10 highlights from 3 Days of Design 2024 furniture fair

The 11th edition of 3 Days of Design was held from Jun 12 to Jun 14 this year. Compared to the Milan Fair – the most important furniture fair in the industry for many years – the trade fair held in Copenhagen has been quietly making waves for its friendlier mood.

“In recent years, 3 Days of Design has cemented its reputation as a more intimate, understated alternative to the behemoth international festivals. It offers the promise of a tidy, focused event that’s centred squarely on design and connections rather than spectacle,” reported Mellissa Feldman in a commentary on the Business of Home website.

This follows two recent trends in the design world – a desire to build real relationships, as well as more curated events with a connection to location and local design culture, Feldman observed.

For Jefery Kurniadidijaja, co-founder of local furniture company Grafunkt who attended the fair this year, the city itself was part of the attraction. “Copenhagen is a lovely, walk-able city. Organising 3 Days of Design during summer is also wise, as visitors get to maximise the long daylight hours and friendlier weather, especially when they have to walk from one exhibition to another across the city. Things are more casual and relaxed, with most exhibitions and events taking place at brand showrooms, galleries and studios around the city.”

The timelessness of Scandinavian design is also an antidote to the relentless spectacle of the furniture world. “It is a ‘way of living’ rather than a trend – much like contemporary Japanese design,” said Kurniadidijaja. “The appeal lies in its simplicity and minimalism, with a focus on clean lines, timeless aesthetics and functionality, which makes it practical for everyday living while promoting a better lifestyle.”

Here, we highlight 10 new pieces from the fair:

FRITZ HANSEN – MONOLIT CHAIR

Danish designer Cecilie Manz wanted to create a compact and extremely comfortable chair that people can sit on for a whole evening. The result is the Monolit chair, available as a dining or lounge version. It has a slender upholstered plywood body, accentuated by full grain leather piping.

“I wanted it to be really reduced, drawn like a quick sketch, without too many details. I wanted people to read it as one shape, a monolith, but in two defined parts – top and base,” explained Manz on the inspiration behind the name.

Details include a small cut out on the side of the front that enables the user to shift about a little in the seat. “That was very important to me because human beings want to move around and change position; your body does not want to be locked in,” said Manz.

Available at W. Atelier.

&TRADITION – ROBIN DAY COLLECTION

In 1948, English designer Robin Day (1915 – 2010), together with fellow designer Clive Latimer, won the New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s International Low-Cost Furniture Competition. That marked the beginning of an illustrious furniture design career for Day, who created the world’s first polypropylene chair and the London Underground’s Toro benches.

&Tradition paid homage to his genius with the re-issue of several designs, including the RFH Lounge Chair. With a distinctive Mid-Century Modern aesthetic, it has a curved backrest made by form-press moulding layers of beech and walnut veneer.

There is also the Daystak Table (RD2). Like its name suggests, it can be stacked, because of the A-frame legs. By adding a drawer box with visible dovetail joinery, the table turns into the Daystak Desk (RD3) – a fine showcase of Day’s interest in flexible furniture design.

Available at Made & Make.

CARL HANSEN & SON – WISHBONE CHILDREN’S CHAIR

Here is good news for design-savvy homeowners who wish to furnish their tots’ spaces in stylish ways. To celebrate furniture designer Hans J Wegner’s 110th birthday on Apr 2, Carl Hansen & Son released a child’s size version of the famous CH24 Wishbone chair.

The iconic CH24 Wishbone chair was one of J Wegner’s first ideas presented to the Danish manufacturer in 1949. Produced since 1950, the beloved – and much copied – seat is recognised by its steam-bent oak frame and wishbone-shaped back, with a woven paper cord seat. The children’s chair is made in the same way – only smaller.

“We’ve been dreaming of making a child-sized version of the iconic Wishbone chair for years now… This smaller version of the Wishbone chair blends in perfectly with the rest of the household’s furniture and is an ideal gift idea for future design enthusiasts,” said Knud Erik Hansen, the CEO and third-generation owner of Carl Hansen & Søn.

Available at XTRA.

KOYORI – URIBO STOOL

Danish Stine Gam and Italian Enrico Fratesi founded GamFratesi. The duo is known for creating classic designs with simple, distilled forms that make subtle references to traditional ideas. More than 40 awards testify to the appreciation for their aesthetic, functional works.

One of their collaborators is Koyori – a Japanese brand supported by several leading manufacturers across Japan and with a distinct modern-Japanese approach that is not so far off from Danish simplicity and love of natural materials. It was established in 2022, with renowned British designer Jasper Morrison as its brand-directing advisor.

One product is the wooden Uribo stool, with fluid forms inspired by Sori Yanagi’s iconic Butterfly stool for Vitra. Available in two heights and finishes (oak and walnut), the stool showcases the maker’s wood-bending expertise. It is a sculptural piece of functional art that can accent many places in the home.

Available at Grafunkt.

BANG & OLUFSEN – BEOSOUND A5

GamFratesi also designed the new Beosound A5 for Bang & Olufsen. The iconic early wooden Beolit series, as well as natural materials and colours found in Scandinavian nature inspired the studio. Panama straw hats worn by beachgoers and the woven wicker 1960s Danish chairs are also evoked in the design of the portable speaker available in two finishes: Nordic Weave and Dark Oak.

The Beosound A5 packs excellent sound credentials in its compact, tactile body. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker offers 12 hours of wireless music-playing and charging. It also has the most powerful woofer in its portable speaker range, and 360-degree sound dispersion, controlled via the B&O app.

In terms of construction, the sustainable speaker’s modular design enables easy servicing and repair, extending its lifetime – GamFratesi wanted to create quality products that age well over time.

ARIAKE – FUTAGO NESTING TABLES

During the COVID-19 pandemic, workshops held in Saga, Japan by Japanese furniture brand Ariake for designers to come up with new products were halted. This creative nagare (‘flow’ in Japanese) was resumed last year – hence the name of the Nagare exhibition at 3 Days of Design – held in a repurposed warehouse among bonsai, washi sculptures and a river view.

The group of designers visited the Hinoki forest close to Ariake’s factories, as well as Nao Washi – a family-run handmade washi mill that has been operating for more than 300 years in the Saga’s Nao mountains. This resulted in eight new products.

Among them is the Futago (meaning ‘twins’ in Japanese) nesting tables by Singaporean designer Gabriel Tan. The smaller table glides seamlessly into and out of the larger one, expanding the surface area for flexible use. The smaller table can also be used as a separate side table. For compact spaces, a slimmer version is available.

Available at Grafunkt.

GUBI – PACHA LOUNGE CHAIR (GUBI FOR UNICEF)

Danish furniture brand Gubi’s new campaign, titled Young Hopes, has 100 per cent of the profits from the sale of 100 limited edition Gubi for Unicef Pacha lounge chairs going towards supporting children in major but lesser-known crisis zones in countries such as Burkina Faso, Myanmar and Sudan.

These funds will be channelled to help with the healthy birth of babies through lifesaving medical supplies, clean water supply, and education by providing learning materials and safe learning spaces. A small action leads to great impact. For example, the purchase of one Pacha lounge chair in the series provides up to 35,000 children with access to clean drinking water for a month.

Designed by the legendary French designer Pierre Paulin, the bulbous Pacha lounge chair is one of Gubi’s most popular designs. These special series chairs will be available in three exclusive colourways sourced from surplus fabrics.

Available from Danish Design Co.

LOUIS POULSEN – PH5 AND PH5 MINI NEW COLOURS

Designed by Danish designer Poul Henningsen in 1958 for lighting company Louis Poulsen, the PH5 lamp has become a recognisable icon around the world. Its three-shade design was intended to direct most of the light downwards while also emitting a lateral glow, illuminating itself. This enables a pleasant-looking lamp that is entirely glare-free.

Initially, the PH5 was fitted with red and blue shades to improve the colour of the light. These were later removed as modern light sources began to reproduce daylight much more efficiently than in 1959. At 3 Days of Design, Louis Poulsen introduced the PH5 and PH5 Mini in new colours: Pale Pewter, Pale Blush, Burgundy and Dusty Indigo.

These new hues highlight the inextricable role between colour and light exploration in the design of the PH5 lamp. It is an apt homage to the brand that celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

The new colours will be available from September 2024 at Grafunkt and XTRA.

AUDO COPENHAGEN – EAVE SEAMLINE MODULAR SOFA

Audo Copenhagen was formed by the merger of By Lassen and Menu – a business founded by Simon Hansen that is now run by its third generation. It was subsequently acquired by Design Holdings, which also owns brands like Flos, B&B Italia and FendiCasa.

A frequent collaborator with Audo Copenhagen is Norm Architects, whose recent projects include Bellustar Tokyo and Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park (in collaboration with Keiji Ashizawa Design). Like the Danish firm’s architectural works, its furniture design embodies quintessential modern Scandinavian charm, with natural materials and clean lines rooted in traditions of the furniture-making craft.

At 3 Days of Design, the firm presented the Eave Seamline series that expands its original Eave modular sofa series. The eaves of roof canopies that overhang walls inspired the subtle details in nine curvilinear modules. One can also opt for a pre-configured two version of a four-seater sofa.

Available from Made & Make and XTRA.

STRING FURNITURE – CENTER CENTER

Launched in 1949, the modular String shelving system has been a favourite Modernist design icon not only because of its flexible that gives to myriad storage and display options, but also because of its sleek Mid-Century Modern appearance. This year at 3 Days of Design, the Swedish brand launched Center Center – a new modular storage system by Stockholm-based studio Form Us with Love.

It reflects the brand’s DNA of utmost customisation with easily reconfigurable modules suitable for residential spaces, home offices and workspaces. Individual modules, made from thin sheet metal perforated in a 50x50x50mm grid, can expand each configuration horizontally or vertically.

Accessories, including doors, shelves, legs, castors, trays, handles and hooks, provide added functionality without breaking the elegant, industrial look. Pick from eight colours, including Pompeii Red, Sulphur Yellow, Light Grey and Ultramarine.

Available at XTRA.