The 3 Days of Design festival is an annual design event held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It showcases the best of Scandinavian and international design, bringing together designers, brands, and design enthusiasts from around the world.
The festival typically takes place over three days and offers a diverse program of exhibitions, installations, talks, workshops, and other design-related activities. This blog post includes many Scandinavian brands that I would happily recommend to clients but also a few that I became newly acquainted with.
It's important to me that as a reader you feel inspired, educated and confident in your next design project! If you have any questions or need interior design advise, write a comment or message me on the contact page. Enjoy reading the recap of Day 2 #3daysofdesign.
Day 2 started at Dinesen
Dinesen is renowned for its wide-plank wooden flooring, which showcases the natural beauty and durability of wood. The company sources its timber from sustainably managed forests, ensuring responsible and ethical production. The flooring is available in various wood species, including oak and Douglas fir, and each plank is carefully selected and crafted to create a unique and visually stunning result.
The exhibit at Dinesen was called "Weight of Wood". Created by Christian+Jade (see image, top left) in collaboration with Dinesen – a playful, explorative exhibit to awaken your curiosity about wood.
On display are tactile, balancing objects made of Dinesen wood, showcasing wood's various weight and inviting you to touch, explore and interact with them.
Weight of Wood bridges the gap between our perception of a forest, the growing trees and wood as a commodity. This exhibit explores wood through one of its most defining characteristics – its weight. Wood’s weight teaches us about its personality and temperament, and we get a glimpse of the environmental conditions in which it was nurtured.
This exhibit was so eye-opening and inventive. My favorite thus far!
Next Stop: Audo Copenhagen
Audo Copenhagen is a unique concept space that combines a boutique hotel, a furniture showroom, and a café, located in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a collaborative project between MENU, a renowned Danish design brand, and Norm Architects, a Copenhagen-based design studio.
The Audo aims to create a multifunctional space that blurs the boundaries between design, hospitality, and community. It serves as a platform for showcasing the latest furniture and design products from MENU, while also providing a comfortable and stylish hotel experience for guests.
The interior of Audo Copenhagen is thoughtfully designed, with each room and area meticulously curated to reflect a harmonious fusion of Scandinavian aesthetics and contemporary design. The space features a minimalist yet warm and inviting atmosphere, characterized by clean lines, natural materials, and a soothing color palette.
Here are a few corners of the space that I admired:
From furniture and lighting to accessories and kitchenware, the showroom offers a glimpse into the brand's commitment to functional, innovative, and beautiful design.
Three brands that I became newly acquainted with included St. Leo, Brandt Collection & August Sandgren.
St. Leo Original Pigments is a Copenhagen-based company that specializes in producing high-quality pigments for various artistic and design applications.
They carefully source their pigments from natural materials such as minerals, rocks, and plants, ensuring that their products are free from synthetic additives or harmful substances. By utilizing natural pigments, they aim to provide an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic dyes and pigments.
The Audo displayed many color variations of the Dolomite Plaster. This application was beautiful as seen here in the bedroom. The walls had a unique texture and richness to them.
The Brandt Collective is part design studio, part store. The Brandt Collective's style can be described as contemporary, understated, and elegant. This suggests that their design approach focuses on modern aesthetics while maintaining a sense of simplicity and sophistication.
They had a wide selection of hardware and objects on display at Audo which was really nice. I will gladly do a deep dive further into their hardware collection!
August Sandgren design handmade Danish boxes, sleeves and holders. These products were by far the nicest and prettiest examples of storage solutions I have seen. The brand focuses on using premium materials and traditional techniques to create timeless and durable leather goods.
They offer design solutions for everything from a general storage box to jewelry boxes, watch boxes, boxes or sleeves for travel and desk accessories.
Image via August Sandgren
I can picture myself using the boxes to store something as simple as the tv remotes in my living room or even my sunglasses and daily jewelry. These storage boxes come with a bit of a higher than average price point, however, given the materials and construction they are worth the investment. They offer longevity and style.
If you like to keep a room tidy but want to elevate your space at the same time then I suggest checking out August Sandgren. They did a cool collab with Missoni.
Across the street from Audo was Houe. I was not familiar with this indoor/outdoor brand before this trip but I was intrigued so I stopped by. Having lived and worked in Australia, I definitely make it a priority to research different outdoor furniture brands.
Here is what I learned from my short visit to Houe...
The Danish brand offers a wide range of furniture options for both indoor and outdoor use. Their collection includes chairs, tables, loungers, benches, and accessories. The brand focuses on using high-quality materials such as powder-coated steel, solid wood, and weather-resistant textiles to ensure durability and longevity of their products.
At first glance, I really liked the Eyelet Table! The tray tables are easy to move to where they are needed – indoor as well as outdoor. There is special drain system, which keeps the tray free from water after a rain shower. The tables range from 120€ to 300€ which is cost effective.
The Eyelet Table has a modern style and is made of powder coated steel and aluminum.
Available in 3 different sizes: Ø45 cm, Ø57,5 cm and Ø70 cm.
Available in 7 different colors. (Images below are in Pigeon Blue)
Images via Houe
Okay, on to the next....
I have a long history with all the brands but felt it was definitely necessary to pop into each showroom for a tour of the latest products. I also like to see how each showroom fuses the displays with both past and new collections. Using creative visual merchandising is so important!
I was pretty exhausted by this point but I kept things moving and headed back to the Metro. My next stop was Fritz Hansen.
Fritz Hansen is a renowned Danish furniture manufacturer with a long history and legacy in the design industry. The company was founded in 1872! The brand's portfolio extends beyond chairs and includes tables, sofas, lighting, and accessories. The products are ideal or home, office or public spaces.
Two of my favorite products include the Egg Chair & Pk24 Chaise Lounge Wicker Chair.
Images via Fritz Hansen
By this point, it was late afternoon and I accidentally skipped lunch (again). I was desperate for an energy boost and happen to walk past Light Point Copenhagen.
The lighting store had fun energy and a beautiful display of food and refreshing drinks. I slowed down to take a breathe and look at all the pretty lights.
The Light Point Copenhagen represented a brand called Oluce which I am a big fan of. This Italian lighting brand from the 1940's is very notable! The Atollo Lamp (see video below) is beautiful especially in the opal glass finish.
I stopped by Louise Roe which had an effortless, cool interior on my way to the final stop to &Tradition.
&Tradition is a large, multi floor showroom so it took me quite a long time to get through the whole exhibit but it was fantastic. They also hosted an evening networking party with drinks. I had really nice conversation with other industry members some of which who also happen to live in Germany.
Loved this staircase Temperature was perfect Admiring the process work
&Tradition has a passion for preserving classic designs and reimagining them for modern living. The brand's collection is very versatile and suitable for home, office or hospitality environments. I look forward to projects where I can specify &Tradition.
Como Lamp + Loafer Lounge 1970's Wave Panton Pendant Tung Side Table in Burgndy
I hope you enjoyed reading my recap of Day 2 of #3daysofdesign. Stay tuned for Day 3!
Ciao, Stephanie