3 Days of Design 2024: The must know collaborations and debuts at Denmark's furniture fair

A ferocious new energy has captured the arts at large - that of the furniture design week. Before, the trade show was the private pleasure ground for those in the furniture biz: a week of aperitifs, meetings and balmy nights exploring the legacies of past leaders or debuts of new heritage. Now, as the interrelations between the creative sectors become increasingly interlocked, the presence of music, fashion and food within architecture and design has never been more substantial.

For 3 Days of Design [3Dod], Copenhagen’s annual design trade fair that lights up the city each summer, 2024 has rung in its most extensive exposition to date. With hundreds of brands participating in the program and many more presenting additional activations outside of the official schedule, the nation famous for its furniture has reached new peaks in relevance and hype.

There were clear vanguards this year that never cease to delight the global and local audience, Frama being one such protagonist. This season, the beloved Danish homeware brand collaborated with Faye Toogood—a design celebrity in her own right—the collaboration culminating in what she noted as “creating energy rather than products.” With an installation running through the whole building, colour and creative interception were the takeaway values from the visitors who poured through. 

The prospect of unearthing a legacy and painting it in a new light is always an opportunity at 3Dod. For Tekla, whose track record of collaborations has included stars such as John Pawson and Le Corbusier, to name a few, bringing the work of Aino Aalto to the forefront offered a chance to spotlight the creative director of the Aalto legacy and surface an otherwise unknown print into the Tekla iconic textile.

Related: Get to know the women behind Alvar Aalto's legacy

2024 marks the 130th birthday of Aino Aalto, a significant milestone in the design world. In a gesture of respect and admiration, Tekla decided to pay homage to this iconic designer by applying her rational yet romantic cherry blossom-inspired Kirsikankukka pattern to its bedding collection, a fitting tribute to her enduring influence.

Discussing how the collaboration came about, Charlie Hedin, founder of Tekla, noted: “Artek and Tekla are united by a common desire to bring modernity and creative freedom to homes and interiors. Tekla has long taken inspiration from the functionality and form of modernist design, notably Aino and Alvar Aalto’s architecture and interiors.” Hedin goes on to emphasise the shared values that formed the basis of this partnership. “Honouring Aino Aalto’s unique contribution to Artek has been of significant importance with this collection. As the first creative director at Artek, she was driven by a desire to find “beauty in the every day”.

For 2024, Danish studio Muuto used 3 Days of Design to support the future while preserving the past. During the furniture fair, the beloved design studio announced the Muuto Design Contest, an open-call competition aimed at discovering new perspectives on accessories and small furniture for the modern home. Their goal is to challenge traditional notions of design, making them one of the few companies actively embracing new perspectives.

Discover more Nordic interiors

A sense of renewal was also in the air, with iconic Danish designer Verner Panton’s legacy housed in a new brand identity within the design company Verpan, working to preserve, reissue and recontextualise the Danish architect and designer's radiant body of work - from minute objects to immersive environments. Embracing the highly social nature of Verner Panton’s designs, the Verpan Club was an immersive exhibition that invited guests to connect with icons such as the flying chair or the modular clover sofa - a reminder that form follows fun in the enigmatic universe Verner cultivated so vividly.

For Vandra rugs, the sentimentality was in the craftsmanship, presenting the handwoven construction of their weavers from their atelier in Ukraine, connecting Swedish techniques with local skills. Their collection with Ami Katz from the architectural firm 3dO Architects was a particular stand out.

It was the craftsmanship that was the main protagonist for Ferm Living too, unfolding the narrative behind the making of their most familiar products in their exhibition The Art of Making. Peeling back the curtain, the aim was to illuminate the relationships forged with the makers while embarking on an exploration of material and form.

What is most notable is the penetration of the fashion industry into the week long fair - the gaps between the two creative industries becoming ever smaller as fashion finds furrows into the world of furniture. Some fashion houses took 3 Days of Design as an opportunity to debut a collaboration or to introduce innovation within their material investigations. For others, the opportunity of a party, beckoned as a means to open their doors to friends, old and new.

Baum und Pferdgarten was one such brand, hosting an after work drinks on the first day. It was also the case for Our Legacy, who joined forces with Apartmento to showcase Willo Perron’s infamous sausage sofa. Finnish fashion powerhouse Marimekko collaborated with the Kvadrat Innovation Lab, creating the Resonance bag series from an entirely new plant-based Vireo material developed by Hemp Bio. “The Resonance bags represent a creative dialogue between timeless design and contemporary craftsmanship,” commented creative director Rebekka Bay.

There were also exciting debuts this season: Spaces Within with its sculptural cabinet hardware; Stockholm-based brand Layered, which gave three talented female artists (Tekla Evelina Severin, Evelina Kroon, and Danish florist Poppy Kalas) design freedom with its exhibition 'The Magical Garden'; celebrated architecture and design publication Ark Journal launched Design Dialogues, their highly curated showcase. Then there were antique dealers, creatives, and cultural agitators Sissi Pohle and Patrick Scherzer of Out Of Use Berlin, who took over a boat house on Paper Island and showcased their intrinsic eye for collecting exceptional objects. Closing out the week with a takeover of the infamous clubhouse Søpavilionen, Niko June hosted a dinner to celebrate community - a core value for the company since the start. The brand unveiled its steel tableware set and a canteen mug series during the dinner in collaboration with the Copenhagen creative Freja Wewer.