My Copenhagen Guide...

....to shopping for Design Part 1

If you follow me on instagram you will already know that last weekend I went to Copenhagen to get some inspiration and research some of my favorite designers/brands. Copenhagen must be the design capital of the world, and good design is at the forefront of the Danish mentality....and it shows in their architecture, the infrastructure and in their way of living: Copenhagen must be the most enjoyable place I've ever been to: Getting around is easy, the city itself is just beautiful, food is healthy and delicious and the people are so relaxed and happy. The success of the Danish way of life is a testament to good design being accessible to all.  With Denmark's rich design heritage and some of the worlds most iconic and revolutionary designers, such as Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl and Hans Wegner , all part of the Danish modern movement that helped put Denmark on the global map, it is no wonder good aesthetics is second nature to the people of Denmark. My visit to Copenhagen has confirmed my beliefs that good design and good living goes hand in hand! I had a fantastic time and came back with a notebook full of ideas and my iPhone full to the brim with pictures. I wanted to share some of them with you all, but as there is so many, I thought I'd better split this post in half ...So today I am sharing some pictures from my first day in Copenhagen, when I visited some of the biggest interior design destinations in the world, in terms of brands and shopping....these are the birthplaces of modern day's design classics, past and future: Normann Copenhagen
"Normann copenhagen is a Danish design company with the mission to create original, bold and eyecatching products in a simple and contemporary design that withstands the test of time."*
*Extract from the Normann Copenhagen website Normann Copenhagens ethos pretty much sums up the Danish' relationship to design: To make the ordinary extraordinary through great and innovative design..

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I love their sculptural lighting range, but their collection also consists of a wide and ever growing range of versatile furniture, stunning textiles and clever home accessories, both decorative and useful, designed in collaboration with, what can only be described as an army of serious design talent.

You will find Normann Copenhagen products all over the Danish high street, in a way that is unthinkable here in the UK, where the attitude to design still feels a little elitist. 

But I visited the iconic flagship store at Osterbrogade 70, and besides housing the coolest design store in Copenhagen, this is "a place where you find inspiration to decorate your own space and find your personal fashion style"*

This award winning store is a must-visit destination for anyone remotely interested in design. The store holds a wide variety of lifestyle products, from furniture and lighting, to music, fashion and perfume as well as a multitude of iconic design in the form of home accessories, like the "shorebird's" above....

  

Next stop on my quest for Danish Design was:

Hay

Hay house is another must visit design destination, situated in the heart of Copenhagen.

The Danish interior design brand Hay encapsulates the ethos of the age of the Danish Modern movement, and focuses on creating durable quality furniture at affordable prices to allow as many people as possible to enjoy excellent design.

"Contemporary design should spring from a good idea, innovative technology and quality materials in combination with joyful, straightforward and uncomplicated aesthetics"*

*Extract from the Hay website

The standard for design is set high at Hay, with collaborations with international, established designers, such as Sebastian Wrong as well as a plethora of up and coming designers...all alongside design classics from the likes of Eames.

I adored these cute ceramic ghosts by Studio Arhoj....in fact that little pink one at the front came home with me:)

From functional furniture to decorative and useful home accessories, Hay delivers innovative, quirky and unconventional design and ideas...

 

As well as collaborating with internationally acclaimed designers for their collection, Hay also has their own in-house design team, that also encapsulates Hay's focus on quality, craftsmanship and humanistic design.

The Hay marketplace shows the dedication Hay has to good design with everything from office supplies, kitchen utensils and utilitarian household products all being beautiful yet functional....

....no need to hide away any of this stuff!

What I love about Hay, is their unpretentious approach to design....Yes, it is all beautiful and functional, but it is also fun and personal, and as a collection of design, makes for a truly personal and eclectic look!

And lastly, the 3rd, but none the less important design destination I visited on day one in Copenhagen was the Scandinavian interior design specialist giant...

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Illums bolighus

Situated smack bang in the center of Copenhagen's Amagertorv, Illums bolighus  is the premier center in Scandinavia for Danish and international design. Furniture, lamps, kitchen and bathroom articles, ceramics, porcelain, silver, and glassware.

You could basically, if your bank balance allowed it, kit your entire home out with the most exquisite design from here....

You can get dinnerware from the likes of Arne Jacobsen or Royal copenhagen  ....or  Ferm living, as pictured, above.

You can get kitchen utensils and essentials from the likes of Kahler to muuto design, or Nordmann Copenhagen (pictured ,above)

Cushions and textiles from brands like Georg Jensen, Ferm Living or Louise Smærup, above.

Decorative home accessories from designers like Tom Dixon or By Lassen...or

like these Pov wall hung candleholders, above  from menu ,

And I almost blew my entire budget for the trip, when I saw these stunning ceramic accessories from Finsdottir. As you know from This post, I've been lusting over a collection like this lately, but I sensibly kept my wallet closed on this occasion, after all there was plenty of things to lust after that suited my budget better!

 

Illums bolighus stocks both past and future furniture design classics from the likes of Hans Wegner, Anders Huus, (above) and cult brand Eames for Vitra , below:

And of course I had to immortalize my first ever sit-down in an Eames lounge chair (By grabbing some unsuspecting random Danish person to take my picture LOL)

Nearly all my favourite designers and brands were represented at Illums bolighus, and I could've spent days in there....and I took far to many pictures to show you here.

But I cant NOT mention the lighting department at Illums:

It basically reads like a who's who of the design world, with lighting from Le Klint hanging next to Louis Poulsen and The mantis lamps by Bernard Schottlander, pictured above.

I could just go on and on about all my design finds this day (day 1 of my trip!??)

But I will stop myself here for today. 

I will be sharing some more from my trip to Copenhagen later this week....and in the mean time I am going to get stuck in with redecorating the spare room, like I showed you all here!

I hope you found this post just a little inspiring...maybe you quite fancy a trip to copenhagen yourself now?? Anyway if I didn't completely bore you with all my design gushing in this post, there is more coming, so stay tuned!