3daysofdesign 2024: all of the highlights
Brands and designers are competing for your attention at the annual Danish design week. Here’s what you may have missed…
From interactive exhibitions in showrooms to site-specific installations outdoors, the city will come alive between 12-14 June as it hosts northern Europe’s most prestigious design festival, 3daysofdesign. With an eclectic mix of Danish and Scandinavian as well as international brands unveiling their latest collections, it’s the place you need to be to spot this summer’s upcoming trends. This year’s theme is ‘Dare to Dream’ – a fitting topic for a turbulent time. The idea is to encourage ‘dreamers, doers and the design-curious’ to unite in exploring how design can act as a catalyst for change. 3daysofdesign.dk
‘Center Center’ by String x Form Us With Love
Conventional office furniture can be boring. String’s new modular collection created in collaboration with Form Us With Love aims to change that, and also make the workplace more flexible. The modular design, which comes in eight colours, is made up of individual modules which, like String’s famous shelving system, allows for near-endless customisation. ‘Our aim is to provide a system for the unimaginable,’ say Form Us With Love’s John Löfgren and Jonas Pettersson. See it on display at Framing, Odd Fellow Palace. stringfurniture.com
Hay x Asics trainers
The collaboration we didn't know we needed, these trainers will be available exclusively at Hay’s flagship store during 3DaysofDesign. The colour palette was chosen by Mette Hay and is inspired by the brand’s ‘Outline’ pyjama’s – only the ‘Soft Pink’, ‘Soft Blue’ and ‘Emerald Green’ varieties are available now, with ‘Chocolate Brown’ and ‘Lavender’ due to drop in the autumn. hay.dk
‘Kettlehut’ chair, House of Finn Juhl
Head to House of Finn Juhl to see this chair – a design with an unusual history. As well as being made for Danish markets, the ‘SW 86’ chair was also offered to American company Baker furniture in 1951 – they produced many of Juhl’s designs, but oddly not this classic. Today, it is being relaunched and renamed to honour Baker Furniture’s former vice president of marketing Mary Ellen Kettlehut, who still owns the original watercolour. finnjuhl.com
‘Collage’ by Faye Toogood x Frama
Toogood’s takeover of Frama’s Copenhagen flagship is all encompassing, from the bespoke furniture pieces (pictured) to totes, sculptures, handwash and even hand-painted uniforms for the staff! ‘We share the same wide-eyed, insatiable curiosity and desire to explore,’ says Toogood of the brand. framacph.com
‘Enter the Salon’ by Kvadrat
The highlight of this exhibition curated by Signe Hytte and held inside historical townhouse The Conary is a new lighting collection created by Ladies & Gentlemen studio using Kvadrat and Sahco fabrics. An expansion of the studio’s ‘Veil’ pendant collection, it has an ethereal lightness that pushes the boundaries of textile design. kvadrat.dk
Max Lamb x 1882LTD
The designer’s latest collection for the fifth generation English ceramics brand expands on the carved, caveman-like vessels he has become known for. This time, though, they come dressed in a punchy Barbie pink. See all of the pieces on display at Ddcated Design Hub, taking over the museum of the Lapadarium of Kings in the heart of Copenhagen. 1882ltd.com
‘Elements of Normann’ by Normann Copenhagen
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Normann Copenhagen is taking an opportunity to look back, transforming its flagship store in the Danish capital into an immersive deep dive into what makes the brand tick. ‘Elements of Normann’ will allow people to step into its signature colour palette, interact with the materials that define its key collections and learn more about plans for the next 25 years. normann-copenhagen.com
‘Crafted to Last’ by Garde Hvalsøe
The spirit of collaboration is alive and well, as Garde Hvalsøe invites De La Espada to share its showroom space during 3 Days of Design, where the brands will present ‘Crafted to Last’. Curated by interiors stylist Pernille Vest, it includes pieces that will, says Garde Hvalsøe’s CEO Søren Aagaard Lundh, ‘celebrate craftsmanship, underscoring the significance of traditional techniques and natural materials in modern design’. Look out for a new version of the ‘Framed Style’ kitchen and a Japanese-inspired cabinet. gardehvalsoe.dk
‘Kirsikankukka’ bedding by Tekla and Artek
Danish brand Tekla has joined with Finnish company Artek to pay homage to the sometimes overlooked genius of the late Aino Aalto. The designer would be 130 years old this year, and her belief in kaunis arki (‘the beauty of the everyday’), lives on. This limited-edition bedding release is a tribute to her ‘Kirsikankukka’ pattern. In a possible first in Japandi design, Aalto was inspired by a silk fabric gifted to her in the 1930s by the Japanese ambassador to Finland and his wife. From £31 for a pillowcase. teklafabrics.com
‘Black Ash’ chair by Bill Amberg
Taking the silhouette of the ‘Tub Chair’ designed by Bill Amberg for the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, this version swaps the original materials for Italian water-buffalo hide and solid FSC-certified British-grown trees that have succumbed to ash dieback. £1,350, billamberg.com.
‘MMMTV’ by Massproductions
Design shows are often all about the seating, but rarely do you get to slump down in the newest releases and zone out in front of the TV. That’s the enticing proposition at Massproductions’ pop-up at contemporary-art space Galleri Christoffer Egelund. Its VHS-based ‘MMMTV’ installation will celebrate 1990s video culture, encouraging visitors to lounge on its ultra-comfortable ‘Patch’ sofa system (pictured), designed by Chris Martin – itself a piece with distinctly 90s inspirations, from upturned duffle bags to moc-toe boots. From £6,015. massproductions.se
‘The China Chair’ by Hans J Wegner for Fritz Hansen
Designed by Hans J Wegner, the ‘China’ chair has been in production for 80 years and represents the cusp of the style we now know as Danish modern. Only 80 will be made, in high-quality, grain-matched European cherry wood. £9,400, available in limited stores. fritzhansen.com
‘Crafting the Present’ exhibition by Fredericia
We’ve been waiting for a chance to go behind the scenes at Fredericia (aka the Danish masters of craft) for years, making this exhibition all the more exciting. Set within its Copenhagen showroom, it’ll explore the furniture production lines used to make some of the most iconic pieces – think Hans J Wegner’s ‘Ox’ chair and Jørgen Gammelgaard’s ‘JG’ folding stool (pictured). You’ll also uncover the tools and techniques used across its leather and upholstery products throughout its extensive history. fredericia.com
‘Studies in Seating’ exhibition by Savo and Form Us With Love
If you’re reading this while sitting on an office chair, this one’s for you. With new research revealing that the average office worker spends a slightly sickening eight years seated at a desk over a lifetime, the exhibition at Fallow Place will showcase some of office seating brand Savo’s most popular work chairs, alongside key research. savo.com
‘Design/Dialogue’ by Ark Journal
New for this year is ‘Design/Dialogue’ by Ark Journal – an exhibition investigating what the future of design, craft and collaboration might look like. The publication will bring together more than 20 international design brands and artists inside a former port warehouse along one of the city’s canals. Agape and Agapecasa will make their 3daysofdesign debut as part of the event, with their iconic basins, baths and showers on show in the historic setting. ark-journal.com
‘Rethink’ exhibition by Kvadrat
Following a string of six successful editions of Kvadrat Design Projects, the Danish textile heavyweight returns to 3daysofdesign with an expo on the theme of sustainability. 12 emerging and longstanding creatives from around the globe, including Iceland, Venezuela, Beijing and Brooklyn have been tasked with transforming Kvadrat’s recycled, regenerative and circular materials into unique designs that reflect their style. kvadrat.dk
‘Bow’ chair by Industrial Facility for Takt
Danish furniture brand Takt’s latest chair is set to make its much anticipated debut at the design fair. London-based studio Industrial Facility’s Sam Hecht and Kim Colin are behind the design, which uses a single piece of plywood for the arms and back. In line with Takt’s commitment to sustainability, it ‘prioritises longevity, featuring easy repairs with readily available replacement parts’. From £489. taktcph.com
‘Rotin’ by Ethimo
The Italian Embassy in Copenhagen will open its doors to welcome a selection of Italian brands including Ehtimo, which will be showing at 3daysofdesign for the first time. Ethimo will furnish the opulent gardens and interior of the Italian Ambassador’s Royal Residence with its outdoor ranges, including this new ‘Rotin’ lounge set – a series of lounge and dining furniture with cocooning shapes by Studio Zanellato/Bortotto. ethimo.com
‘313’ lounge collection by Sanayi313
Istanbul-based design studio Sanayi313 will use the occasion to celebrate the launch of its latest living room furniture collection, ‘313’. These stacked side tables will be on show alongside other stainless steel pieces that are inspired by brutalist warehouse architecture. sanayi313.com
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