White, Light, Wood — an exhibition by Blēo and John Pawson at the Dinesen Apartment

From June 18–20, 2025, during 3daysofdesign, the Dinesen Apartment at Søtorvet 5 in Copenhagen hosted Whitescale — an exhibition exploring the sensory potential of colour, material, and light.

Set within the serene architecture of the Dinesen Apartment, designed by John Pawson, the exhibition presented Whitescale: a palette of 14 nuanced tones developed by Pawson for Blēo. Each shade was rooted in a natural reference — from dried cotton and birch bark to marble and chalk — forming a subtle, refined material narrative. “What interests me is not the colour white as a single idea,” Pawson explained, “but the multiplicity within it — how different shades shift in dialogue with light, shadow, and surface.”

Against the expressive grain and tactility of Dinesen wood, the exhibition became a quiet meditation on restraint and richness — a shared investigation into atmosphere and how pale tones, natural materials, and architectural light shape the mood of a space.

“The Whitescale palette naturally extends our collaboration with John Pawson and Dinesen,” noted Blēo, “creating a quiet dialogue between nuanced tones and wood surfaces.”

For Dinesen, the project reflected the continuation of a longstanding relationship: “This was an exploration of how colour and wood can interact in a space defined by presence and simplicity — shaped by shared values and deep material understanding.”