Vintage pieces/ Copenhagen, Denmark

Left: Wall plaque from Scholm, Right: Plate from Bornholmsk Keramik, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Salt pig from Royal Copenhagen, Right: Dish by Royal Copenhagen, Photography: Marcus Hay

Right: Vase by Nils Thorsson, Left: Shallow bowl by Nils Thorsson, Both for Royal Copenhagen
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Gold Candleholder, Right: Royal Copenhagen Fajance bottles, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Royal Copenhagen Fajance dish, Right: Annette Fajance Royal Copenhagen pitcher
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Various blue bowls Right: Bowl from Scholm, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Small pots, Handpainted, Right: Bowl from Bornholmsk Keramik, Photography: Marcus Hay

I thought I would share with you some of the pieces I have picked up thus far from Copenhagen at various Flea Markets and Stores, It is an amazing experience to actually see so much on mass and to see Danish people so knowledgeable and excited to buy these pieces, largely from the 1950's to 1980's.

I have always been a big fan of Royal Copenhagen, The styles can be quite varied as many different artists contributed to the brand during this era, while I am quite familiar with some of the silhouettes here, I also managed to pick up some I have never seen, like the matching bottles with stoppers.

I have also fallen in love with many pieces from Bornholmsk Keramik, Some I am still identifying but am having a great time doing so, It's amazing how much you can learn in just one trip.

Thanks to my wonderful hosts Neill Seeto and Damien Miller for showing me around this trip, they are helping me open my eyes even more so to Denmark's hidden treasures. 

Copenhagen. Denmark/ Summer, June 2013

Left: The Danish flags fly high, Right: In the store, Secher Fine Art & Design, On Bredgade
Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: DLM tables at Hay, Right: Street Sign, Walk this way! Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Ceramic pieces at Hay, Right: A room with a view at Hay, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Pillows at Hay, Right: Hay, Photography: Marcus Hay

Both at Hay, AAL92 lounge chair AA003 ottoman, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Detail of name tags at Hay, Right: Muuto at Illums Bolighus, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Merchandise at Illums Bolighus, Right: On the Street, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: On the Street, Right: Houses at Illums Bolighus, Photography: Marcus Hay 

Left: At Hay, J110 chair in red, Bella tables, Right: On the Street in Frederiksberg, Photography: Marcus Hay 

Left: Wishbone chair In Store on Bredgade, Right:Still life at Hay, Photography: Marcus Hay 

Left: Water feature in town, Right: Gym in Hellerup, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Park in Hellerup, Right: Hermes windows in town, Copenhagen, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Beachside at Hellerup, Right: Blue bicycle in town, Copenhagen, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Fishmonger at Frederiksberg, Beachside at Hellerup, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Strawberry Season, Right: Cute signage in Fredriksberg, Photography: Marcus Hay

Left: Lighting display at Illums, Right: Illums Bolighus windows, Photography: Marcus Hay

I have only been in Copenhagen, Denmark 5 days and I have already fallen in love with it’s natural charm all over again, This is my 3^rd time here, such a great city. Of course for someone who loves and works in design industry, It is like visiting the Design Motherland. I often wonder if most Danes who grew up with these surroundings really understand our over-gushiness and ever so slight misty eyes when experiencing first hand it’s naturalness and the quiet intensity of the design spirit that lives here in Denmark.It's amazing how here it's just a way of life integrated so smoothly its seamless.

That spirit seems evident in every step around Copenhagen, Of course most of my personal steps took me into stores I have been looking forward to seeing for a long time. At DWR, One of my client’s, We get to work first hand with wonderful products from Muuto, Hay, Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen and Normann Copenhagen to name a few.

In Hellerup where I am staying, You can smell the sea air, birds are tweeting, families are taking dinner on their terraces, kids are laughing, It's like living in a beautiful fairytale, A far cry from my noisy block back in NYC. 

The flagship Hay Store here in Copenhagen is amazing and I always love visiting the space to see all their products I know well in one place. In Illums Department Store, There is the most amazing collection of home wares, As does Illums Bolighus (Not to be confused with each other) Not to mention the great Flea Markets I have visited and the stores, I will post more of my finds at a later date, For now, It's time again to hit the streets. 

Quistgaard, Dansk and his love of Teak

An early photo of Jens, His Dansk designed logo burnt into the bottom of a bowl

Some more silo's of his desk, stool, grinder, ice bucket, cheese board, salad bowl and servers and a tray

His Iconic desk and stool

Some examples of his flatware

The iconic Congo Icebucket, Left: An early advertisement from the 1950's

Another example of an ice bucket and trash paper bin

His very collectable salt and paper mills

Some of Jen's designs in Teak including buffet, salad bowl, trays and side folding table

Jens Quistgaard (1919-2008) has been mentioned many times here before on my blog, His work was so prolific it is hard to just contain it all to one post. Jens was a master of Danish Design but also had a huge presence here in the USA, where he helped form the company Dansk International Designs in the 1950’s. Naturally talented as a child even, carving toys from scrap wood, Quistgaard went on to work as an apprentice at Georg Jensen before starting Dansk after he met American entrepreneur Ted Nierenberg after Ted saw some of Jen’s designs in Denmark.

On my blog I have concentrated heavily on his amazing enamel designs, this post is all about his Teak products, which he is probably, is best known for probably after his pots.

Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Burma. Teak is a large, deciduous tree that is dominant in mixed hardwood forests. It has small, fragrant white flowers and papery leaves that are often hairy on the lower surface. Teak's high oil content, strong tensile strength and tight grain makes it a great material to work with.

Jen’s applied it to many silhouettes; His most famous in Teak is probably his Congo Ice Bucket inspired by a Viking ship, which have become very collectable. He also worked with may designs for trays and salad bowls, Quistgaard’s salad bowls infact were often made from separate staves of teak arranged in a circle, much as barrels are built. This used less wood than turning the bowls on a lathe and gave them striking radial lines in the process. He also designed in the material very sought after Dansk salt and pepper mills that have become iconic in their designs. Stainless steel was combined with teak to create elegant flatware that was an affordable alternative to sterling silver. His furniture designs in Teak are just so elegant and understated.

His designs have been put into the collections of and displayed at museums included the Louvre in Paris and at both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. By 1982, he had created more than 2,000 different designs of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home. Quistgaard's legacy runs deep within the design world. In a historical context, he is now known as Denmark's first industrial designer.

The most beautiful bowl ever/ Herbert Krenchel

Left: Krenit bowl Right: The Designer Herbert Krenchel

Left: First designed as a salad set with servers,Right: The range of original colors 

Left: In purple, Right: Classic white, These images from Normann Copenhagen

Left: Yellow, Right: Combo of red, white and turquoise, These images from Normann Copenhagen

Left: In combo with other tableware from Marimekko Image from Abode Living, Right: An artful arrangement 

Left: New Reproductions, Image from Abode Living Right: The silhouettes of the bowls

Outlines of the bowls

My lifelong obsession with Enamelware continues, There is just something so appealing with the intensity of color that is achieved through the process of enamel. Enamel has been around for decorative and functional use for centuries. Vitreous enamel is akin to ceramic glaze — it is most commonly the result of fusing powdered glass (or less often a glass paste or spray) to a metal or ceramic substrates. Enamel is bonded to metal in kilns at a high temperatures, somewhere between 1400 and 1640°F to achieve the final result.

The most beautiful of bowl probably ever designed in my opinion is the Krenit bowl designed by Danish designer Herbert Krenchel in 1953.

Wikepedia says: The name Krenit is a combination of the name Krenchel and eternit (a fibre cement which is used for the coating on the bowl’s outside). The bowl has a distinct design with its matt black outside, thin edge and clear colored enamel inside. In 1954, the bowl won a gold medal for its unique design in Triennalen (Milano, Italy). Up until the production stopped in 1966 the bowl had been produced in more than 1 million units.

The salad set was the first to go into production in 1953 The Krenit salad bowl is inspired by the simple form language of the East, With it Krenchel also designed salad servers and the long pointed handles of these reflect the traditional chopsticks. With a simple and clean expression, the Krenit series is a modern classic that lets function and aesthetics play perfectly together.

 

Herbert Krenchel says: "An article for everyday use must contain several aspects that play together and create the general impression. It is obvious that a salad bowl has its function, but I wanted to create a bowl which was so pretty that it could be placed in the sitting room as well. I am enthusiastic about forms and love materials. The structure of the surface is important because it makes the bowl attractive and inviting, and you feel like touching it"

Although the originals are a highly collectible item, you can still buy these great reproductions at Normann Copenhagen.

Ceramic Master Bjørn Wiinblad

Bjørn as young man and later in his life alongside an example of one of his many collectable wall plaques

Left: More pieces from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay, Right: A poster design for the Tivoli Gardens

Left: A piece from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay, Right: Bird vessel

More pieces from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay

More pieces from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay

Various pieces by Bjørn Wiinblad

In Elle Decoration, October, 2010, Photography: Mikkel Mortensen

From my collection on right, Phtography: Marcus Hay

It’s amazing how certain artist’s work can stick in your mind a lifetime, I suppose subconsciously Bjørn Wiinblad’s (1918-2006) work has always seemed familiar to me, perhaps as a child I was drawn to it’s whimsy and a sense of childhood innocence, but I do remember seeing his designs on plates and vases in many homes of my parent’s friends as a kid and always loving his characters and motifs. I am sure many of my German and Scandinavian friends would be very familiar with his work, I believe he even had a store in Copenhagen right up until the late 1980’s.

He was best known as the Rosenthal Porcelain company's chief designer for 35 years, but his career spanned more than 60 years, covering a wide range of mediums including ceramics, metals, glass, stage and poster design, furniture, illustrations, textiles, tapestries and ceramic decorations for hotels and restaurants in Japan, USA & the UK.

Bjørn Wiinblad was born in Denmark, As Wikepedia states “Characteristics of Wiinblad's work include whimsical round-faced people, dressed in vaguely 19th-century costume. They are often surrounded by natural elements: twining vines, floral wreaths, and fantastical trees. When Wiinblad employed color, he did so with great assurance. His colors are saturated and strong--sometimes almost psychedelic and are often supplemented with metallic gold or silver”

I have been collecting with glee, Bjørn’s work largely from Rosenthal for many years. Whenever back in Germany, I gather with vigor as many pieces as I can find as it seems his work for the German ceramic company seems most available here. To me his talent was so profound, his passion so obvious, He is truly and inspiration to me on so many levels. Elle Decoration in the UK www.elledecoration.co.uk, ran a piece on his house “The Blue House” in their October issue last year, As mentioned in the article you can actually do a tour with his niece Tina Wiinblad Richter, 00 45 24 44 16 69, This is something I would love to do on my next trip back to Denmark, It would be amazing to see where he lived and worked for more than 40 years.  


I would encourage you all to get to know and love his work more, He is an artist truly worth celebrating.