Independent Copenhagen boutiques not to be missed

A quartet of fashion and interior treasure troves for curious travellers

Co-owners Magali Chiaberge and Frans Pachner at Maritime Antiques & | Image: Maja Flink

Within striking distance of the harbour, visitors are greeted by the scent of traditional tar ropes as they cross the threshold of this Copenhagen boutique. A main draw is the shop’s world-class collection of maritime antiques, but co-owners Frans Pachner and Magali Chiaberge have added a somewhat unexpected fashion angle to their offering. A selection of “timeless, high-quality, functional clothes with a nautical vibe” includes stacks of utilitarian-chic jumpers in a largely neutral palette of navy blue, grey and black – and, of course, a smattering of stripes – presented on rough-hewn tables accented with fishing nets, enormous clam shells and skeins of rope. The creative endeavours of Chiaberge herself are also evident: her intriguing fine-art photography (from about £700 to £3,500) completes this downtown cool-meets-maritime mise en scène, which always sends shoppers on their way with a final nautical flourish – every purchase is wrapped in brown paper and tied with delicately scented fine tar twine. Toldbodgade 15, 1253 (+4533-121 257; maritime-antiques.dk). CHRISTINA OHLY EVANS

Keramiker Inge Vincents sells paper-thin porcelain

Keramiker Inge Vincents

As I walk down Jægersborggade, through a window I see a woman hard at work, putting the finishing touches to a delicate white jug. Candles flicker within, and stacks of shiny, ridged or curved porcelain are too inviting to miss. These pieces are wafer thin and look like they might break in an instant, but owner Inge Vincents assures me they are surprisingly robust. The shapes are warm and inviting to touch, with the curves of the cups a satisfying fit for hands. The ceramicist’s work revolves around the endless variations of the “thinware” technique – the normal slab method taken to paper-thin limits – and she has spent years perfecting the craft. I pick up a milk jug (about £37.70), ridged from base to lip, with a stubby cylindrical shape, and spy a rippled tulip vase (about £98.50), crooked and shiny inside. I buy both. Jægersborggade 43, 2200 (+4540-701 750; vincents.dk). JEMIMA SISSONS

A 1950s black-tinted glass console table (€4,000) at The Apartment | Image: Maja Flink

Beau Marché sources much of its stock from French flea markets

The Apartment

Secreted away in a residential pocket of Copenhagen, on the first floor of a private building with no store front or signage, The Apartment doesn’t rely on footfall. Yet this exquisite emporium of mostly midcentury furniture and lighting is well known within Scandi-cool and international design circles. Everything in the Georgian panelled living room, kitchen and bedroom is for sale, whether that’s an elegant 1950s black-tinted glass console table with coiled metal legs, or a contemporary chandelier – and guests can even stay the night there. Founder Tina Seidenfaden Busck travels monthly to scout for pieces – many from Italy, France and Sweden, most dating from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s – and showcases her vintage finds alongside contemporary classics. The items are rotated constantly and she redecorates the entire place every six months. Overgaden neden Vandet 33, 1414 (+4531-620 402; theapartment.dk). LUCINDA BARING

Beau Marché

As a Scandinavian design junkie with a flat full of midcentury modern, I didn’t expect to return from a weekend in Copenhagen with souvenirs from France. But of all the intriguing independent shops tucked away behind the Strøget, it was Beau Marché that captured my heart. A mix of modern and vintage homeware, much of the stock was found in French flea markets by four Danish siblings, Julie, Elisabeth, Danielle and Christian Lee Dann. Everything is beautifully laid out – miniature Tolix chairs for tots, industrial lamps, vintage champagne crates and contemporary treasures. I couldn’t resist some adorable bowls, hand made at the Faïencerie de Niderviller, a ceramics factory that’s been around since 1735. I can’t help feeling smug: about £20 a pop, they were five times cheaper than the (admittedly rather lovely) blue fluted porcelain on sale at tourist-packed Royal Copenhagen down the road. Ny Østergade 32, 1101 (+4555-771 430; beau-marche.dk). RACHEL HOWARD