ICON
Fresh Danish
HOW
THE DANES HAVE IMPROVED ON THEIR ENDURING STYLES
The clean linear lines and organic shapes of this Georg Jensen candelabra, and wooden cheese board, left, are typical of contemporary Danish design, famous for simple form and function. The elegant candelabra is brushed stainless steel and emulates a bouquet of flowers, with
B Y V I C K Y S A N D E R S O N
Great design wears well. That may explain why works by Danish designers of the last century are still winning prestigious awards and why design junkies are seeking out Danish home décor and design products with an enthusiasm not seen since the1950s,whenDanishmodern (remember teak?) was all the rage.
Probably the most recognizable modern chair designs come from Arne Jacobsen, the grand- daddyofmodernDanishdesign. Variations on his “Egg” chair, designed in 1958, have been a staple of homes and offices for more than half a century. De- signers, such as Tord Boontje from Holland, are now giving the Egg a new look with specially designed fabrics, as shown on the Décor Extra cover. The Egg is available both in classic colours and updated prints at Plan B Office, (91 Parliament St., To- ronto,
Jacobsen, by the way, was one of the first designers to create a full line of household or industrial products.Heoversawevery detail,includingthelookofdoor handles and furniture, of the design of the Royal Hotel in Co- penhagen, (now the Radission SASRoyalHotel),whichopened in 1960. The famous Room 606, which has retained much of the original furniture and cool grey- bluescheme,isstillrentedout— most frequently to fans of Ja- cobsen’s work.
Just how timeless Danish modernism is became apparent when an upholstered wing chair, made in 1960 by the legendary Hans Wegner, was re- launched by Carl Hansen, a Danish furniture maker who collaborated with Wegner as far back as 1949. Called the Ch445, the reissued chair design was shownattheInternationalContemporary Furniture Fair in New York last year and was given the ICFF Editors Award for Furniture. It, and other Wegner chair designs, are now available in Toronto at several stores, including Hollace Cluny (1070 Yonge St. Toronto,
with Jacobsen, injected the clean lines of Danish modernism with a Mod esthetic. His whimsical Spiral lamp garnered hugeattentionwhenitcameout in 1969. It, too, is enjoying new- found attention. Sold under the brand name Verpan, the design has become a hot seller at Euro- lite, the exclusive distributor of Panton’s designs in southern Ontario (5 Lower Sherbourne St., Suite 100, Toronto,
Spiral in white sells for $1,200. Panton’s Globe pendant lamp, designed in 1977, has white reflectors held by steel chains. In Toronto, it’s available at Euro- lite by special order, where the
The Slice is also environmentally friendly. Its thick surface rejects dirt, insulates, is heart- resistant, muffles sound, and can be easily wiped clean with a damp cloth.
The Slice chair pad will be available soon for $310 at Kiosk (99 Jarvis St., Toronto,
ciency,
One of the most popular models sold locally is the Rais Pina, which can be accessorized so that it turns 360 degrees, offering aviewoftheflamesfromany vantage point. It sells for about $5,000.
Rais wood stoves are available throughcustombuilderandfurniture designer Yuill McGregor of North on Sixty, who acts as
Verner Panton’s Globe pendant lamp, designed in 1977, has white reflectors held by steel chains that seem to float inside the transparent acrylic globe.
kitchen cookware. Popular in Denmark and other Nordic countries for the past 50 years, Scanpan is a Danish manufacturer of cookware that’s recently come to Canada. The line includes pots, pans, dutch ovens and woks coated with a non- stick ceramic titanium, applied through a casting method that uses pressure of more than 250 tonnes and temperatures of up to 20,000C.
According to its makers, that means the aluminum bottoms of the pans stay flat, and there- fore, better heat conduction. The Danish design touch is reflected in the clean lines, and
The original “Egg” and “Drop” chairs (left and right), in Room 606 of the old Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The Drop chair never went into production and prototypes are extremely rare.
Slice is 100 per cent felt wood that has been dyed and then rolled up and cut, or “sliced.” The richly coloured material, in lush shades of
The Danes have always been at the forefront of developing alternative forms of energy, including wind power, which accounts for about 10 per cent of the country’s energy supply. Consumer interest in
the Ontario representative for the company. A list of dealers and more product information can be found at northonsixty.ca or by calling
The Design Exchange will host “Contemporary Danish Design,” from May 15 to June 25, a homage to