Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design has returned with a city-wide showcase of thoughtful designs, latest furniture launches as well as new spaces that celebrate conviviality and explore new domestic frontiers. More than ever, the 2021 design-led festival offers an opportunity to consider how design can have a positive impact on everyday life, with designers and brands looking at multisensory experiences, the importance of materiality in our objects and the playful nature of design.
Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from 3 Days of Design 2021
‘Momentum’ collection, by Studio David Thulstrup, for Søuld
Architect David Thulstrup has teamed up with material manufacturer Søuld to create a new capsule collection of limited-edition designs, integrating glass and steel with a local sea plant called eelgrass. This last material has been used in construction since the 1600s, when the people of Denmark’s Læsø island would create thick roof-thatching for their ‘seaweed houses’. Soft, sound-insulating and sustainable, the material has made its way into a low table, high table, podium and screen that put a contemporary spin on a time-honoured practice.
Sabsay Gallery, Store Strandstræde 19
‘The Allure of Materiality’, by Space Copenhagen for Gubi
Two local design powerhouses – furniture brand Gubi and creative duo Space Copenhagen – are presenting three new collections, collectively exploring the allure of materiality. The ‘Private’ collection of storage and display furniture, combining oak veneer and antique brass, is inspired by Japanese cabinetry; the ‘Howard’ lighting collection, named after the Space Copenhagen-designed 11 Howard hotel in Manhattan, references the industrial atmosphere of New York City; while the ‘Unbound’ lighting collection, inspired by archetypal marine lanterns, evokes ships with billowing sails.
Klubiensvej 7-9
‘Moonsetter’ by Anne Boysen for Louis Poulsen
Anne Boysen's floor lamp for Louis Poulsen is guided by her fascination with light and spatiality, which resulted in a design ‘that invites for play and exploration’. The Danish architect was inspired by the moon to create her piece, she explains: ‘I am at my desk one night, when I suddenly see it. A ray of moonlight shone through a gap in the curtains. I put different surfaces in front of it and became fascinated with how something white produced a diffused reflection of light. So I asked myself, how do you simplify this in an accessible idiom, making the complex simple and intuitive?’ Her design is based on simple geometries that intersect recreating the moonlight effect through LED and mirrored surfaces. The central disc rotates 360 degrees around its own axis, and it is white on one side and reflective on the other, allowing users to modulate light in the room. ‘With Moonsetter, I wanted to activate the whole body as I believe, we learn and experience life best through our senses,’ she says. ‘You shape the light with the disc, and sense the kind of mood you create.’
D Studio, Kuglegårdsvej 13
‘Space Invaders’ by Stellar Works and Luca Nichetto
Stellar Works and Luca Nichetto make their collaborative debut in Copenhagen with the ‘Space Invaders’ collection, a series of colourful functional objects merging the Italian designer’s Venetian glass craft influences with sculptural wood and minimalist metal frames. ‘“Space Invaders” is a perfect example of our mission to show beauty in function,’ says Nichetto. ‘The collection demonstrates our shared belief with Stellar Works in understanding the strengths and limitations of different techniques to give purpose to forms and ensure the enjoyment of the user.’
Lindencrone Mansion, Skt. Annæ Plads 1
Vipp Pencil Factory dining club
Danish design company Vipp unveils a new supper club space in a converted pencil factory. The space will play host to a rotating roster of acclaimed chefs, with the first being Noma’s former R&D sous chef Riccardo Canella. The space makes its debut with Canella’s first event for the club, starting on 23 September and titled ‘A Tale of a Venetian in Denmark’. The culinary series will feature an experimental tasting menu with Danish and Italian influences.
Sturlasgade 12G
Astep showroom
Lighting brand Astep presents its new Copenhagen space, presenting both its series of Italian classics by Gino Sarfatti and new contemporary lighting pieces by the likes of Francesco Faccin and Alfredo Häberli. The flagship store features curved and spiral elements dividing the space, inviting visitors to explore the collections, and it is dotted with wooden sculptures by Copenhagen-based British artist, Nicholas Shurey.
Esplanaden 6
‘Clam Pendant’ by Ahm and Lund for Fritz Hansen
Described as a ‘pearl of light’, Fritz Hansen's latest pendant light was created by emerging design duo and inspired by natural seashells. ‘Just as an oyster hides its pearl, Clam can open and close to ‘hide’ its inner light,’ explain the designers. The piece feature two mouth blown glass shells and deliate brass hardware, with elements inspired by antique gas lamps. ‘This pendant is really a characteristic design that is technically complex but looks very simple and elegant,’ comments Christian Andresen, Fritz Hansen ́s Design & Brand Ambassador.
Valkendorfsgade 4
Hay House
Danish design brand Hay unveils ‘Hay House 2.0’, a four-floor experience in the heart of Copenhagen offering the brand's collections of furniture and lighting for every room of the home. Among new launches are lighting and objects by Muller Van Severen, a new minimalist chair in several chromatic interpretations created by Bruno Rey for Dietiker in collaboration with Hay
and based on the original Rey Collection designed by Swiss designer Bruno Rey in 1971. To celebrate the new space, Hay invited art director Clara von Zweigbergk to create a limited-edition collection of origami figures, excusively available in a limited edition from the store.
Østergade 61
hay.dk
‘Royal Creatures’ collection, by GamFratesi for Royal Copenhagen
A nine-piece dinnerware collection by Danish-Italian design duo GamFratesi features creatures from the shore, shallow waters and the deep ocean. Based on Royal Copenhagen’s classic half-lace collections, the handpainted pieces are playful and instantly iconic, bringing nature and wildlife into table settings in the same way the brand’s Flora Danica service had done in the late 18th century. Presented during 3 Days of Design as an immersive installation, ‘Royal Creatures’ is sure to delight adults and children alike.
Amagertorv 6
Studio X
Design store Studio X unveils its new space, which comprises a gallery, laboratory and food haven. Among its exhibitors are local design studio Spacon & X, showing two collections (above) inspired by their restaurant designs (including brown-core ash pieces made by Frankfurt-based furniture brand E15 for Noma’s burger bar), Swedish bedwear expert Magniberg, and a much-lauded newcomer to the Finnish furniture industry, Vaarnii. Also on site is a pop-up by leading Finnish brands Marimekko and Artek, offering vintage furniture and garments.
Dronningens Tværgade 50
Frama Studio Store
Frama presents ‘Utilitarian Living’, a curated showcase exploring how everyday objects can enhance our lives. The display in the brand's showroom (a former apothecary space) includes the latest minimalist functional furniture from the brand, the launch of Frama's new book, titled Perception Form, and a series of talks involving local creatives from different disciplines. As part of the presentation, Frama commissioned French composer Cedric Elisabeth to create a playlist that complements the collection's theme, featuring ‘a potpourri of upbeat, rhythmic, and instrumental sounds to fill your spaces.’
Fredericiagade 57
framacph.com
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How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
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Step through Rubenshuis’ new architectural gateway to the world of the Flemish painterArchitects Robbrecht en Daem’s new building at Rubenshuis, Antwerp, frames Rubens’ private universe, weaving a modern library and offices into the master’s historic axis of art and nature
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Find interior design inspiration at Eba’s new Marylebone showroomEba, a specialist in kitchen and living room design, brings its elevated interiors to London’s Marylebone
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Fritz Hansen marks its 150th anniversary with new collectionFritz Hansen’s ‘Anniversary Collection’ features reissues of iconic pieces by Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm, presented during 3 Days of Design 2022 (15 – 17 June)
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Iconic Arne Jacobsen dining chairs get a new colour paletteFritz Hansen enlists Italian curator Carla Sozzani to devise a new chromatic palette for Arne Jacobsen's iconic dining chairs
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Frama’s first atelier collection pays homage to modernist Kaare KlintCopenhagen-based design brand Frama pays homage the father of Danish furniture design, Kaare Klint, with a new atelier collection
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Copper feel: Lumière Bricoleur turns scrap metal into sculptural lampsThe duo’s first collection, mostly rendered in copper, is sourced on Copenhagen's streets and scrapyards
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Kvadrat’s blind collection plays with transparency and toneRonan & Erwan Bouroullec design the Kvadrat Shade range with window covering specialist, Coulisse
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Muuto unveils debut outdoor furniture range with clean metal lines and timeless details -
First look at Danish brand Vipp’s debut furniture collection -
Fredericia Furniture opens its first overseas store in former Victorian warehouse in London
