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Lecture and Reading Reflections "Furniture for the whole world" Erik Moller

It seems that the typical Danish designer role has been to create for the masses...while all design types cannot abide by this standard most attempt to do so. Throughout time the Danish design market has grown significantly as it has become part of a global market. In the 1950's the Danish furniture design industry was worth 3 million kr and by 1973 it was valued at 725 million kr. The growth in furniture market coincides with the attempt of many designers, such as Kaare Klint, whom decided it was important for everyone to have accessibility to good design. With this idea developing Denmark also was faced with the industrial revolution in which mechanics and technology allowed for faster production of furniture.  These two elements can take responsibility for the Danish furniture industries success and growth . Several of the following designers were considered to push the international boundaries with designs that veered away from traditional Danish aesthetics and were appealing to a wide variety of users and types.

Arne Jacabson designed from the 1950s-1970s and his style was thought of as international modern, he being considered the Renaissance man of Danish architecture. He was a practicing architect as well as a professor and focuses on the total design of his architecture projects. Naturally he designed furniture as well. Throughout war periods he was super innovative with use of limited materials and resources. He was constantly looking to simplify his designs, strip away the unnecessary and find the best possible form. In the 50s there was definitely technology that allowed for bending of wood and steel however the production of furniture made of such materials was sped up with newer inventions. As technology improved however Danish production companies still set precedence on quality control and allowed only a certain amount of pieces to be created daily on a daily basis to ensure that the quality of a product did not falter. Though perhaps more modest then contemporary advertisements Jacabon's furniture was sold through sexy advertisement and quickly found it's way into the international market.

From 1929-1980 Pour Klaerholm focused on the placement of furniture within a space...the proper alignment of furniture to the relevant space. He used steel as a main material and focused on the pieces as sculptural elements. He often practiced day lighting studies to understand how a piece would look in a given space. He wanted to push the boundaries of material usage and the possibility of production methods.

In the 1960s and 70s Verner Panton explored retro furniture design as well as designing movie sets and textiles. He was considered to be stubborn in his design decisions as well as material choices. His aesthetic style was fun and he is considered to be "forever young." He pushed the use of new materials and forms...he was self-exiled from the standard Danish design world.  His S chair was possibly the first to be made entirely from plastic mold and posed the questions of why not not use other materials then natural leathers, woods and metals.

Nanna Ditzel designed from 1928-2005. She was considered to be the grandmother of Danish design. Her work was sculptural and pushed material boundaries. She started her career with the Cabinet Maker's exhibition. Her pieces could stand alone in a room demanding attention and thought of the viewer and user. She designed pieces that had a sense of lightness and humor like the Toadstool in 1962...a stack-able piece that was playful for children and easy to use.

Each of these designers started to produce furniture at a revolutionary time in Danish design. While all were formally trained under Danish design principles they challenged the standard system in material choice and aesthetic style. Their furniture pieces were secular and offered a new look at furniture design the appealed to many on an international level.