Design Milk headed to Copenhagen, Denmark with more than a dozen other design blogs (from 11 countries!) to get an in-depth look at three iconic Danish brands: Fritz Hansen, Royal Copenhagen, and Dinesen. While you’ve probably heard of and appreciate their place in design, seeing the unbelievable craftsmanship and attention to detail that these companies are known for was pretty incredible. Take a look at some of the places we got to visit!
The holy grail! (i.e. headquarters)
City of the (Re)Orientated (2008), Ben Clement and Sebastian la Cour
This incredible sculpture hangs in the entryway of Fritz Hansen’s headquarters. It never gets old staring at it from various angles.
Recent chair designs from Spanish designer Jaime Hayon
Chairs from Fritz Hansen’s legendary history
Hans Mannerhagen working on an Egg chair. He hand stitches every one!
Learning about the iconic Egg chair
Swan chair covered in reindeer hide from Finland
New Swan chair releases
Leather choices
Artist Tal R’s paint swatches of his new Series 7 colors
You can see the actual Series 7 Tal R chairs here.
Studio set-up at the Fritz Hansen headquarters showing how the chair colors came about with Tal R.
Work by Tal R, curated by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, on display at Fritz Hansen
Work by Tal R, curated by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, on display at Fritz Hansen
Work by Tal R, curated by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, on display at Fritz Hansen
Tal R and his assistant Fanny!
Work at Tal R’s Copenhagen studio
Series 7 chairs in Tal R colors
Entrance at Royal Copenhagen headquarters
Getting an overview on Royal Copenhagen
Flowers being sculpted
Sculpted flowers
Molds
Hand painted pieces ready to be fired
Flora Danica pieces being hand painted
We got to paint our own piece and I learned I shouldn’t quit my day job.
Dinesen showroom in Copenhagen which displays floor boards you can buy that are up to 15 meters (49 feet)!
A corner of the Dinesen showroom that uses wood on the floors and wood pieces to cover the wall like a mosaic.
Front desk made out of Dinesen wood.
Herringbone floors at Dinesen
Dinesen’s kitchen has wood floors and wooden cabinets
Lobby of the SAS Royal Hotel (now Radisson Blu) designed by Arne Jacobsen
Stairs at the SAS Royal Hotel (now Radisson Blu) designed by Arne Jacobsen
A room remains untouched, left the way Arne Jacobsen designed it.
A special Jaime Hayon room at the SAS Royal Hotel (now Radisson Blu).
Design Milk’s trip to Denmark was made possible by Fritz Hansen, Royal Copenhagen, and Dinesen. Thank you!
Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.