Introduction to Danish Design | So what's it all about?

So what is Danish design and how did it come about.


Danish design is often defined as something that has clean pure lines, is simple and yet is extremely functional and practical.
This style of design became popular in Denmark during the post World War 2 years. It was the years of economic depravity following the Germanic occupation of Denmark that lead to the development and flourish of creativity, helped in no small part by the development of the Royal Danish Academy of Art.


Denmark has always been a centre for quality craftsmanship, you only need to look back at the Vikings and Harold Bluetooth’s era to appreciate the craftsmanship required to build timber boats that could sail around the world carrying men and supplies to new lands.


Now fast forward a 1,000 years and the same craftsmanship can be seen in the original Arne Jacobson chairs, in modern design concepts for home interiors and in everyday consumer products.


Hans J. Wegner was the first world renowned Danish designer who inspired generations of designers such as Arne Jacobson and Jacob Jenson and companies such as Stelton, Menu and Eva Denmark and we will go on to talk about the iconic designers that have helped influence our world in later blogs.


But design isn't just about observing it from afar, or reading about it in a book, it's about touching, using and seeing and where better than Denmark, the home of Danish design.


When living in Denmark you don’t always appreciate the abundance of design that is all around you, from the simple curved bus stops and the open living spaces to the simple everyday architecture. It's all around yet often taken for granted.


We would therefore highly recommend a visit to the Danish capital København (Copenhagen).


Places to visit would include the new opera house opposite the royal palace, the SAS hotel to appreciate the interior design and the Danish Design Center.


However, don't limit yourself to København, visit Roskilde to appreciate the cathedral and the Viking museum, the city hall in Århus and take time to appreciate the architecture of the Hovedbanegård to see for yourself the history of design and quality that seeps through Denmark. How could you fail to be inspired.


In our next instalment we will talk more about some of the iconic Danish designers and about the infamous Arne Jacobson chair.


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