I’m back with the second part of my northmodern review (did you see part one here?). I scoured the Copenhagen furniture and lifestyle show, held at the light and airy Bella Center, for the best Scandinavian design and the most exciting, up-and-coming designers to watch out for.
Here, we’ve got beautifully simple ceramics, timeless furniture with fine detailing and charming home accessories to uplift your everyday. Scroll on and enjoy…
1. Mette Duedahl
Designer Mette Duedahl was already on my radar, she designed this coffee pot for Muuto, but at northmodern she also shared some lovely, elegant ceramics.
She graduated in 2011 from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Center for Glass and Ceramics, Bornholm and through her work aims to combine high use-value with a simple, aesthetic and timeless design.
2. Mater
Mater was one of the more established Danish brands at the show. Founded in 2006 by Henrik Marstrand in 2006, Mater creates timeless and beautiful designs based on an ethical
business strategy that supports people, local craft traditions and the environment.
They collaborate with established and fresh design talent to create products that use natural materials and focus on clean lines and fine detailing.
At northmodern they showed a new range of oak tables by Danish architect duo Space Copenhagen. Coming in various sizes, from a coffee table to a round dining table, they have sculptural splayed legs that I think give them a bit of added character.
3. WOUD
One of my favourites, Danish brand WOUD showed its second collection at northmodern. Focusing specifically on accessories, it comprises 11 new products, ranging from mirrors and shelving to wooden trays and planters. This is so hot off the press that they don’t have imagery yet (the top image below is a new item, but the bottom one isn’t) so you will have to make do with my description.
I really fell for their Racket Wood Trays designed by Therkel Skou Steffensen. Available in three different sizes, they’re stackable and have a small handle for carrying. There was also the Vowel shelf by Keisuke Kawase (who I spotted in Stockholm), a compact metal frame with modules that can be combined together, and Laura Bilde’s Mirror box, below. Doubling up as a mirror and a piece of storage, it’s perfect for a hallway, bedroom or office.
4. Naoya Matsuo
Naoya Matsuo is a Japanese designer based in Tokyo. He studied design and welding in Tokyo, and woodwork in London. After working in a studio in London, he returned to Tokyo to start his own workshop, creating ‘forms from structures’ not ‘structures from forms’. He says: ‘I make prototypes myself so I consider structures, assembling and how to make pieces efficiently, rather than appearance.’
At northmodern he presented the S.A.C chair for Woud (mentioned above), a sleek design that has a curved backrest and can be stacked together. There’s also his PCK lounge chair with it’s criss-cross acrylic cord back and the tt tray and side table which has a minimal handle so you can easily move it around.
5. La Petite Papeterie Française
I’ve saved the best for last, this was one of my absolute favourite stands of the show. I’ll be back with more from these guys because their work is too good not to dedicate a whole post to them!
In the meantime, let me tell you a little about this charming French brand. La Petite Papeterie Française (which translates as The Little French Stationer’s) was founded by Sylvie Bétard, a lover of all things paper, in 2012. She really has a passion for her products, each one is beautifully made and environmentally friendly, and as many items are made from recyclable materials as possible. There’s notepads, files and planners, pens and pencils, and all manner of things to keep you organised, they’re all meticulously designed with a lovely attention to detail.
(below, first and third image credit: Tugdual Birotheau / DA : Anaïs Génot, second and fourth image: Marie-Pierre Morel / DA : Elsa Le Saux)
I do hope you found some inspiration in my finds from northmodern. A visit to Copenhagen certainly filled me with heaps of inspiration and cemented my love of Danish design and all things Scandinavian. I can’t wait to visit again next year.
In the meantime, do check out my travel guide for a design-packed weekend in Copenhagen, a must-visit city for every design lover out there!
disclosure: I was a guest in Copenhagen of northmodern and stayed at the wonderful AC Bella Sky Hotel.
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