3daysofdesign fair in Copenhagen

The most important Danish design fair 3daysofdesign presented innovations around Scandinavian design, life culture and lifestyle in mid-June.

The international design community gathered information at over 200 exhibitions and events. The motto ‘Remember to play’, which Luca Nichetto translated graphically, was interpreted in a diverse and imaginative Nordic way. We present 10 visual highlights from showrooms, exhibition spaces and concept stores.

Fritz Hansen
The Danish furniture manufacturer had a lot to celebrate: on the occasion of its 150th company history, the traditional house invited visitors to a pavilion specially designed by the architecture firm Henning Larsen. In the garden of the reopened and completely renovated Design Museum Denmark, the sustainable building stands in a prominent place.

All design classics (Egg, Swan, PK60) and novelties as well as a small preview of the autumn news found a representative stage in the light-flooded pavilion made of slats. According to the principle of circular design, the pavilion will be occupied by the museum during the summer months and will later be used for the redesign of the Fritz Hansen headquarters.

Design Museum Denmark
After two years of total renovation, the museum opened its doors just in time for the Design Fair. (Scandinavian) icons of the past and modern age are presented alongside current themes in a contemporary ambience. Contemporary issues such as the green transition, health and identity are the main focus and are analysed in a multifaceted way in the context of design and formal language. The Danish architecture firm Spacon & X has designed parts of the new exhibition spaces. Sustainability and fashion, patterns, furniture, arts and crafts and table culture are the themes of the current exhibition.

Kvadrat Shades
Global warming does not only concern climate activists, politicians and scientists, designers and manufacturers are also concerned with the problem. Kvadrat Shade commissioned the renowned designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec to develop a resource-saving roller blind system. The result: an ultra-light aluminium-coated textile that is well insulated, keeps the heat out in summer and protects against temperature loss in winter, thus contributing to a better indoor climate. The carbon footprint of a building can thus be significantly reduced. What is special about Kvadrat Shades is its minimalist design: functional and restrained – characteristics that are generally synonymous with classic, Scandinavian design language.

Helle Mehrdahl
The glass objects by Helle Mehrdahl, which the Danish entrepreneur presented in a newly renovated Copenhagen city palace, are as colourful as the macarons in a French patisserie. Delicate shades of sorbet set welcome colour accents in the current non-colour trend. With her lamps, bonbonnières, vases, glasses and table decorations, the artist and designer wants to evoke fairytale fantasies and transport the viewer into a romantic world. The sweet illusions made of glass are particularly effective when they are decorated ‘allover’ and lavishly.

Mater Design
From waste to furniture is the credo of the Danish company that creates new design from waste components. And thus consistently dedicates itself to what is probably the most important task of our future – the topic of sustainability and the circular economy. The new chair collection ‘Børge Mogensen Conscious’ was created in cooperation with the grandchildren of the famous architect and presents the original in recycled material for the first time. From plastic and coffee bean waste, waste paper, old clothes and scrap metal, Mater produces new chairs, stools, tables and outdoor furniture in complex recycling processes.

Linie Design
Carpets and innovative floor coverings are an integral part of the current design scene. With the new ‘Apertus’ collection, Linie Design concentrates on structure and relief-like surface design. Oval shapes in natural colours set visual accents. The hand-knotted carpets are made of organic cotton and undyed wool. Origin and certified materials can be traced back.

Burel
Decorative wall panels are used for visual embellishment. The wool pictures by Burel Architecture show flowering meadows, graphic patterns and artworks in pixel optics. The latter can be realised according to individual pictures. The motifs (here a sheep and smiley) only decipher themselves to the viewer at a distance. The wall decorations, which are elaborately handcrafted in the Portuguese Serra da Estrela, not only have a decorative function, they also contribute to a higher room temperature and dampen sound and noise. All-rounders made of wool!

Normann Copenhagen
With the colour orange, the Danish company sets a striking colour accent in the otherwise monochrome Non-Colours. All three floors of the former print shop, which serves as Normann Copenhagen‘s showroom and flagship, glow in the warm fire colour as ‘The Orange Edit’. Against this background, the armchairs, chairs and modular sofa systems (‘Ark’) looked dynamic and modern. A pop-up bar in the courtyard invites guests to linger.

Hay
In the ‘Hay House’, the flagship in Copenhagen’s city centre, the 20th anniversary of the company was celebrated over four floors. The art nouveau building was recently renovated and appeared to be made for the product world of the successful Danish brand. Among the new products were the flexible Pier shelving system by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, a colourful series of wooden chairs, tables, tableware and table accessories (‘Pastis’). The organically shaped lamp family ‘Parade Table Lamp’ also illuminates the Scandinavian furnishing style.

The Audo
The renovated historic building in the trendy Århusgade harbour area is now used for a variety of purposes and hybrid activities. A hotel, café, restaurant, concept store, library, showroom, work and event spaces demonstrate the many possible uses of the former warehouse building. The founder of The Audo Bjarne Hansen had a concept in mind that offers scope for private life and work and creates space for design, creativity, interaction and community. During the design fair, by Lassen presented its relaunched product and furniture designs.