Johannes Torpe

[1] Since 1997, he has been the CEO and creative director of his eponymous design company, Johannes Torpe Studios, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

[2][3] The studio's design philosophy takes an multi-disciplinary approach, and is concerned with creating, adaptive, open-minded, and mood-driven spaces.

[5][4] Torpe has received awards for several of his interior design projects such as NASA Night Club, Restaurant Levi in Copenhagen, and the United Cycling Lab & Store for ARGON 18 in Lynge.

[9] He has also worked with several international companies, such as Nike, HAY, Haier, LG Electronics, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana and Skype.

Torpe eventually grew tired of the commune's lifestyle and asked his mother for permission to move in with his aunt in Copenhagen at the age of 12.

In 2011, he also designed the 500kg seating system for Italian spHAUS[22] and opened the WangTorpe Studios in Beijing with Chinese entrepreneur Xiaofei Wang.

It may seem like a cliché, but it was in the scribbles during sleepless nights that this almost obvious shape took form, helping me to express my emotions through drawing.”[30] In 2020 Torpe designed the Buda Resort, 50 km North of Budapest, Hungary.

Johannes Torpe Studios began developing one of it most extensive projects yet in 2022—the American Space Foundation Discovery Centre & HQ in Colorado Springs.

Performing as the duo Enur, Torpe and his half-brother Rune Reilly Kölsch won a Danish Music Award for the song Calabria in 2004.

[39] Though Torpe has since focused his career on his design studio, rather than working as a professional drummer, percussionist and music producer, he remains an official signature artist for Tama Drums.

[41] When it opened in 1997, its design was kept strictly to white surfaces with outer space flowing elements and consistently soft, curved and inviting shapes, creating an atmosphere of exclusivity.

A girl in uniform hosted the glass elevator placed outside the building and took guests from street level to the club on the third floor, mimicking an actual space launch.

Upstairs, guests were met by the reception designed with a large, white, organically shaped desk and an enormous aquarium at the back wall.

[43] Johannes Torpe Studios collaborated with local architect Lars Sternberg from Arkitect A/S to create the intricate exterior of the Nexus building.

Reminiscent of 1930’s Milan, while at the same time honouring Danish and Japanese aesthetics, the Levi Restaurant in central Copenhagen opened in 2022 between different yet overlapping traditions.

Rich materials and saturated senses formed the foundation for design details, such as the marble and chrome bar elements and the contemporary interpretation of a classic Italian terrazzo floor.

The custom-designed Moroso furniture is elegantly oriented; inviting intimacy and breathing room, while allowing for engagement in the restaurant atmosphere.

[46] High performance bicycles from Argon 18 are displayed in a futuristic retail experience that blends elements from the world of technology, engineering, mechanics and community.

Five display elements with lit surfaces and a cabinet box allows customers to take a closer look and feel of the individual bike parts.

[46] The new train design was developed by Johannes Torpe Studios in collaboration with French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom for DSB.

Situated on the Western peninsula of Snæfellsness, at the point where the river mouth runs out to the sea, the resort faces Snæfellsjokull, a glacier covered stratovolcano.

[49] In 2020 Johannes Torpe Studios finished the design for the Buda Resort 50 km North of Budapest, in a hilly landscape surrounded by lush green forests, near the bank of the tortuous Danube River.

[50] The Buda Resort design concept draws inspiration from its unique and sacred setting of Dobogó-kő, which in Hungarian means “beating stone”, referring to the heart chakra of the earth.

Based on the idea of a blossoming lotus flower, which is the universal symbol for the heart chakra, as well as refers to the floral motifs found in traditional Hungarian craftsmanship, the design explores the progression of ‘opening up’ – from earth to sky.

Johannes Torpe Studios in Copenhagen