Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design event has become a hotspot for the world’s design community, with a unique blend of Danish and international flair. This year’s event saw a notable presence of Australian designers, brands, and media, adding to the city’s already high standard of design.
The event featured a range of exhibitions and installations, including Mesura’s playful conversation pit for Vipp, accessed by a swimming pool ladder, and Royal Copenhagen’s revival of the historic Triton dinnerware collection, originally created in 1976 by the avant-garde Danish artist and goldsmith Arje Griegst. One of the headline exhibitions was Project Materia x Mater, which challenged nine international artists to design sculptural objects using a single circular material made from Matek, a proprietary composite developed by Danish brand Mater, containing upcycled waste streams, including discarded coffee shells, sawdust, and recycled plastic.
Design events like 3 Days of Design are not just about showcasing beautiful objects, but also about creating a sense of community and experience. ‘The heart of living’ by Tekla at Charlottenborg Palace explored the history and craftsmanship of Scandinavian patchwork quilts and traditional 19th-century Swedish box beds.
Exceptional design events have a quality that cannot be faked or manufactured – a quality that is about creating an authentic and genuine experience. This year’s 3 Days of Design event saw several examples of this, including ‘At the Threshold of Rest’ by Danish bedding brand Rye, conceived by Kasia Sznajder, with exhibition and lighting design by Joanna Filipowska and Studio 0405.
Mutina made its debut in Copenhagen, hosted at the HQ of Stockholm-based Note Design Studio. Ukurant highlighted experimental work from emerging designers, students, and recent graduates who are rethinking craft, materials, and production through furniture, spatial ideas, and objects. The show was curated by Ukurant’s founders and stemmed from an open call aiming to raise young, fresh voices in the industry.
Objects of desire, curated by Birgitte Due Madsen, was showcased inside the Thorvaldsens Museum. Alpi Piazza Interiore, a site-specific installation by GamFratesi for Alpi, was inspired by the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. Vaerktoej 03, curated by Kasper Salto, Frederik Gustav, Michael Antrobus, and Jonas Trampedach, celebrated the sewing machine as the bridge between industrial production and handicraft, featuring a stellar lineup of designers like Erwan Bouroullec, Pearson Lloyd, Support + Partners, among others.
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Crude at Other Circle, a project by Charles Boy and Sofie Winther, presented ‘Skind’, an ongoing case study of The Dining Chair and its role in the domestic politics of the home. Studio Booboon’s handcrafted furniture and lighting pieces transformed off-cuts and surplus materials into meticulously constructed objects, as part of the collection titled ‘Fragments Becoming’. Karl Monies’ ongoing lamp series, Bonum Lumen, was also showcased at Other Circle, along with sculptures by Magnus Pettersen, which merged conceptual ideas with the raw, tactile qualities of materials.
Knife, Fork, Spoon 3.0 by Marta with Dung Ngo featured 3D-printed pieces that couldn’t be produced by conventional methods. Iittala’s Aalto 90 Pavilion was a 7-meter-tall walk-in installation that marked the 90th anniversary of the Alvar Aalto vase, designed by Tableau and engineered by aluminium producer Hydro. Max Lamb’s ‘Economy Chair’ has been put into production for the first time by Hem, named Min, the chair is made from a single length of solid pine timber using the fewest number of cuts. At Deoron, the 808 side table was a sculptural, blossom-like piece, a collaborative design by cousins and Belgian designers Jord Lindelauf and Lindert Steegen.
This was my second consecutive time at 3 Days of Design.
Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design event showcases the city’s thriving design community and its ability to create unique and memorable experiences. Whether it’s the beautiful objects on display, the sense of community and connection, or the unexpected encounters, the event has something to offer everyone. As I left Copenhagen, I felt that something real had happened, and it had stayed with me, much like the raw workspace designs that leave a lasting impact.
The city’s design community is thriving, and events like 3 Days of Design are a key part of this. They bring people together and create a sense of excitement and energy. The event is a great example of how design can be used to create a sense of community and connection.
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