3daysofdesign 2023: Highlights from Copenhagen’s Creative Districts

Copenhagen is known worldwide as a forward-thinking city that champions design excellence, innovation, and sustainability—and every year it’s also home to 3daysofdesign. With almost 290 exhibitions spread across 3 days in 13 curated festival districts, the tenth edition of the Denmark’s annual design festival presented an extraordinary lineup of brands from the world of furniture and lighting design. The theme for 2023, Where Would We Be Without You? honoured the often overlooked individuals who contribute their ideas, expertise, talent, and techniques to the design process.

Of the 13 districts that form the vibrant festival network—each with its distinctive character represented by iconic landmarks on the festival map, each embodying an essential aspect of Copenhagen's identity—we’ve selected our favourites, bringing you the most interesting exhibitions and most captivating designs presented at this year’s 3daysofdesign.

Kuglegården / Louis Poulsen x Home in Heven

Built in 1742, the Kuglegården was home to the Royal Danish Navy’s Materiel Command and later the Defence Command Denmark for 250 years. Nowadays, it serves as the headquarters and showroom of Louis Poulsen, one of the world’s most renowned lighting design brands. For their 3daysofdesign exhibition, which took place in the historic building, Louis Poulsen partnered with Home in Heven, a glass art studio based in New York for an unexpected collaboration.

 

Breanna Box and Peter Dupont, the talented duo behind Home in Heven, were granted creative autonomy to reimagine Louis Poulsen's 'Pale Rose' collection as their starting point. To bring their vision to life in collaboration with Louis Poulsen, Box and Dupont sought the assistance of British sculptor Elliot Walker. The result was a limited-edition series of unique pieces that showcases Heven's distinctive and whimsical design elements, including horns, swirls, and tentacles. As Louis Poulsen CCO, David Obel Rosenkvist, states, “This collaboration just goes to show how iconic heritage designs continue to inspire and evolve over time.”

Konditaget / Kvadrat

Challenging the conventional notion of a monofunctional parking facility, Konditaget Lüders is a unique structure that combines a parking house with a playground. On its rooftop, 24 meters above the ground, it offers a recreational space with panoramic views of the surrounding city. The handrail, Konditaget’s most characteristic element, was designed as a seamless red thread, guiding people from the street to the rooftop public space, transitioning from a functional element to a captivating sculptural installation that invites people of all ages to partake in a wide array of recreational activities and enjoy the breathtaking view.

Across the dock from this elevated urban space, Kvadrat presents their new residential collection, Multiply. Multiply offers an exploration of fibres, materials, and volumes, achieved through visionary techniques involving yarn dyeing, spinning, and folding. Each design within the collection possesses a refined multidimensionality, resulting from the harmonious interplay of various materials, weaving patterns, and colours.

As part of the Multiply collection, Kvadrat’s Creative Director Isa Glink and Inga Sempé created a series of curtains called Sketches. The curtains draw inspiration from Sempé’s artistic style, mirroring the delicate strokes of pencils and brushes. The designs evoke the essence of drawing, as they translate sequential two-dimensional compositions into soft and tactile patterns.

Designmuseum Danmark / The Magic of Form

Located along the charming Bredgade Street, Designmuseum Denmark serves as a captivating showcase of Danish design history. It is within the walls of this museum that Kaare Klint, the pioneer of Danish Modernism, imparted the significance of the fundamental principles of good design.

The museum participated in 3daysofdesign with an exhibition titled "The Magic of Form," which can be viewed until the end of this year. A collaborative effort between Designmuseum Danmark, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and architect Anne Schnettler, the exhibition aims to trace the historical evolution of design from the early 1900s to the present day. Visitors have the opportunity to admire iconic designs such as Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7 Chair, Verner Panton’s Globe Pendant, and Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair, as well as artworks by Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse and delve into the intricate relationship between Danish design, art, and architecture, exploring their interplay throughout history.

Kongens Nytorv / House of Finn Juhl

Kongens Nytorv, or King’s New Square, is Copenhagen's largest square and home to the city’s notable landmarks such as the Royal Danish Theatre and the Charlottenborg Palace (now housing the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts). Just around the corner, on Gothersgade Street, lies the charming House of Finn Juhl showroom. It is in this location that the brand chose to relaunch what they themselves describe as Finn Juhl's least iconic chair, as part of this year's 3daysofdesign festival.

The 77 Chair exemplifies a refined and minimalist aesthetic, making it an unconventional creation in Finn Juhl's portfolio. Its design draws inspiration from the graphical language Bauhaus era, showcasing a departure from Juhl's more characteristic organic style. Part of the 77 Series, the chair evokes a sense of nostalgia associated with international airport lounges, hotel lobbies of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as architect-designed homes featuring spacious interiors and large windows. Despite the number of images related to the 77 Series, the 77 Chair is often overlooked in design literature when discussing Finn Juhl's legacy. Nevertheless, it represents a significant milestone in Danish design, featuring an upholstered body resting on slender steel legs, creating an illusion of weightlessness and giving the chair a floating appearance.

Refshaleøen / Royal Danish Academy

Refshaleøen Island historically served as an industrial area, housing shipyards and manufacturing facilities. Recently, the site has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis into a thriving haven for creatives and design enthusiasts. The island's architectural landscape still bears traces of its industrial heritage, characterised by towering warehouses and weathered steel structures that serve as reminders of its past, but has been given a new lease of life through its reprogramming. This up-and-coming district is one of the two new creative hubs placed on this year’s 3daysofdesign map.

In the industrial hall at Refshaleøen, the Royal Danish Academy’s Institute of Architecture and Design, prepared In Transit, an exhibition that showcases a diverse collection of projects crafted by upcoming graduates from the Furniture & Object, Spatial Design, and Strategic Design & Entrepreneurship programs. The exhibition presented a blend of scale models, material samples, furniture pieces, and objects such as lamps created by first-year Master students in collaboration with Hay. Through these displays, visitors had a chance to explore a multitude of ideas, experiments, and reflections that underpin the development of these projects.

Rundetårn / +Halle

Rundetårn, also known as the Round Tower, was built in the 17th century under the patronage of King Christian IV and is the oldest operational observatory in Europe. Its unique architectural design incorporates a spiral-shaped path specifically intended to facilitate the transportation of heavy astronomical equipment using horses and carts. Within walking distance from this historical landmark located in Copenhagen’s Old Town streets, is the +Halle showroom, where the Danish brand unveiled their latest designs for this year’s 3daysofdesign festival, including the Cubicle collection by Stockholm-based design studio Form Us With Love.

This collection showcases a distinctively minimalist approach, demonstrating how a simple bench and wall system can create an elegantly defined space that enhances mental focus. Developed in response to +Halle's dynamic and collaborative Annual Briefing discussions on Producing, Cubicle presents a conceptually fresh take on the traditional cubicle concept. It features a 1.20-meter wall, a one-and-a-half seater bench, and a comfortable table. The innovative "quarter" structure reflects the evolution of public seating, now catering to our need for spaces that facilitate both concentration and interaction.