Danish design

{{See also|Danish modern}}

The Danish Culture Canon credits Thorvald Bindesbøll (1846–1908) with early contributions to design in the areas of ceramics, jewellery, bookbinding, silver and furniture although he is known in the rest of the world for creating the Carlsberg logo (1904), still in use today.{{Citation | url = http://www.skoletjenesten.dk/Grundskolen/~/media/EducationOffers/Designmuseum%20Danmark/Undervisningsmateriale/02_bindesboel.pdf | title = Thorvald Bindesbølls livsværk | publisher = Skoletjensten Kunstindustrimuseet | language = da | access-date = 24 January 2013 | place = DK | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924102425/http://www.skoletjenesten.dk/Grundskolen/~/media/EducationOffers/Designmuseum%20Danmark/Undervisningsmateriale/02_bindesboel.pdf | archive-date = 24 September 2015 | url-status = dead }}. The Canon also includes Knud V. Engelhardt (1882–1931) for a more industrial approach, especially in the rounded contours of his electric tramcar designs which were widely copied.{{Citation | place = DK | url = http://www.skoletjenesten.dk/Grundskolen/~/media/EducationOffers/Designmuseum%20Danmark/Undervisningsmateriale/03_knud_v_engelhardt.pdf | title = Knud V. Engelhardts livsværk| publisher = Skoletjenesten Kunstindustrimuseet | language = da | access-date = 22 January 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140512221020/http://www.skoletjenesten.dk/Grundskolen/~/media/EducationOffers/Designmuseum%20Danmark/Undervisningsmateriale/03_knud_v_engelhardt.pdf | archive-date = 12 May 2014 | url-status = dead }}. In the area of textiles, Marie Gudme Leth (1895–1997) brought the screen printing process to Denmark, opening a factory in 1935 which allowed her colourful patterns to be manufactured on an industrial basis.{{Citation | url = http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Kunst_og_kultur/Billedkunst/Kunstner/Marie_Gudme_Leth | contribution = Marie Gudme Leth | title = Dansk Biografisk Leksikon | date = 13 July 2012 | place = DK | language = da | publisher = Den store danske | access-date = 23 January 2013}}. August Sandgren introduced functionalism in the design of his masterful bookbindings.

File:Hans_Wegner_Wishbone_Chair.jpg are representative of the movement's aesthetic]]

In the late 1940s, shortly after the end of the Second World War, conditions in Denmark were ideally suited to success in design. The emphasis was on furniture but architecture, silver, ceramics, glass and textiles also benefitted from the trend. Denmark's late industrialisation combined with a tradition of high-quality craftsmanship formed the basis of gradual progress towards industrial production. After the end of the war, Europeans were keen to find novel approaches such as the light wood furniture from Denmark. Last but not least, support in Denmark for freedom of individual expression assisted the cause.{{Citation | url = http://www.netpublikationer.dk/UM/8584/pdf/Furniture20and20Indust43D234.pdf | title = Furniture and Industrial Design | publisher = Ministry of Foreign Affairs | place = DK | access-date = 17 December 2008 | archive-date = 3 August 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190803003659/http://www.netpublikationer.dk/UM/8584/pdf/Furniture20and20Indust43D234.pdf | url-status = dead }}.

The newly established Furniture School at the Royal Danish Academy of Art played a considerable part in the development of furniture design. Kaare Klint taught functionalism based on the size and proportions of objects, wielding considerable influence. Hans J. Wegner, who had been trained as a cabinetmaker, contributed with a unique sense of form, especially in designing chairs.{{Citation | url = http://www.danish-furniture.com/designers/ | contribution = Designers | title = Danish Furniture | access-date = 17 December 2008}}.

As head of FDB Møbler, Børge Mogensen designed simple and robust objects of furniture for the average Danish family. Finn Juhl demonstrated an individualistic approach in designing chairs with an appealing but functional look.

In the early 1950s, American design also influenced Danish furniture. The American Charles Eames designed and manufactured chairs of moulded wood and steel pipes. These encouraged Arne Jacobsen to design his Ant Chair, Denmark's first industrially manufactured chair. Furthermore, as Shaker furniture—and especially its reputation for stripped down chairs—began to be more and more known abroad, it also influenced Danish designers.Taft, Maggie, "Morphologies and Genealogies; Shaker Furniture and Danish Design," Design and Culture 7:3, 313–334.

Poul Kjærholm, Verner Panton and Nanna Ditzel followed a few years later, continuing the successful story of Danish design. Kjærholm worked mainly in steel and leather, Panton left Denmark during the 1960s to continue designing imaginative but highly unconventional plastic chairs while Nanna Ditzel, who also had a strongly individualistic approach, was successful in helping to renew Danish furniture design in the 1980s.

File:Bernadotte Thermos.jpg

During the 1970s, Verner Panton made some of his most important designs, including the Pantonova and the 1-2-3 System.

Danish furniture design during the 1980s did not include prominent contributions. By contrast, industrial designers began to prosper, making use of principles such as focus on the user, as well as attention to materials and to detail. For example, there are well known Danish designers, like Tobias Jacobsen (the grandson of Arne Jacobsen), who focused on the single elements of a violin when creating his chair "Vio" or on a boomerang when designing his eponymous sideboard.{{Citation | url = http://www.fashionforhome.de/inspiration/designer/jacobsen | title = Designerprofile Tobias Jacobsen | work = Inspiration by Fashion For Home | date = 25 February 2015 | publisher = Fashion For Home | access-date =11 September 2015| place = D}}.

The Bernadotte & Bjørn studio, established in 1950, was the first to specialise in industrial design, with an emphasis on office machines, domestic appliances and functional articles such as the thermos jug. The electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen, in collaboration with Bernadotte & Bjørn and later with Jacob Jensen and David Lewis, went on to excel in modern design work. Around the same time, the Stelton company collaborated with Arne Jacobsen and Erik Magnussen to produce their iconic vacuum jug, a huge international success.

Another successful design field is medical technology. Danish design companies like 3PART, Designit and CBD have worked in this area with individual designers such as Steve McGugan and Anders Smith.

In 2002 the Danish Government and the City of Copenhagen launched an effort to establish a world event for design in Copenhagen. Originally understood as a tool for branding traditional Danish design, the non-profit organization INDEX: shifted focus after worldwide research and coined the concept of Design to Improve Life, which rapidly became celebrated in Denmark and around the world. The organization now hands out the biggest design award in the world biannual in Copenhagen, tours large scale outdoor exhibition around the world, run educational program as well as design labs and hosts a global network.{{Citation needed | date = February 2013}}

Today, there is strong focus on design in Denmark as industry increasingly appreciates the importance of design in the business environment. In addition, as part of its trade and industry policy, the Danish government has launched the DesignDenmark initiative which aims to restore Denmark to the international design elite.{{Citation |url=http://www.ebst.dk/file/7260/designdenmark.pdf |title=DesignDenmark |publisher=The Danish Government |access-date=17 December 2008 |place=DK |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530045252/http://www.ebst.dk/file/7260/designdenmark.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2009 }}.

Image:SydneyOperaHouse.jpg

{{see also|Architecture of Denmark}}

Modern architecture has also contributed to the concept of Danish design.

File:Arne_jacobsen,_aarhus_town_hall_1937-1942_2.jpg, Århus, Denmark]]

Arne Jacobsen was not just a furniture designer but one of the leading architects of his times. Among his achievements are the Bellevue Theater and restaurant, Klampenborg (1936), the Århus City Hall (with Erik Møller; 1939–42) and the SAS Royal Hotel (1958–60).{{Citation|url=http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/About-Denmark/Arts-Culture/Danish-Design-Architecture/Architecture/WhoIsWhoInHistoricalDanishArchitecture/?wbc_purpose=basi |contribution=Who is Who in Historical Danish architecture |title=About |publisher=Denmark |place=DK |access-date=18 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520092105/http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/About-Denmark/Arts-Culture/Danish-Design-Architecture/Architecture/WhoIsWhoInHistoricalDanishArchitecture/?wbc_purpose=basi |archive-date=20 May 2009 }}

Jørn Utzon (1918–2008), Denmark's most widely recognized architect, is remembered for his expressionist Sydney Opera House (1966) and the later Bagsværd Church (1976) with its wavy concrete roof.{{Citation |url=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/copenhagen/bagsvaerd_kirke_utzon.htm |title=Bagsvaerd Kirke, København |website=e-architect |access-date=18 December 2008}}.

Henning Larsen (b. 1925) is the architect who designed the boldly modern Copenhagen Opera House on the island of Holmen which was completed in 2005.{{Citation |url=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/copenhagen/copenhagen_opera_house.htm |title=Copenhagen Opera House |website=e-architect | access-date=18 December 2008}}.

Danish architecture is currently in a new-wave era, not receiving more attention since the golden age of Arne Jacobsen and Jørn Utzon, being focused on function and concept rather than aesthetics and an impeccable finish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlingske.dk/virksomheder/unge-arkitektkometer-saetter-danmark-paa-verdenskortet|title=Unge arkitektkometer sætter Danmark på verdenskortet|date=21 March 2016}} Bjarke Ingels of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Dan Stubbergaard's architectural firm Cobe who met at the former drawing office Plot,{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlingske.dk/karriere/koebenhavn-er-stjernearkitektens-afsaet-til-international-succes|title=København er stjernearkitektens afsæt til international succes|date=6 April 2019}} are both part of the new wave. Mentionable projects are BIG's Amager Bakke (Copenhill) and Cobe's Nørreport Station.{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlingske.dk/virksomheder/unge-arkitektkometer-saetter-danmark-paa-verdenskortet|title=Unge arkitektkometer sætter Danmark på verdenskortet|date=21 March 2016}}

Today, the concept of Danish design is thriving in an ever-wider number of fields. Among recent highlights are:

• The Museum of Modern Art in New York has chosen to outfit 95% of its new Yoshio Taniguchi-designed home with furniture by Danish design company GUBI.
• The Danish Zenvo ST1 supercar.{{Citation | quote = The phrase "Danish design" brings to mind odd-looking chairs and bright-colored handbags – not (this supercar). Still, Zenvo Automotive asserts its ST1 hypercar is pure Dane conceived, engineered, and assembled. | url = http://wot.motortrend.com/6390529/toys/zenvo-to-produce-real-supercar-with-excessive-power/ | title = Zenvo to Produce "Real Supercar with Excessive Power" | newspaper = Motor Trend | date = 17 December 2008}}.{{Citation | url = http://www.zenvoautomotive.com/ | title = Zenvo Automotive | access-date = 18 December 2008}}.
• The Evita Peroni suite of women's accessories which now has some 300 stores in 30 countries.{{Citation | url = https://www.dexigner.com/news/9528 | title = SHH Create New Store Concept for Evita Peroni | date = November 2006 | publisher = Dexigner | access-date = 19 December 2008}}.
• The Halifax Central Library in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was designed by the Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen. After it was completed in 2014, it has received widespread acclaim{{cite web|title=10 eye-popping new buildings that you'll see in 2014|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/30/world/gallery/10-eye-popping-new-buildings-that-youll-see-in-2014/index.html?hpt=hp_c3|work=CNN Style| date=30 January 2014 |publisher=CNN|access-date=6 May 2014}}{{cite news|title=Wired names Halifax's flagship library among top 10 most beautiful in the world|url=http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/09/wired-names-halifax-libraries-among-top-10-most-beautiful-in-the-world.html|work=CBC News|date=9 September 2016}} and several architecture awards.{{cite news|last1=Wall|first1=Don|title=ACEC awards: SNC-Lavalin triumphs with Halifax library|url=http://dailycommercialnews.com/Projects/News/2015/11/ACEC-awards-SNC-Lavalin-triumphs-with-Halifax-library-1011378W/|work=Daily Commercial News|date=12 November 2015}}{{cite news|title=Halifax Central Library nominated for prestigious architectural award|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-central-library-nominated-for-prestigious-architectural-award-1.3124123|work=CBC News|date=23 June 2015}}

Among the most successful designers associated with the concept are Børge Mogensen (1914–72), Finn Juhl (1912–89), Hans Wegner (1914–2007), Arne Jacobsen (1902–71), Poul Kjærholm (1929–80), Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) and Verner Panton (1926–98).{{Citation|title=About Denmark |url=http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/About-Denmark/Arts-Culture/Danish-Design-Architecture/?gclid=CNTh1cyYx5cCFQVMtAod-yYBRw |contribution=Danish Design and Architecture |publisher=Denmark |access-date=17 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520092331/http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/About-Denmark/Arts-Culture/Danish-Design-Architecture/?gclid=CNTh1cyYx5cCFQVMtAod-yYBRw |archive-date=20 May 2009 }}

Other designers of note include Kristian Solmer Vedel (1923–2003) in the area of industrial design, Jens Harald Quistgaard (1919–2008) for kitchen furniture and implements, Gertrud Vasegaard (1913–2007) for ceramics, and Ole Wanscher (1903–85), who had a classical approach to furniture design.

• The Danish Museum of Art & Design (or, Designmuseum Denmark) in Copenhagen exhibits many of the artifacts associated with Danish design, especially furniture.
• The New York Museum of Modern Art also has a large Danish design collection.{{Citation | publisher = House of Copenhagen | url = http://www.houseofcopenhagen.com/moma_collection/ | title = Danish design at MoMA | access-date = 18 December 2008}}.
• The Danish Design Centre in the centre of Copenhagen has both permanent and special exhibitions promoting Danish design.{{Cite news|last=Bray|first=Paul|date=2019-02-08|title=Get the Scandi look: where to shop for Danish design in Copenhagen|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/discovering-hygge-in-copenhagen/danish-design/|access-date=2020-12-18|issn=0307-1235}}

{{Commons category|Design of Denmark}}

• BoConcept
• Carl Hansen & Søn
• Danish Culture Canon
• Anders Nørgaard
• FDB Møbler
• Scandinavian design

{{Reflist}}

• {{Citation | url = http://www.architonic.com/dcobj/product-group/0/2/1 | title = Examples of Mid Century Modern Design | publisher = Architonic}}.
• {{Citation|url=http://www.formarevivo.com/ |title=Mid Century Modern Furniture, Decorative Objects, and Art |publisher=Formare vivo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030134052/http://formarevivo.com// |archive-date=30 October 2012 }}.
• {{Citation | url = http://www.alfems.nl/ | title = Danish Design | publisher = Alfems | place = NL | access-date = 12 February 2013 | archive-date = 25 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201025165702/http://www.alfems.nl/ | url-status = dead }}.
• [https://www.dezeen.com/tag/danish-design/ Danish design] on Dezeen

{{Portal bar|Denmark}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish Design}}

Category:Industrial design

Category:Architectural styles

Category:Modernist architecture in Scandinavia

Category:Functionalist architecture

Category:Art movements

Category:Danish art

Category:Architectural design