3daysofdesign guide by stefan Nørd

Hej, my name is Stefan Nørd, and my heart has been passionate about Scandinavian design for many years. That’s why I founded the Scandinavian Design Award by NordicWannabe, which you can still vote for. Through my podcasts and Instagram channel, I love discovering trends and inspiring and decorating people's homes.

In just a few days, the 3daysofdesign festival kicks off in Copenhagen, and the excitement is palpable! With over 400 exhibitors showcasing innovative and inspiring designs, there is so much to explore. The bad news, however, is that it’s impossible to see everything in just three days.

To help you navigate, I’ve compiled a list of top picks and must-see events. This guide offers a balanced mix of established classics and exciting new participants you shouldn't miss. Additionally, there will be inspiring interviews with prominent women in the industry like Signe Byrdal Terenziani & Rikke Frost, offering unique insights and perspectives.

Let the creative atmosphere of Copenhagen enchant you and dive into the world of design. Have a great time at the 3daysofdesign festival!

Best, Stefan Nørd

INTERVIEW: signe byrdal terenziani

In this exclusive interview, I had the privilege of sitting down with Signe Byrdal Terenziani, the Managing Director of 3daysofdesign, the driving force behind Copenhagen’s largest design festival. With a keen eye for trends and a passion for pushing the boundaries of creativity, Signe has left a significant mark on the design landscape. Join us as we delve into her professional journey, her influential role in shaping the industry, and her visionary outlook on the future of design. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

INTERVIEW: Rikke Frost

You can name them – the most renowned female designers of Denmark: Nanna Ditzel, Grethe Meyer, and Rikke Frost. In this exclusive interview, I delve into the world of design with Rikke Frost (1st winner of „Danmarks næste klassiker“), an industrial designer based in Denmark. With a career spanning over two decades, Rikke shares insights into her professional journey, design philosophies, and creative process. From her early influences to her current projects, discover how Rikke combines minimalism, magic, and mindfulness to craft timeless designs with a focus on sustainability. Join me as we explore her thoughts on current design trends, the significance of „Dare to dream,“ and her upcoming showcase at 3daysofdesign alongside Carl Hansen & Søn.

INTERVIEW: Maria Thygesen

Founder of Rebello Decor Maria Thygesen, also known from danish TV show „Løvens Hule“, Season 9. Maria has had an incredible journey, starting from her hometown of Kolding, through a long career in marketing and communications, and ultimately finding her true passion in design. In this interview, she shares her initial inspirations, her love for Art Deco and Nordic Design, and the challenges and joys that have accompanied her along the way.

What's your favorite design?

Don't forget to vote for the Scandinavian Design Award by NordicWannabe!

MOTARASAU

MOTARASU was founded in Denmark in 2019 by Mikkel Zebitz. Like many other Danes before him, Mikkel was inspired by the distinct Japanese design and aesthetics. But where classic Danish design icons as well as contemporary designers to a wide extent merely have let Japan act as an inspiration, Mikkel wanted to change this – “motarasu” means “to change” in Japanese – by uniting the designers of the two nations to create contemporary design together.

FREDERICIA

Since its foundation in 1911, the family-owned company Fredericia has built up a strong tradition of beautiful craftsmanship and innovative design, developed in close collaboration with a circle of internationally recognised designers. Fredericia is a B Corp certified corporation.

CARL HANSEN & SØN

Design company Carl Hansen & Søn is a third-generation family-run Danish business. In this film, Knud Erik Hansen tells his personal family story and pays a tribute to his powerful mother Ella who took over the company when his father died.

THE UPCYCL

THE UPCYCL is a B2B platform that enables what is waste for one company to become valuable resources for another. By connecting industries with industrial waste materials and companies that need them, THE UPCYCL creates circular possibilities. It fosters a tight-knit community where everyone shares surplus materials, maximizing the value of existing resources. In doing so, THE UPCYCL community reduces waste and virgin material consumption, thereby decreasing CO2 emissions. All THE UPCYCL materials, referred to as New Waste materials, come in continuous flows and large volumes and are standardized, ensuring that, when matched, the stream of New Waste materials keeps flowing. This enables companies to rely on a reliable circular supply chain or view their industrial waste materials as a source of circular revenue.

BENT HANSEN

Bent Hansen delivers honest design with a passion for unique comfort and craftsmanship. Over three generations, Bent Hansen has evolved from a small upholstery workshop in Aalborg to a recognised design brand with comfortable furniture for the dining room, living room, home office and hallway. Bent Hansen’s knowledge of upholstery has been accumulated since 1948 and combined with a curious approach to furniture design. With more than 75 years of experience, Bent Hansen can humbly call themselves experts in dressing furniture to its full potential.

ANKLANG

Anklang is a fresh furniture brand rooted in the picturesque town of Præstø, Denmark. Their workshop, surrounded by serene fields and lush forests, shares its space with a print and framing studio. It was in this creative environment that the idea for their distinctive furniture pieces took shape, inspired by the aim to repurpose excess wood from the framing process. Each item is meticulously designed and handcrafted, with a deep appreciation for the materials used. Prioritizing Danish materials whenever feasible, Anklang is committed to a transparent and sustainable approach, akin to "from soil to table." The brand seeks to capture the tranquility of Danish forests and reflect that calmness in their furniture creations.

KRISTINA DAM STUDIO

'Sculptural Minimalism' has been a guiding principle since the beginning of Kristina Dam Studio, influenced by movements like Bauhaus and Japanese design, as well as journeys through neighbourhoods and cities around the world. Our goal has always been to create pieces that are minimalist yet impactful, functional yet artistic. Our latest collection embodies a refined and distilled aesthetic, grounded in an exploration of form and material. Steel, increasingly favoured in our hearts, brings beauty and strength, enduring quality to our pieces. With a focus on crafting items that are not just visually captivating but also highly functional, blending industrial intention with minimalist refinement. Each design in this collection reflects a commitment to creating durable, timeless pieces that elevate everyday living with a sculptural, architectural edge. Our passion for diligent craftsmanship is evident in every item, and each design is more than just an interior object - they add a statement to any room.

What's your favorite design?

Don't forget to vote for the Scandinavian Design Award by NordicWannabe!

GEORG JENSEN

With a history that spans more than 100 years, the Georg Jensen brand represents quality craftsmanship and timeless aesthetic design, producing lifestyle products ranging from hollowware to watches, jewelry and home products.

Georg Jensen’s style embraced the Art Nouveau lines of the day but injected them with a distinctive vigour that continues to resonate today. Serene flowing forms are enriched by exquisitely sculpted ornamentation and his stylised bouquets of flowers and lush bunches of grapes reflect his sensual delight in nature. The most important task is to leverage the ideas and principles of the master himself and translate these into the design of the present day.

HUMDAKIN

Humdakin's foundation was laid in the early days of a cleaning company established by its founder Camilla Schram, which significantly inspired Humdakin's creation. The concept emerged from the cleaning company’s experiences, serving families, bon vivants, and the elderly. The key differentiator was creating an elevated cleaning experience. Beyond thorough cleanliness, the team added thoughtful touches: making beds, arranging cushions, placing fragrant guest soaps in bathrooms, folding toilet paper with a sticker, and using floral-scented detergent. These efforts transformed cleaning into an experience, making homes feel not only clean and tidy but also stylishly maintained with delightful extras and a fresh scent.

NEW WORKS

New Works was founded by Nikolaj Meier and Knut Bendik Humlevik from the desire to establish a design house where design comes to life with care and intent, and where there is room for creative experiments — a place for new works. While Nikolaj juggles numbers and daily operations as CEO, Knut Bendik is responsible for the particular look and feel as Creative Director. Together with a small, dedicated team, they set out to define a curated collection of elevated, yet accessible objects for living. It is through this objective that they shape the continuously evolving story of New Works.

SÆTTER

Sætter Copenhagen was founded in the fall of 2020 by Caroline Birk Bahrenscheer. Caroline is 33 years old, lives in Helsingør, and is a mother of three little girls. Caroline was on maternity leave with her twins when she founded Sætter Copenhagen. An old flea market find inspired her to create the SÆTTER shelf you know today. SÆTTER quickly became known as the "cup shelf" on Instagram and is now to be found in homes around the world. Sætter Copenhagen is a Danish design company that has reinterpreted the classic "sættekasse" (type box). All shelves are produced by experienced carpenters in Denmark, using only the best materials.

WEHLERS

Wehlers is a furniture design brand with a circular agenda using responsible sourced waste materials and certified wood in high-quality products designed by renowned architects. We believe in creating positive changes within the furniture design industry, driven by a deep sense of responsibility towards future generations. Our mission is to create design with meaning and lead the way in sustainable and transparent business practices, demonstrating that meaningful impact can be achieved through the choices we make.

REBELLO DECOR

Rebello Decor is founded by Maria Thygesen in 2023. The vision is to make exclusive designs which can last forever. The first collection is handmade in genuine brass so they age with beauty and grace and can be passed on to next generations to support a more sustainable lifestyle. The name Rebello Decor has been inspired by the name rebel since Maria had to find her inner rebel and not least courage to start her own design brand, she even had to sell her house to raise capital. The chandelier Cirle of Life won Bo Bedres Design Favourite Award 2023 for best chandelier. The design is inspired by the ups and downs we all meet in life - but somehow the ends always meet. The design is also an invitation to talk about the harder things we meet in life - and Maria has eg. been very open about her sons autism diagnosis.

STUDIO MATHIAS FALKENSTRØM

Studio Mathias Falkenstrøm is a Copenhagen-based studio founded by designer Mathias Falkenstrøm educated from the Royal Academy of fine arts. We aim to work within our passion for making the world a better place in terms of using more sustainable, natural and circular material. We primarily work with royalty design, bespoke/interior projects, freelance design. Besides designing Mathias also teach and host workshops within sustainability.​ In 2021 Mathias participated in the danish television program "Denmark's Next Classic" a furniture competition on DR1.

What's your favorite design?

Don't forget to vote for the Scandinavian Design Award by NordicWannabe!

MUUTO

Muuto is rooted in the Scandinavian design tradition characterized by enduring aesthetics, functionality, craftsmanship and an honest expression. By expanding this heritage with forward-looking materials, techniques and bold creative thinking, our ambition is to deliver new perspectives on Scandinavian design. In fact our name, Muuto, comes from muutos, meaning new perspective in Finnish. We handpick leading contemporary designers who are strong interpreters of our philosophy and combine their talents with the passionate Muuto creative team. You will know our design because it has muutos: objects made sublime through new perspectives, enjoyed across the world, representing the best of Scandinavian design today.

ANCHER

Ancher is a joint venture between designer Elisabeth Snejbjerg, the ceramics workshop in Poland, and Rainmaking Innovation who specialise in developing new businesses. The core values of Ancher are functi- onality, quality, and good craftsmanship. Ancher delivers to private homes, as well as tailoring designs for restaurants and larger professional interiors.

LOUIS POULSEN

Established in 1874, Louis Poulsen has collaborated with prominent Danish designers to create timeless, high quality products that provide exceptional light. Louis Poulsen works closely with architects, engineers and lighting designers on specific projects. Many of the light fixtures in our product range have originated from projects – products developed specifically to further optimise the project or the atmosphere and image of a given space. Many products have shown great versatility and thus become standard products in our exclusive range of architectural lighting.

THORUP COPENHAGEN

Thorup Copenhagen is an independent Danish design studio, established in 2017 by Kasper Thorup, crafting furniture, lighting, and objects committed to design excellence. With a keen focus on natural materials, unwavering quality, and artisanship, each creation is made for everyday use, intended to elevate both individuals and spaces with tactile interior objects that leave a lasting impact. Since the launch of the first design in 2017, Thorup has embraced an organic and purposeful method in design. This methodology draws inspiration from both the classic and the contemporary, seamlessly blending innovative production methods with analogue traditions. Thorup’s hands-on involvement in the design and production processes has empowered the brand to cultivate a cohesive aesthetic spanning various product categories such as furniture, lighting, and objects.

MATER

Founded in Copenhagen in 2006, Mater was created to be the pioneering global brand with sustainability embedded in its core. From the very beginning the ambition was to inspire a global design audience and engage people into sustainable thinking. Mater combines sustainability and circular production using waste, with timeless design, through collaboration with an external base of well-established and new design talents. Designed for both commercial and residential use, Mater strive to avoid and minimise any adverse impact on society, by following ethical and sustainable production criteria and creating products that will both stand the test of time and inspire the consumer to cherish and savour them.

NORMANN COPENHAGEN

Founded in Denmark in 1999 by Jan Andersen and Poul Madsen, Normann Copenhagen is an international design brand rooted in Danish design traditions. Our continuously expanding collection encompassing furniture, lighting and home accessories is defined by clean lines with a playful twist and crafted with an emphasis on quality and durability. Since Normann Copenhagen’s foundation in 1999, our ambition has been to challenge conventional thinking and make the ordinary extraordinary through great design. By combining the craftsmanship, functionality and endurance characterized by our Danish design heritage with modern silhouettes and durable materials, we aim to create original products in a contemporary design that withstand the test of time.

What's your favorite design?

Don't forget to vote for the Scandinavian Design Award by NordicWannabe!