Make This Moment Matter was the theme of this year’s 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen. And for the designers, architects, journalists, retailers and residents walking through its cobbled streets, there was no need for a reminder.
The message is about prioritizing lasting designs that respect the planet. On another level, for attendees it was all about making the time count, jamming as many brand introductions, installations, events, and, of course, smørrebrød into a day, which in June means nearly 18 hours of light.
It’s a cultural exchange, after all. 3days has quietly been emerging as a global event not to be missed, often compared with Salone del Mobiile. But there really is no comparison. At least for now. There are no tickets. No wrist bands. No press passes. Most remarkably no queues. There are no fashion or auto brands. No Googles or Sonys. And that’s the way the organizers like it.
The show has grown from its launch with four brands in 2013, when it was strictly a Scandinavian event. This year there were more than 500 participating brands. According to the website, attendance was at least 125,000 visitors from 140 countries. Locals don’t want it to get too big. Some fear it has already. Hotel prices have been creeping up, not yet at the stratospheric level of Milan. My modest no-frills Wakeup Copenhagen cost around $500 per night. One plus: That particular location is fantastic. It’s a short walk to Kongens Nytorv, the city’s largest square.
And walking (or bicycling) is what you do. You don’t even notice 10,000 to 20,000 steps because there’s so much eye candy within eight hosting districts. The landscape, with tourist attractions like Nordhavn, the 17th century waterfront district, where multicolored townhouses line the canal, are Instagram-waiting. There’s an electric atmosphere that carries well into the night.
Borgerade or Broad Street, one of the main thoroughfares, stretches 2,800 feet from the French Embassy, which staged Resurgences, a perspective of 20th century design in the 17th century neoclassical Thott Mansion, to the DesignMuseum, which featured a 100-year retrospective of Vernor Panton. In between, there are galleries, popups, showrooms and retail shops that add considerably to a camera roll.
Throughout the Danish capital, there are copious example of vintage and new Scandinavian design, plus Italian, Japanese, Dutch, French, Belgian entries, with a spattering of New York designers (most notably from Brooklyn). There are unlikely collabs, like the one that paired House of Finn Juhl with the New York fashion brand Sea, introducing its signature embroidery on the 84-year-old modernist Danish brand’s upholstery in a beautifully curated setting that featured cherry gridded folding screens.
Curation is key to most of the installations. In fact, most brands have their own themes, with their own narratives, which enhance their storytelling. Craft is so revered, and 3days is a great time for live demos. At Fritz Hansen, one was about the intricate hand sewing of the Egg chair. But its main installation was Sound Club, a pairing with the Japanese brand Technics to show how music, light and furniture shape a space. Special product: A limited edition direct drive turntable with Bluetooth.
Some installations were monumental, like the ambitious Hydro aluminum seven-meter scaleup of the Finnish brand iittala’s iconic Alvar Aalto vase, celebrating its 90th anniversary. Objects of Desire brought together an outstanding collection of international designers employing a range of materials, staged beautifully at the Thorvaldsen’s Museum. Fogia re-launched the BDI lounge, AKA Comma Chair, by Bjorn Dahlstrom in its Le Petit Voyageur popup bookstore.
The pure simple lines of Scandinavian design easily suit both modern residential and contract interiors. Some popular brands like Muuto, Hay and Kvadrat just debuted product during Chicago Design Week. That said, some introductions, like Kvadrat’s Three, is exclusive to 3days. The curtain collection, designed by Isa Glink, treats the open weave as a sculptural, volumetric element.
Even the Italian brand Mutina reserved a pair of introductions for Copenhagen: 3D modular tile (the Emisferi Collection with Note Design Studio) and Carrousal, a group of black and white ceramic vases and mirrors by Ronan Bourollec.
Some reissues got attention, like the color-blocked version of the Paradigm sofa at Montana Furniture. And Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen lighting, licensed by Yamagiwa, got a refresh in a white stain that allowed the grain to peek through.
This year during Chicago Design Week, color moved beyond pops from textiles to chair and table frames. That impetus came from Europe, where it has been matter-of-fact for awhile. This was evident at 3days, where a little playfulness also was injected into the workplace. Savo, for example, displayed several patterns, from animal prints to Memphis styles to bold geometrics on its office chairs as well as a bright yellow game table and chair on casters, inspired by a tic tac toe game.
As sustainability is a huge part of this uber-clean cycling city’s culture, recycled materials reflecting those values are in the spotlight. Especially at the London-based platform, Material Matters. For the second year, it camped out at the Ukraine House, where 19 international vendors exhibited the most current sustainable products. The American Hardware Export Council’s Wood for the Trees showed a range of timber, demonstrating how it can incentivize landlords to maintain forests for future generations.
+other circle based at The Lab, got a lot of traction. With its inception last year, it was viewed as a rogue player, not affiliated with 3daysofdesign, so you won’t find it on the website. But it has become a must-visit. While name brands like Muuto, which installed a drapery partitioned library, anchored by its new curvy channeled Coltre sofa by Studio Pepe and USM Modular Furniture are part of the mix (cc-tapis was there last year), this is a place for emerging brands, novel materials, designs, colors and finishes. Even a little AI. Claude AI was used to calculate volume and make sure there was enough air for a 4.7-meter inflatable fruit sculpture that changed appearance with interior LED lights, to the sound of Chopin’s Nocturne No. 9.
So what’s trending?
- Rounded shapes, sculptural seating dominate.
- Feminine or fashion touches add gracefulness. Designer Julia Esqué explores how wardrobe can transform the Twins chairs at Sancal. One is tailored, the other sports pleats in an open weave. Another collection from the Ukrainian brand kind features wood ribbing or pleats in casegoods, a feature particularly striking as a border at the base of an armchair.
- Other dressmaker details, especially draping and folding, lend a softness and comfort to seating. At Vitra, the Bascule chair by Studio OE has removable jacket-style upholstery, also easy to refurbish. The Beuys Serie by Abacus has a blanket-like strapped headrest roll. Viccarbe features a foldover flap on its arm, shown in contrasting colors.
- Tactility Is all the rage on textiles and surface materials. It speaks to comfort and wellness, high on contract and residential design lists.
- A touch of opulence. During Chicago Design week, there were lots of velvets and plush textures. The same was true at 3days.
- Lacquer is back. One of the most striking examples is a new armchair with a chunky frame in burgundy from Sancal. We saw an abundance of lacquer in casegoods in Milan and at THE MART during NeoCon.
- Aluminum and stainless steel are strong, less industrial-looking and more refined, like the minimalist aluminum Sail table with folded edge by Australian designer Tom Feneday for Design by Them. Many of these are made from recycled industrial waste.
- Modularity continues to dominate storage as well as some sofa and side table design, allowing changeups in colors and configurations.
- Artistry elevates some acoustic panels and rugs at brands like Arturel, which designs them as wall art.
- Shapes and materials bring an edge to modern lighting. Studio LoopLoop’s new Lamella pendant, a collab with 3XN Architect, delivers a textural stucco surface on lightweight aluminum as well as buoyant color, which is achieved through its process of dying metal with flowers.
The amazing thing about 3days is that it’s more energizing than tiring. When you get a glimpse of process or of the ingredients to the making of a product, it keeps you engaged and gives you a new appreciation. Exactly the point. “More than anything, I wanted our festival to create meaningful moments that add depth and dimension to our existence.” That’s been the mantra of its managing director Signe Byrdal Terenziani. It seems to be working.