Design for Hygge: Danish Modern

By Penny Craswell and Paul McInnes

This essay was written for the exhibition ‘Everything you Touch: Design from Denmark’ at The Modern Object in Canberra from 22 September to 22 October 2022, curated by Penny Craswell and Paul McInnes.

Penny:

For me, there is something so classically Danish mid-century about a warm brown teak tapered table leg or sideboard. Danish design from this era is so beautifully balanced in its proportions – not too heavy, nor too flimsy. The materials have a warmth and tactile quality that is missing from the machine aesthetic of the era with its stainless steel angles. I also always love to hear the Danish language as it always reminds me
of my Danish godmother and her husband. What do you love about Danish design?

Paul:

I’m a modernist at heart, but I’ve always been attracted to the warmth and timeless quality of Danish design from the 1950s and 1960s. I think it’s the combination of Bauhaus functionalism and the Scandinavian concept of hygge that has contributed to its enduring popularity.

Australians have always has a strong connection with Danish design. Australian taste was shaped by post- war immigration, and the work of newly resettled European designers. In the 1950s and 1960s, Australia became a major world market for Danish (and Scandinavian) design, and many local furniture companies were quick to embrace the Danish Modern aesthetic.

Hayson furniture in Melbourne is a case in point. Its founders, Cliff & Peggy Hayton started producing Danish inspired designs following a trip to Copenhagen, selling them under the ‘Hans Hayson’ label.

Penny:

In Sydney, Jørn Utzon’s influence on Australian design cannot be underestimated – as well as his own design for the Sydney Opera House, he is said to have ignited Sydney Danish design sensibilities from the late 1950s onwards. The Danish Lighting and Furniture Showroom (subsequently renamed the Danish Design Centre and now called dedece) opened in Sydney in 1978 selling Fritz Hansen, Louis Poulsen and Vola.

Paul:

From the 1950s, the work of Danish designers and makers such as Jens Risom and Johannes Andersen were also produced here – most notably by William Latchford and Sons in Melbourne, and TH Brown and Noblett in Adelaide. Canberra’s iconic Academy of Science building, designed by Roy Grounds and built in 1959, includes furniture designed by Danish master Hans Wegner made here by Australian company Danish Deluxe. These quintessentially Danish designs were often uniquely realized in Australian timbers, and remain highly sought-after.

Penny:

It has been fascinating learning about some less well-known Danish pieces for this exhibition. The Fried Egg chair is so whimsical, and
also a perfect fit for our breakfast theme! Apparently, the chair, by Danish designer Hans Olsen, didn’t sell particularly well when it was first released in the 1950s, but over the years its value has soared as a rare collector’s item. Now revived by licensee Warm Nordic, it has been recently photographed with Crown Princess Mary on the occasion of her 50th birthday – another great Australian / Danish connection.

Paul:

Warm Nordic has chosen designers like Hans Olsen who challenge the popular notions of Danish Modern. Olsen, despite having trained with the legendary Kaare Klint, was never part of the mainstream Danish Modern movement. His designs are distinctive, and I especially love the Balloon Chair for its use of different materials – leather, steel and wood. Classic designs that have a very youthful feel.

Penny:

It’s also wonderful to also see the work of Vibeke Klint being manufactured again as well. Like Anni Albers, Marianne Brandt
and other women of the Bauhaus, Vibeke worked in textiles, which was considered appropriate for women of the time, and now Vibeke is considered the most important Danish textile designer of the 20th century. Vibeke’s rugs in particular have stood the test of time, elevating simple geometries, such as the dotted line, to a signature aesthetic.

Paul:

It is particularly nice to see these reissued pieces by Warm Nordic and Nordic Modern contextualized by objects from the same period. Glass by Per Lutken and Bent Severin for Holmegaard, dinnerware by Henning Koppel for George Jensen and Bing and Grondahl, and the iconic Cylinda line designed by Arne Jacobsen.

Penny:

Yes, and with many of these pieces designed more than half a century ago, it is fascinating how contemporary they still are. I think this is because of what Danish modernism represents – a rejection of the traditional past and its ornamentation in favour of a clean kind of simplicity. This is a movement that comes from democratic ideals and these designs are made from natural materials in a way that feels ‘healthy’. This may explain its universal appeal.

Paul:

Interest in the work of Midcentury Danish designers remains strong worldwide, and nowhere more so than in Japan and China, where significant pieces are very highly sought-after and have soared in value.

It remains very strong in Australia too. And that is not just driven by nostalgia – I think that warm (Nordic) functionalism is perfectly suited to contemporary living. Sideboards have, once again, become a must- have piece of furniture. But not for the dining room as storage for plates and cutlery as originally intended. These days, they have found their place in the living room housing turntables and record collections.

We hope you enjoy the exhibition.

Everything you Touch is the first of a series of exhibitions at The Modern Object that explores design cultures through the universal experience of sitting down to breakfast.
Presenting Danish mid-century modern design styled as a breakfast and living room at home, the exhibition includes furniture, lighting, rugs, glass and ceramic tableware, cutlery and more.
Showcasing several original mid-century designs newly rereleased by Warm Nordic plus original Danish design pieces from the 1950s and 1960s, Everything you Touch presents Danish design from both well-known designers and those you may not have heard of before.

22 September – 22 October 2022, The Modern Object, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick, ACT

More on The Modern Object

More on Warm Nordic