Meet Vannesa Ahuactzin, creative director and co-owner of studio x kitchen, which she runs together with her husband and partner, illustrator Rune Fisker.
When they are not at studio x kitchen, they are based in Østerbro, Copenhagen, where they live with their twin boys, Miika and Luca, and Fido, the family turtle, who is more than 35 years old and has been with Rune since childhood.
Vannesa studied architecture and is driven by a deep appreciation for beauty, structure, and order, qualities that shape everything she does.
What I especially love about Vannesa is the care she brings to her work: she approaches people, projects, and even the smallest details with respect, seriousness, and a warmth that makes it all feel thoughtful and alive. Growing up with a Mexican father and a Canadian mother, and having lived in Denmark for more than 20 years, her perspective is shaped by international roots and a deep love for Copenhagen.
IN CONVERSATION WITH
VANNESA AHUACTZIN
Q: Who are you, and what do you do?
A: My husband Rune and I run an intimate cafe in Copenhagen’s charming city centre, called studio x kitchen. The cafe’s interior is a love letter to the objects that I find beautiful and meaningful. Our dishes change seasonally, offering guests a simple breakfast / lunch menu that highlights the hearty produce grown by local farmers.
Design is important to me, so our window displays change with the seasons, and highlight the works of varying types of collaborators, individuals that we connect with, objects that tug at our hearts. We display art, ceramics, textiles, mobiles, from around the world.
I love the mix of delicious food, beautiful dishware, and heart-felt service that we offer. We have the best all women team at the cafe! Each woman is amazing in their own way!
Q: How did you first connect with Maalouf?
A: Through a friend of a friend, at a rather exciting event held at studio x kitchen during fashion week where the oddest and most wonderful elements were paired together by Maalouf - kimchi and underwear - cohabiting in a vacuum sealed pack.
Q: In a world that often feels fast-paced and unpredictable, how do you approach the things you buy and hold onto?
A: I am full of sentiment and have a love for stories. I am attracted to all kinds of objects, from stones to chairs. I select and buy objects which mean something to me, objects that are connected to others, to places, to memories. Sometimes to a smell that I recall. Every object that I have collected over the course my life maps where I have been and where I am going.
Q: What is your earliest underwear memory?
A: An undershirt embroidered in lace at the edges. Warm and comfortable. Pinned to a corner of the undershirt there was a golden medallion of the virgin mary, who was meant to protect me and guide me.
Q: What has been your underwear journey?
A: One of simplicity. Of matching sets, small embroideries, a little hint of something, nothing given away.
Q: Is there such a thing as the perfect piece?
A: Perfection comes with comfort. To this day I always wear an undershirt. The protective armour underneath it all. Above I love swirly fabric, thick deceivingly somber dresses that sway and dance as you move.
Q: Do you have “going out” underwear?
A: Perhaps not. This question is making me think of old wives tales that I have heard whispered in my childhood, especially around new years - wear read underwear if you want to conjure love, wear yellow underwear if money needs to come your way. I guess underwear can be anything that you wish it to be.
Q: Is there a piece of art, film or literature that you remember because of the underwear?
A: For some reason, I picture Madonna in her silky, creamy corset designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. There is something about the way it is intricately made, designed with a clear statement in mind. I am not thinking about Madonna often, but that image of her on stage with this piece which is both fragile and strong, created a memory in my mind.
Last but not less important…
Q: What is a perfect meal or dish to be enjoyed when you’re just in your underwear?
A: Crunchy toast, with butter and cinnamon, or peanut butter and sliced bananas. The silence, the crunch, the comfort. It is as simple as it gets.
Together with her powerful, female-led team, Vannesa has shaped studio x kitchen into a space where aesthetics, care, and community meet, a world that now also includes MAALOUF, worn by the team and represented in a curated selection at the café.
Thank you Vannesa and Rune for opening up your beautiful home and as always studio x kitchen and thanks to my favorite studio x team <3 and Katrine Møbius for images and always good company.
All the best <3
x
