Home tour series | Episode 9
Zeynep Rekkali Jensen
Meet Zeynep Rekkali Jensen, curator, writer, and founder of Innenkreis, a Copenhagen-based gallery devoted to functional and pre-1940 decorative arts. Working at the intersection of art and design, Zeynep creates spaces where objects exist in dialogue with their surroundings, shaped by material, context, and use. Innenkreis brings together studio-made uniques, small editions, and historical pieces, forming environments where craft and meaning unfold together. With a background as Gallery Director at Etage Projects and as an advisor to private collectors, Zeynep’s approach is deeply rooted in the idea of living with art, not just observing it. For her, objects are never static. They carry presence, emotion, and a quiet sense of continuity between past and present.
Color played a central role in Verner Panton’s design philosophy. How do you personally live with color in your home and gallery? Do you see it as something that shapes the atmosphere and inspires you?
Colour is one of the elements that form the meaning of an object and how it resonates within its surroundings. When I choose the objects that live with me, my decision is largely intuitive, and colour is simply part of that instinctive attraction. Donatella Versace once said that the worst design trend of all time was minimalism, and I must admit I sympathise with that view. Colour brings a certain poetry into a space. It gives objects presence, emotion, and vitality, which I find endlessly inspiring.
The Panton lamp comes in a range of bright, expressive colors. How do you approach introducing bold color into your living environment?
As I mentioned, my approach to colour in my personal living space is quite intuitive. I often enjoy adding bold colour through individual objects. A lamp, a chair, or a glass object can serve as a kind of visual punctuation within a room.
Do you tend to choose color intuitively, or is it something you carefully consider?
As intuitive as I am with colour in my personal living quarters, the approach shifts when it comes to an exhibition. In the gallery, the artist and I carefully deliberate on the colour, as it inevitably shapes the meaning of the object and how it operates within the space.
Is there a particular color that holds a personal meaning or memory for you?
I can’t say there is one particular colour that holds a personal memory for me. What fascinates me more is the relationship between colours and how they interact with materials, light, and objects in a space.
What draws you to the Pantop lamp: the shape, the color, or the way it interacts with the space around it?
It’s remarkable how colour changes the perception of the form. Each shade gives the lamp a slightly different character, almost as if it were a different object altogether. At the same time, its function made me think of something much older. Portable lamps share much in common with the old habit of carrying candlelight through a space. There is something quietly poetic about walking with a small source of light in one’s hand.
