Danish design as we know it today has roots that go back to the beginning and the middle of the 20th-century. That’s the era when iconic designers have started to leave their mark not only on the Danish design industry, but on the rest of the world of design. Leading figures of this prolific time include Kaare Klint, Arne Jacobsen, and Hans Jørgensen Wegner, to name a few. Their influence reverberates in the field of industrial design to this day. More recently, young designers and innovative, froward-thinking brands have picked up the torch, taking Danish design into a new golden era.
When it comes to Danish design, the first thing that springs to mind is probably furniture. Artisan skills honed for hundreds of years, passed along from one generation to another, combined with the talent of Danish designers have led to a plethora of iconic furniture. More recently, brands like Skagerak, Vipp, 10 Copenhagen, and Muuto have launched furniture collections and home accessories that offer a contemporary interpretation of Danish design principles. Understated furniture that looks great in any space and could hold its own alongside the most renowned designs of the past. Young designers also create experimental products that blur the line between art and functional objects.
While Denmark has long-established wood crafting and furniture manufacturing traditions, nowadays Danish design goes beyond furniture and home accessories. High-end brands like Bang & Olufsen have rewritten the rule book for audio design, complementing state-of-the-art technology with Nordic minimalism. MOVEA does the same, but for urban e-bikes. Likewise, the Skagen watches offer the best blend of smart tech and Danish design.
