2016 Illums Boligus opens a 1,500 m2 store in Hamburg
2016 Illums Boligus opens a 1,000 m2 store in Lyngby
2013 Illums Boligus opens a 2,500 m2 store in Bergen
2012 Illums Boligus opens a 2,000 m2 store in Malmø
2006 Illums Boligus opens a 3,000 m2 store in Oslo
2005 An investment group takes over Illums Bolighus
1961 The building is redesigned by architect Kørbing
1941 The store BO is renamed Illums Bolighus
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Illums Bolighus reviews
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This store is a must for design lovers visiting Copenhagen. There is simply no other store in the world able to display such a volume and variety of exquisitely curated design objects. Very easy to... more »
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I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend that people shop at the main Copenhagen Illums Bolighus if you want polite, friendly customer service. I searched for just one helpful, pleasant cashier in..... more »
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If your interested in Danish design, this is a must. Millions of carefully design articles that really gets you stuck there for quite some time. All tastes, ages, styles. If your not so sure what Danish design or design is about, that's also a good call. Everything has a purpose, being complete. That's what you get from the shop. You can find different collections separated by designer, that makes it very easy to find the identity of the articles. Really nice shop. Almost a museum
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Hands down best design store in Scandinavia. Floor After floor of beautiful things from decor to furniture to clothes. And almost all of it is Scandinavian - so a one stop show if you’re in Copenhagen.
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