Noma Restaurant Copenhagen Gets a Stunning Redesign

Dining is an experience that starts the moment you enter a restaurant. Noma, an establishment in Copenhagen, nails this culinary encounter from the very beginning with their stunning contemporary decor. The airy, open space is affixed with neutral tones and a variety of textures that complement the world-class dishes of renowned chef René Redzepi.

This is the second iteration of Noma—or as it’s known, Noma 2.0. The establishment took a year-long hiatus to completely rethink its format. Now upon entering, there’s an overall feeling of a residential building rather than a restaurant; this is thanks to the meticulous attention to detail that fosters a cozy, eclectic feel with an emphasis on natural materials that exist in harmony to make the interior sing.

Bjarke Ingels of BIG Architects took the lead on the project and designed a complex of 11 new buildings that include much more than dining rooms. BIG clustered the areas to include prep kitchens, a bakery, fermentation labs, a staff dining room, greenhouses, and gardens. Together, Redzepi notes, they form a “village that breathes and lives.”

The interior of Noma was designed by Studio David Thulstrup. In collaboration with BIG, they handpicked the materials for the floors, walls, and ceilings, as well as designed furniture that's tailored to Noma. There is a 21-foot oak table in the private dining room along with wall lamps “akin to those found in artist ateliers.” In addition, there is a host of commissioned pieces like specialty bathroom mirrors and original art by Olafur Eliasson. When experienced, the individual spaces come together to make a powerful, unified statement that's one of understated beauty.