When viewing works made of glass I usually have two thoughts in mind: simplicity and functionality. A lot of European glassmakers tend to have this idea that they need to separate artwork from design work, ie they won’t make glassware that doesn’t have some sort of ‘style’ attached to it. This may mean making an object that’s purely decorative, or alternatively attaching a particular style or colour scheme to each one. Personally, I don’t feel …
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The last two days I’ve been spending quite a lot of time dedicated to scouring Denmark to see what I can find in terms of craftsmen and women, be this ceramic, metal, glass, or wood workers so hopefully we can bring a few of these individuals to light here in the next few weeks. In the meantime whilst I was poking around the various creative networks in Denmark I landed upon this project by chance, a small holiday home that was built in …
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If you’re anything like me every so often you’ll come across a designer or artist who seems to create work that’s near enough perfect. It doesn’t happen all that often but when it does every photo you view just seems to hit home, and when I bring it across here to showcase it’s impossible to pick up a small selection of imagery to sum up their portfolio. This happened to me earlier when I …
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Kay Bojesen, a bit of a legend to say the least. He’s been on my radar for a little while now and I’ve been studying this Danish designer to see what I could find on him and his work. It’s always great to find out new information and Kay is actually tied to the design scene in more than one way. Born in 1886 he was an apprentice to the one and only Georg Jensen, where he trained as a silversmith from 1906. Originally he took on quite an Art …
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I’m not really a specialist on silverware as such, I have a bit of a push pull relationship with objects of shine and that element of lure. Although I’m quite the functionalist at heart I’ve been drawn to objects with that in-between for a fair while now and this tableware by Magnus Stephensen for Georg Jensen is a perfect example of that. Magnus was a bit of a legend in my eyes, he graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of …
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I went on a small furniture jaunt last night, checking out multiple design forums and blogs to see if I could find any new designers or interesting creatives. Usually I get a bit stuck because the internet doesn’t tend to document the more obscure individuals, they’re usually from Denmark or Sweden but it’s hard to find information on them and their work. A few times I’ve heard some designers names that have been placed on the …
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It’s pretty inevitable now that our internet digging will often land us in one of the Scandinavian countries given the considered eye for craft and design in this part of the world, similar to that of Japan. So it doesn’t really surprise me that we return here today through the work of Danish ceramist Karin Michelsen and her delicate porcelain vessels which are made by hand before being wood-fired. Last year she became a member of …
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Some great minimalist stoneware and ceramic objects by Danish designer Ole Jensen. Usually I like the quirky independent pottery but Normann Copenhagen have produced some great objects over the years, for example check out Aaron Probyn’s cutlery, it’s an amazing set which makes me really envious and slightly ashamed that I don’t have some in my own kitchen. Ole Jensen foll …
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Last night I thought I’d revisit the Carl Hansen & Son website after I was researching the life and works of Hans J Wegner, a master designer in my mind. All of his furniture is highly inspiring and I love to see the background and context behind each object. Although I’d like to see more of this online, it would inspire me immensely, it’s actually quite rare to find imagery and information regarding the process and production of furniture pieces …
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Today I decided to pick up this brilliant imagery from the We do Wood website, a Danish furniture company established in 2006 by two cabinetmakers and designers Henrik Thygesen and Sebastian Jørgensen. Apart from the fact that they design really beautiful furniture with that distinct Danish look, these guys are really focusing in on sustainable design and are looking to create functional furniture that has respect for the envi …
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Finn Juhl, a man we’ve discussed many times before, captured my attention yesterday after I had a quick browse of their website. It was a pleasant surprise to see a new catalogue released this year which not only features some classic Finn Juhl furniture but also some nice text to accompany it, a few paragraphs written by Christian Homlsted Olesen, the curator at the Design Museum in …
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It seems like I’ve been unleashed into a furniture frenzy lately so when I came across these sculptures by the great artist that is Erik Thommesen I had to fit them into the schedule somewhere. Although I’m not technically an “art” sort of guy I do get drawn in to different forms mixed with a variety of materials, I’m always interested in the shapes and the structure of an object. This is probably why I’m inspired by the …
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