The Dinner's In the Details: We Hit Copenhagen With Westwing
Few couples can boast of a home as beautiful as Cecilie Thorsmark and Jacob Kampp Berliner’s. An open-plan haven for family living and a certified feast of design delicacies, the pair’s Copenhagen pad is as well put-together as the couple themselves. This comes as no surprise: Cecilie is CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, and Jacob is the brains behind some of the city’s most happening establishments in food and fashion. For two creatives at the top of their game, a gorgeous living space is a must.
It’s also tradition: set in Copenhagen’s Frederiksberg district, Sankt Knuds Vej is one of the oldest of Denmark’s residential streets, and has been home over the years to some of the country’s foremost creative minds. Today, with an intimate dinner set for about 30 guests hailing from all corners of Copenhagen’s fashion, film, and art industries, that spirit remains alive and well.
The occasion for such a gathering was twofold: both a warm-up for Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design, an annual showcase of the city’s exceptional taste and wealth of talent; as well as an extension (and celebration) of Cecilie and Jacob’s home story with Westwing, an expression of the couple’s commitment to aesthetics, to embracing the messiness of everyday life, and to fostering a space in which both can unfold.
There were oysters, there was acoustic guitar, there was a gentle breeze courtesy of a balmy CPH summer evening. Most importantly, there were conversations between old friends and new acquaintances over a delicious meal. And somewhere between the mountains of grilled langoustine and the rhubarb frangipan—all prepared by the team at Granola, Jacob’s own bistrot-style spot just around the corner—Cecilie and I popped inside and sank into a sprawling Westwing sofa, taking a moment to talk design, family, and the smell of home.
We are at the starting point of 3 Days of Design, and together with Westwing, your garden is tonight one of the city’s most intimate spaces for celebrating design. How are you finding it?
It feels very special to open our home—gathering friends from across the creative industries, from fashion to film, art and architecture, on a beautiful summer night under our maple tree. Even if it is a little chilly!
Your home was recently featured in a home story with Westwing. How does it feel to bring that story to life?
It’s a very natural extension—bringing the home story more outside, which we didn’t feature as much the first time, and taking it from being a private story with just our family to sharing it with our friends.
Are there any rituals or details you always include when bringing people together around the table?
Besides great food and drink—candles if inside, or string lights if outside. Light is such an important part of creating the right atmosphere.
If you could distill the essence of your home into a scent or a sound, what would it be?
The scent of blossoming flowers that we’re so lucky to have in our garden. The smell changes nearly every week.
You often advocate for systemic change in fashion. Is there a design piece in your home that reflects your values of eco-consciousness?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific piece, but everything we have in our home has been selected from the perspective of longevity. What we take in, we keep—and we cherish.
How do you balance aesthetics with practicality—especially in a home where children and a dog are daily collaborators?
It’s impossible for me to deny my appreciation of aesthetics. But it has to have a purpose, and it has to be able to live as part of our family. Everything that we have is something that I love because of how it looks—but it has to feel lived in, otherwise I don’t see the purpose.
What’s the item or detail in your home that’s the most unexpected, or that sparks conversations the most?
For sure the Verner Panton living tower. It’s a unique piece, and it definitely sparks conversations amongst all ages. So, when our kids were kindergarten age, children would come in, talk about it, and start to climb on it immediately. Now our kids are older, and they still talk about the furniture—but they use it in a different way. They lounge in it. They don’t attack it. The same goes for guests. It’s really an item that stands out.
What makes Copenhagen’s design scene so unique, especially during 3 Days of Design?
Copenhagen’s design scene stands out for its blend of function, beauty and openness. 3 Days of Design captures that spirit while bringing people closer to Danish design and its community.
What are you most looking forward to during 3 Days of Design? Your highlights?
There’s so much on—but as someone in the fashion industry, I’m especially looking forward to seeing how fashion intersects with design this year. Baum’s “Unplugged” with five emerging talents, the playful Stine Goya x Kukkapuro collaboration, Caia Leifsdotter at MKDT Studio, Artek x Marimekko, and the Studio About installation at Henrik Vibskov Boutique are all on my list—among many other events.
And in terms of your personal life and your home, where do you and Jacob see yourself in five years? Are you staying here?
We’re staying in this house forever! We renovated it; it took us so long. We love the street, we love the neighborhood. Perhaps in a few years we might move abroad. I’d never rule that out. But for now, we’ll be here.
Check out the full Westwing collection here.
