Don’t just save it for best: The Bernadotte Collection from Georg Jensen [AD]

[This is a paid partnership with Georg Jensen. All imagery: Cate St Hill]

We all have those cherished, much-loved pieces that we get out for special occasions; the beautiful objects that have been passed down to us or that we’ve saved up for and treasure dearly. But I always think it’s a bit of a shame to just save them for best, because more often than not it means that they’re hidden away from view in a cupboard or left to gather dust on a shelf, awaiting their shining moment. I think it’s far better to take a less precious approach, using these objects as much as you want to help elevate those simple, everyday moments spent at home.

As well as producing timeless design classics that show no sign of ever going out of fashion, Danish design brand Georg Jensen keeps reinterpreting its 100-year-old heritage to make sure its designs stay accessible to a new, younger generation. Back in the 1930s, Swedish designer Sigvard Bernadotte introduced clean lines and geometric shapes into the Georg Jensen collection – a radical move away from Art Deco designs and romantic, floral motifs that were popular at the time. Later in 2002, Georg Jensen reissued some of Bernadotte’s designs in stainless steel rather than silver so that they could endure and have a more universal appeal.

Now, for Spring/Summer 2019, Georg Jensen has extended the Bernadotte Collection with a number of new pieces to style your table with and use everyday, including two vases of different heights, serving plates and platters, cutlery, and salt and pepper shakers. These elegant, original designs remain as relevant as they did all those years ago – it’s always nice to have something of quality that you can use to savour that morning coffee or make that weekend breakfast with your loved one that little bit more special.

Born into royalty as the second son of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret (a granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria) in 1907, Sigvard Bernadotte began life, as the English phrase goes, with a silver spoon in his mouth – excuse the pun! A rebellious and forward-thinking free spirit not to be bound by conventions, he was later stripped of his title when he married below his class and against his family’s wishes.

Having lost his royal privileges (and now a mere commoner like the rest of us), he set out as an industrial designer and started his own business, designing everything from luxury silverware to everyday household objects.

Perhaps it was Bernadotte’s change in circumstances that made him want to reject the traditional in favour of modernist design.

Working with Georg Jensen in 1930, Bernadotte introduced objects that were bold in their pared-back simplicity and functionality. From lipstick cases and cigarette boxes to cutlery and cocktail sets, his designs brought an uplifting element of joy to the collection that continues to delight.

In many ways he has allowed us to have a slice of design royalty in our homes.

This is a frequent scene come the weekends when my fiancé and I have time to take a slow breakfast together. For me, no table is complete without some greenery for decoration – the tangled, delicate shapes of these British wild flowers contrast beautifully with the clean, ribbed surface of the Bernadotte vase.

A big pot of coffee is a must – this Thermo jug from the Bernadotte Collection in chrome-plated stainless steel keeps anything in it warm enough for six hours, plenty of time to extend that first coffee into a late brunch (if one of us decides to have a lie in!). Bernadotte based the design on a milk jug he created in 1938, using fluted curves to create a distinctive shape and an ergonomic handle that fits smoothly into the hand.

A beautiful breakfast table comes down to the little details – a textured linen tablecloth, a few candles perhaps and the smaller table accessories.

If you’re feeling lazy though, create a little tray for breakfast in bed – there’s nothing fancier than using these salt and pepper shakers and egg cups for good old eggs and soldiers. They turn the ordinary and mundane into something wonderful. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to anything less, haha!

To be in with a chance of winning your own Bernadotte Collection coffee and tea set in refined stainless steel, make sure to enter Georg Jensen’s competition here.

The lucky winner will receive a large Bernadotte Thermo jug as well as the new Bernadotte creamer and sugar bowl, all together worth 349 euros. The competition will run until 15 July 2019 and the winner will be contacted by email.

Please click ‘no thanks’ to be redirected when you enter the competition site.

Good luck!