It’s all about context and working together at 3 Days of Design. That’s the message that was hammered home at this year’s event, which functions as Copenhagen’s de facto design week. Designers and brands presented work in galleries and studios across the city and the fair was billed by many as the biggest competitor to industry behemoth Salone del Mobile – and for good reason. It has grown year-on-year since its establishment in 2013 and is now drawing an international cohort, with Spain’s Santa & Cole and Italian firms such as Flos and Alpi all taking part.
In truth, the two events are quite different: Salone del Mobile is focused on trade and the industry’s commercial side. Copenhagen, meanwhile, seems intent on putting the practice into context. “It’s rooted in the Danish way of thinking about design,” says Marie-Louise Høstbo (pictured above left), a Copenhagen-based creative director and curator. “Design is presented not as an event but as a lived, integrated part of daily life.” For proof, one only has to look at the showcase that Høstbo curated with Mycoworks, the company responsible for developing Reishi, a leather-like material created from mycelium (the root structure of fungi). Under Høstbo’s eye, the Californian brand worked with five Danish firms, including OEO Studio and Atelier Axo, to develop products that show Reishi’s practical applications. “We wanted to explore the potential of a new material – Reishi – while drawing inspiration from the historic principles of making functional, durable and beautiful designs,” says Høstbo. “OEO Studio’s glowing floor light, for example, invites us to see our interiors in a new way.”
OEO Studio’s Thomas Lykke (see Words With… below) agrees that the success of 3 Days of Design – and the Mycoworks showcase – lies in its ability to contextualise the industry. “Design is not only about aesthetics and chairs,” says Lykke. “It has its own vernacular and is a bridge to other cultures, understanding, sharing and questioning.”
So, is this what’s drawing people from across the world to 3 Days of Design? Gabriel Tan certainly thinks so. The Porto-based, Singaporean designer presented wares by his brand, Origin Made, in an apartment curated by Japanese furniture specialists Ariake and Spanish lighting manufacturer Parachilna (pictured above). In addition are rugs by Sera Helsinki and sculptures by Gen Taniguchi, master craftsman of the 300-year-old Nao Washi mill. “What is particularly striking is the open and collaborative spirit that is evident at 3 Days of Design, with brands regularly joining forces for showings because they understand that great interiors require lighting, furniture, textiles and objects working in harmony,” says Tan. “Why compete when you can create something more compelling together?” It’s a question those presenting – and attending – 3 Days of Design seem intent on answering.
Monisse is Monocle’s design editor.
To enjoy Monocle’s full city guide to Copenhagen, click here.
Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design has once again transformed the city into a vibrant, walkable showcase of Danish and international creativity. This annual design festival draws industry leaders, buyers, press, and enthusiasts eager to explore new collections and discover emerging talents. It’s a vital platform for both business and inspiration, setting the agenda for contemporary design. Here are three highlights from Day 1.
1.
The Salon: Other Circle
Design is everywhere: just ask Silas Adler, creative director of new design salon Other Circle. Debuting alongside 3 Days of Design at The Lab, a vast industrial venue in the northwest of Copenhagen, the aim of the showcase is to explore how the realms of design, art, music, food and fashion often overlap. “The boundaries between creative disciplines are dissolving and the way that we engage with culture is shifting,” he says. “There’s a need for spaces that reflect this fluidity. Creatives are questioning the old models and pushing for something more connected, more alive.”
The breaking down of industry barriers is already commonplace in Milan, where luxury fashion houses take over the city’s design week. But Copenhagen has maintained a more siloed approach – at least for now. Adler’s background in the fashion industry (he co-founded streetwear brand Soulland in 2002) might explain this desire to do away with the rule book and shake up the Danish design scene.
The programme at Other Circle features more than 50 participants, including local food institutions Atelier September and Noma Projects, as well as Berlin-based Lotto Studio and Reidar Mester (pictured above, top), Stockholm-based Joy Objects (above left) and Italy’s Meritalia (above right). It’s an eclectic line-up that’s sure to delight. “That’s what my team and I want to focus on,” says Adler. “Joy and inspiration.”
othercircle.com
Other Circle runs until 20 June, from 09.00 to 19.00, at The Lab, Vermundsgade 40B, Copenhagen.
2.
OEO Studio X Time & Style
At 3 Days of Design, Copenhagen-based OEO Studio, known for its refined interiors and considered product work, joined forces with Japanese furniture maker Time & Style, celebrated for its craftsmanship and fresh perspective on materiality. Their joint showcase brings Japanese and Danish aesthetics into quiet harmony. The Kouryu chair – a tactile piece featuring a sculptural wooden frame and a plush tatami seat – is case in point. Here, OEO Studio co-founder Thomas Lykke and Time & Style co-founder Yasushi Yoshida reflect on their collaboration and a shared pursuit of care in working with wood.
Tell us about the role that timber plays in your work.
Yasushi Yoshida: Japanese timber is available on the market but at Time & Style we buy directly from the forest. We have a personal relationship with the forestry people, so they contact us if wood is available. We then move the timber to our factory to dry for one or two years.
Thomas Lykke: It’s important to remember that the forest is not here for us – it’s the other way around. As a designer, it’s valuable to respect that a piece of wood is not just a piece of wood – it had a living spirit before. You have to respect that when you turn it into furniture.
What considerations shape the way that you select and use timber?
YY: It’s trendy to use oak from Hokkaido, where our factory is based. We source a lot of our timber from there and are competing with companies from across the globe who come to buy oak because it’s rich in tannins for wine and whisky. Then there’s tall-growing zelkova hardwood, the timber used for big pillars in temples some 1,200 years ago. For that reason, it is seen as conservative to use zelkova in modern Japanese homes. Until two or three years ago, we did not have dry zelkova wood but we sourced it from Honshū. It’s still rare.
The Kouryu chair that you co-created is made from Japanese zelkova. How does this honour the material and make people want in their homes?
TL: I only learned about zelkova hardwood through Time & Style and its use in sacred temples and shrines. It is seen as a more conservative wood in Japan and is rarely used for furniture. I was fascinated by the fact that I had never encountered it before. I love the grain, the colour and how you can treat it. Time & Style uses natural beeswax, white soap and iron water, which draws out the acidity and makes the zelkova incredibly soft.
timeandstyle.com; oeo.dk
See Time & Style and OEO Studio’s work during 3 Days of Design at Pakhus 11, Dampfaergevej 2.
3.
Café A-N-D Bar
Canadian lighting studio A-N-D has crossed the Atlantic and set up a temporary café and bar with furniture by French maker Boon Editions. As part of this group showcase, Irish glassware brand J Hill’s Standard is making its Copenhagen debut. “The fair has a reputation for being a smaller show that has long reach,” says Ava Kelly (pictured below right with Lukas Peet, co-founder of A-N-D), who helms J Hill’s Standard alongside her mother, Anike Tyrrell. “It’s also more digestible and community-based than some of the larger festivals, which have become behemoths.”
Titled Cafe A-N-D Bar, the hospitality-oriented setting allows for made-in-Ireland glassware to be admired in use, be it a nifty carafe-and-glass set by Amsterdam-based designer Aldo Bakker or tumblers by Irish architect Nigel Peake. “It’s an opportunity to highlight the functionality of our products and the joy of creating considered environments for our daily rituals,” adds Kelly. “Who wouldn’t want to sit on a Boon Editions sofa with our tumbler in hand, sipping a cheeky whisky under the gentle illumination of an A-N-D light?”
a-n-d.com; boon-editions.com; jhillsstandard.com
‘Cafe A-N-D Bar’ is open to the public until 20 June, from 10.00 to 19.00, at Studiestraede 34, Copenhagen.
It’s all about context and working together at 3 Days of Design. That’s the message being hammered home at this year’s event, which runs until Friday and functions as Copenhagen’s de facto design week. Designers and brands present work in galleries and studios across the city and the fair has been billed by many as the biggest competitor to industry behemoth Salone del Mobile – and for good reason. It has grown year-on-year since its establishment in 2013 and is now drawing an international cohort, with Spain’s Santa & Cole and Italian firms such as Flos and Alpi all taking part.
Here are my highlights so far:
1.
Kvadrat & Vitra Café
Danish textile brand Kvadrat has teamed up with Vitra to transform its showroom into a pop-up café. The space showcases Vitra’s new collection of furnishings upholstered in Kvadrat textiles. “We share the same considered approach to our craft,” says Kvadrat’s Njusja de Gier, who manages collaborations for the brand and led the installation. “We have also shared a showroom in Copenhagen for years; it’s a long-term partnership that we want to celebrate.”
Over the course of 3 Days of Design, both businesses will use the space to host clients for meetings and lunch, while also allowing visitors to experience their products in a practical setting. “It’s the perfect way to bring our brands to life,” says de Gier.
The café was created in collaboration with Danish chef and cookbook author Mikkel Karstad. Known for his work in Michelin-starred kitchens, Karstad has refined a seasonal approach to cooking, focusing on simple, ingredient-led dishes that highlight the natural flavours of fresh produce, whether for breakfast, lunch or aperitivo.
kvadrat.dk, vitra.com
The Kvadrat & Vitra Café is open to the public at Klubiensvej 22, 2150 Copenhagen until Friday 20 June.
2.
Structures of Living by Frama
Frama’s Structures of Living exhibition, which is on show during 3 Days of Design, is an exploration of modular interiors that rethinks how we live, work and gather. Reimagining its flagship shop as a gridded environment, the exhibition brings together everyday functions such as sleeping, dining and relaxing into a single, flexible system. “It’s an invitation for a conversation about alternative living in a bigger context,” says the brand’s founder, Niels Strøyer Christophersen.
Conceived as a spatial enquiry rather than a traditional showcase, the installation’s interconnected interior reflects Frama’s ongoing interest in multi-use design and holistic living. It’s an exploration that continues at the brand’s gallery (adjacent to the flagship), which has been transformed into a “lived-in” apartment, where furnishings from Frama’s growing catalogue are not merely displayed so much as meant to be interacted with. “Our relationship with our surroundings and community is becoming more and more essential in today’s world,” adds Christophersen.
To complement these showcases, Frama is releasing new furniture across three of its families, including stainless-steel chairs and stools, lounge chairs with beige webbing seats, a range of wooden side tables and a sideboard with a simple, geometric expression.
framacph.com
‘Structures of Living’ is open to the public until 22 June at Fredericiagade 57, Copenhagen.
3.
Petra Hotel by & Tradition
Copenhagen’s hospitality scene is being buoyed by its newest opening: Petra Hotel. The new 40-key boutique outpost, created by Danish furniture firm &Tradition and Copenhagen Design Hotels, opened its doors to guests for the first time during 3 Days of Design. At its heart is a restaurant and bar. “From the beginning, we talked about this idea of having a space that’s open all the time,” says Hannah Jordan, the firm’s head of spatial design. “It’s somewhere that people can visit between late afternoon and early evening for a drink or a coffee.”
The interiors also reflect the local neighbourhood, with many of its buildings, including the hotel, designed by Kay Fisker. The Petra is located in one of the mid-century architect’s structures from 1943, which has been meticulously restored, preserving distinctive details such as its original terrazzo and handcrafted brass fittings.
“The wall colours are an exact match of those used in Fisker’s other apartments and spaces,” adds Jordan. She also explains that the furniture selected for the project was chosen based on whether it would work with the colour scheme. Those looking to experience the space for themselves will do well to book a stay, find a seat at chef Søren Westh’s restaurant or attend one of &Tradition’s talks during 3 Days of Design.
andtradition.com, hotel-petra.com
Located at Dronningens Tværgade 45, Petra Bar & Restaurant is open every day for breakfast and lunch.
