Illum Bolighus Emporia

General information

"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"
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:

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

2015 Illums Bolighus opens a 2,000 m2 store in Mall of Scandinavia

2013 Illums Boligus opens a 2,500 m2 store in Bergen

2012 Illums Boligus opens a 2,000 m2 store in Malmø

2008 Illums Boligus opens a 3,000 m2 store in Århus

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