“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
A summer day spent exploring Copenhagen feels like a fairy tale surrounded by 17th-century brightly colored row houses, Danes cycling across the Cirkelbroen with impeccable ease and style, and more than 17 hours of daylight to explore the various shops and restaurants. Add in the buzz of one of the world’s most celebrated design fairs, 3daysofdesign, and the Danish capital truly feels like a dream come true.
The largest Scandinavian design festival welcomes designers, creatives, and artisans from all over the world to debut their latest furniture, lighting, tabletop, and accessory designs throughout immersive exhibitions and workshops. To say the entire city turns into an open-air showcase is not an exaggeration, as every street is bursting with shops and galleries to explore, museums open their doors to guests, and even boats docked in the canal transform into design showrooms.
Advertisement
Advertisement
This year’s theme, “Make This Moment Matter,” challenged exhibitors to design and present pieces that intentionally speak to our needs of the present and improve our everyday lives. Iconic Danish brands from Louis Poulsen and Georg Jensen to modern leaders such as HAY and Frama took up the challenge, reinterpreting their signature designs and styles for modern living, as smaller brands spanning from Los Angeles to Japan brought their fresh perspectives to the furnishings we use daily. Even airlines like Delta dove into the excitement, partnering with Copenhagen-based designer Yasmin Edgecombe to reimagine the fair’s symposium court into a place of relaxation and mindful reflection.
With endless inspiration abounding, seven trends emerged from the pack and had me ready to try them in my own home ASAP. From the return to retro to board-game-inspired innovations, here’s what caught my eye at 3daysofdesign.
Johanson Design’s Ava sofa.Leva Evertsson
Seating That Brings the Party
The days of sad beige sofas are long past us; the showing at this year’s fair proved patterns and color are king. Across the showrooms, designers embraced a more playful approach to seating, devising silhouettes meant for gathering and entertaining and upholstery that becomes the focal point of the room. Johanson Design brought the whimsy with its Ava sofa, designed by Böttcher Kayser, decked out in a duck-themed fabric sure to be the center of attention at the next dinner party.
Montana Furniture’s Paradigm modular sofa.Mikkel Mortensen // Yellows
Meanwhile, Montana Furniture proved that you don’t have to choose between your favorite colors by presenting its Paradigm modular sofa in a colorblock pattern featuring a delicious range of blue and green hues. Barcelona-based designer Júlia Esqué turned her attention to armchairs, presenting two pieces with contrasting styles—one formal, streamlined silhouette with contrast piping and the other dramatic and playful with fabric draping the entire piece like a pleated skirt—that stand on their own or create a beautiful juxtaposition.
Dusty Deco’s Miles Zebra Sofa.Courtesy of Dusty Deco
Zebra Print
Leopard, tortoiseshell, tiger—animal print has been making a roaring comeback within interiors, and zebra print is the latest to finally get its due. The striking motif draws the eye with its irregular, wavy stripes, yet its monochromatic palette makes it more approachable. Dusty Deco spotlighted the graphic print in its showroom apartment on its Miles sofa, inspired by an image of jazz legend Miles Davis standing in a door, in front of a zebra rug, wearing a zebra-print shirt. The wild nature of the pattern exudes a sense of drama while the Swedish Grace–inspired silhouette adds a bit of understated elegance to the rebellious sofa.
The Split bench by Färg & Blanche for Johanson Design.Courtesy of Johanson Design
Advertisement
Advertisement
Zebra print can also take a subtle, streamlined appearance as proven by Frama’s Petit Rond chair and stool, seen at its “The Mechanics of Scent” exhibition. The pattern adds a spark of boldness to the slim, stainless steel frame. The abstract take on the print featured on the Split bench by Färg & Blanche for Johanson Design acts as a graphic foil to the boldly colored arched metal legs.
Easy sofa, VERPAN, design by Verner Panton.Courtesy of Verpan
A Return to Retro
The past has long served as inspiration for contemporary designers, yet some pieces are so singular and timeless that the only solution is to bring them back into production. In celebration of his centenary, legendary Danish designer Verner Panton was at the top of everyone’s mind as a handful of brands reissued a number of his most iconic designs, showcasing his innovative silhouettes and fearless use of color.
Displayed at the Designmuseum Denmark, Verpan, a Danish brand dedicated to preserving Panton’s work, showed a number of archival designs including the Easy sofa, the Welles lounge chair, the Fun pendant light, the Moon pendant light, and the Cloverleaf outdoor sofa, to name a few. Meanwhile, Karakter x Cassina revived the designer’s playful Peacock chair, while Montana gave new life to the iconic Panton Wire storage piece by dousing it in an electric tangerine shade.
In another centenary celebration, Louis Poulsen celebrated the 100th anniversary of Poul Henningsen’s System PH lighting with an exhibition that walked guests through the evolution of one of the world’s most recognizable lamps. The Danish lighting manufacturer also previewed the newest iteration of the PH 5 pendant light that includes glare-free illumination and new monochromatic colorways. Porcelain brand Royal Copenhagen also turned to its archives for this year’s festival, resurrecting the Triton collection designed by artist and goldsmith Arje Griegst. Shown at the same showroom it debuted at 50 years ago, the Triton collection evokes the wonder of the sea with vases and platters resembling the waves and seashells.
Georg Jensen’s newest collection of games.Courtesy of Georg Jensen
Analog Games
If this year’s fair proved one thing, it’s that we are not having nearly as much fun at home as we should be. Danish silver brand Georg Jensen made it its mission to change that with its immersive garden at Højbro Plads that invited guests to play with its new sterling silver game pieces. Attendees could play with spinning tops, yo-yos, and dice as they waited for a round of kongespil, a traditional Scandinavian lawn game, or ring toss. Crafted from walnut wood in Copenhagen, the pieces featured sterling silver animal motifs ranging from dragonflies to toads. Even Helle Mardahl Studio, known for its bonbon-like, mouth-blown glass works, got in on the fun, debuting a glass pendant inspired by the hues and worlds of Candy Crush and Tetris.
Marcin Rusak’s orchid-inspired flatware for the “Knife, Fork, Spoon 3.0” installation.Sarah DiMarco for VERANDA
Futuristic Flatware
The cutlery we use daily plays just as important a role in our lives as the furniture we choose for our homes. It must serve a utilitarian purpose, but that doesn’t mean the design has to be lackluster. Los Angeles gallery Marta and curator Dung Ngo tasked 12 artists and designers with designing flatware that challenges the norm and feels like a work of art by using innovative 3-D-printing techniques for their “Knife, Fork, Spoon 3.0” exhibition. The results? Breathtaking works worthy of a museum, from Polish artist Marcin Rusak’s orchid-inspired wonders (above) to New York–based architect Rafael de Cárdenas’s featherlike designs.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shown as part of Volum’s exhibition, Norwegian sculptor and designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng presented abstract interpretations of serving utensils, all made from recycled tin. The expressive cutlery had a surrealist quality that felt as though it was plucked from a Dalí painting.
Stellar Work’s exhibition at 3daysofdesign.Taran Wilkhu
Japandi’s New Era
By no means is Japandi—the blend of Japanese wabi-sabi and Scandinavian hygge—a new style or concept in the design world. However, exhibitions like “Japanmade” challenged visitors to think of it as more than just a minimalist style and look at the craftsmanship and functionality of the pieces produced by the two countries. Curated by Jens H. Jensen and OEO Studio, “Japanmade” put a spotlight on small, contemporary Japanese makers using traditional techniques and locally sourced materials to craft lacquerware, wooden seating, paper, and pottery that reflects artistry.
Through a hospitality lens, Japanese-founded brand Stellar Works collaborated with Space Copenhagen to curate two spaces that showcased their custom-made and collection-line furniture while demonstrating how to create a sense of connection within a room.
Louise Roe’s Spina chair.Courtesy of Louise Roe
Olive Green
Color was no stranger to the fair, with brands reaching for the mature, vivid tones of cobalt, chartreuse, and burgundy that have been trending across the industry throughout the past year. Yet it was the pops of olive green that felt especially refreshing—they brought a lively punch to more neutral showrooms and tempered the bolder hues of others. British brand Kast introduced its new olive colorway of its signature concrete basins at the “Material Matters” exhibition, citing the natural woodlands of the U.K. as its inspiration.
Advertisement
Advertisement
HAY amped up the saturation of a dark yellowish-green hue with its tailored Mimi sofa, its newest launch by Canadian designer Philippe Malouin. And Copenhagen-based brand Louise Roe celebrated the art of entertaining with new seating and lighting that enhance a room’s atmosphere, as well as perennial favorites such as the Spina chair in a delicious lacquered olive.
You Might Also Like