Danish design and ‘hygge’

I've always been intrigued by Denmark. I’ve always wondered how a country that receives a measly 4 hours of sunlight a day for months throughout the year repeatedly manages to claim the impressive title of having 'the world's happiest people'. For as long as i've been interested in design, i've been interested in Danish design. The iconic Scandinavian design of elegant simplicity is one that is acknowledged all around the world. Even in Australia we have a little piece (or rather big, piece) of Denmark sitting right in our our iconic Sydney Harbour. Australia's most internationally recognisable building, the Sydney Opera House, was designed by none other than Jørn Utzon, a Dane. Living Danishly written by Helen Russell, is about an English woman who moves to Denmark out of her husband's new job placement, and investigates what it is about the Danish way of life that creates the world's happiest people. In one of Russell’s chapters in uncovering the Danish secret to happiness, she was notably informed  about the relationship that exists between furniture design and national identity in Denmark. Anne-Louise Summer, director of the Design Museum Denmark, told Russell that, "good design is extremely important to us, all Danes see a clear relationship between your aesthetic environment and how you feel". 

BAUHAUS INFLUENCE

After WWII the Danes were keen at moving forward and decided to put a substantial amount of money into their design sector. With strong influences of the modernistic principles from the German Bauhaus school, Danish furniture designers were continuously producing works of comfort, functionalism, style, and affordability. With limited money after the war, the Danes were forced to utilise local materials, and this is why we can see plywood and teak hardwood being so prominent in Danish design. Anne-Louise Summer also mentioned on how natural good design is to the Danish. She explained to Russell that, “...if you stood in the street and asked a Dane, they might not have a reflective relationship with culture and design- but this is because they haven’t had to. It’s internalised in their consciousness. We are simply used to having nice surroundings. It starts from the very beginning of life. Children come to school and interact with quality architecture and furniture, and so from an early age they develop an understanding that functional yet beautiful design is essential to realising the good life. Then when they grow up and work in offices or public spaces, most Danes experience a high-quality environment combining function and design”. 

ABODE

A Danes home interior is poised, prized, and personal. Home design is a big part of the Dane’s life because it's where they spend their most time, especially in the long dark winers. Their homes are never messy nor cluttered, because they respect their living spaces, and because their interiors are closely tied to their identity. In the first chapter of Living Danishly, Russell and her husband are being showed rental homes by a Danish real estate agent where Russell is amazed at the tidiness of the rental homes, asking if the current renters knew Russell was coming in order for them to tidy up.  Their Danish real estate agent looked at Russell puzzlingly and said; "Tidy up? Before visitors? Is that what British people do? Danes try to keep their homes nice all the time".




LIFE  INVESTMENT

The underlying egalitarian mentality of Denmark among their Scandinavian neighbours  reinforces that everyone should have the opportunity to access well crafted furniture and well designed spaces. The Danes respect well crafted furniture like the French respect a well tailored blazer. With Denmark’s proud history of famous designers, the Danes are more than happy to invest in key furniture like a beautifully crafted Arne Jacobsen chair because they know it will set up a room instantly like a piece of art. And like art, and like a well tailored blazer, a Danes furniture purchase will last a lifetime. The peaceful connection that all Danes have to their land is not just evident in their soft and muted colour palates, but it’s also evident in the handcrafted smooth lines that run over every corner of their furniture, with sleek finishes commonly in oak, leather and brass.

These are a few of my personal favourite exports from the land of Lego and pastries.

‘Lounge Chair’ designed by Poul Kjærholm, 1965. 

‘The Flag Halyard Chair’ designed by Hans J. Wegner, 1950.

‘Fritz Hansen's Egg Chair’, by Arne Jacobsen, 1958.

‘AJ Cutlery’ designed by Arne Jacobsen, 1957.

'Round Chair’ designed by Hans J. Wegner, 1949.

“HYYGE”

There is a funny relationship between Danish design and their word hyyge (pronounced 'hue-gah'). Hyyge is a word that has no exact translation to English, but it seems to translate as a sense of cosiness; a relaxed environment around loved ones with a feeling of wellness. Hyyge may be cuddling up with a soft blanket by the fire with your favourite book, sharing a glass of wine with friends, or the smell of a freshly baked cake out the oven. The long Danish winters mean that a lot of time is spent indoors, and the Danes aim at ensuring their interiors are as 'hyyge' and cosy as possible. The Danes love hosting people at their homes during the winter for dinner parties, so making sure that their home has a strong sense of hyyge is extremely important. Hyyge also works hand in hand with the Danish obsession of fire, whether it's in form of a fire place or candles. The Danes love their candles, and from what i've read it seems as if candles are almost a prerequisite in achieving the ultimate hyyge atmosphere of soft light. There's a good video about a Swedish girl  in Copenhagaen who tries to discover the ultimate 'hyyge' feeling, watch it here.

LET THERE BE LIGHT 

I like rooms to start off like art galleries. Walls should be painted in shades of white in order to make for strong contrasts and attention to surrounding furniture and art. The Danish seem to agree with me in that a clean white background makes everything appear big and airy. The Danish among the Scandinavians are notorious for their love of white walls and white wooden floor boards, possibly inspired by their snow covered land in the winter. Muted colours play a big part in Danish interior design in means of counterbalancing their short winter days in achieving as much reflective brightness as possible. Soft, natural, and muted colours are always constants in a Danes home, because it gives an added warmth contrasting their cold climate that they receive for most of the year. The book Nordic Light: Modern Scandinavian Architecture by Henry Plummer is a great analysis of the Scandinavians utilising their extreme weather conditions in maximising interior brightness. Their selective floors are also important to note too. Carpets were never a big thing in Denmark, but thick rugs among lounge room furniture or by the fire is common. Wood floor boards, often a off white or teak colour are extremely common.  When the ever awaited summer arrives, the Danish are naturally precious about every steam of light that graces them, resulting in the popular floor to ceiling window choice. Danish country homes are notorious for their large windows in hope that their warm summer light will flood every corner of their home. Note: If you’re ever in Denmark, remember it’s customary to remove your shoes before entering a Danes home.

Just like the Finish, Swedish, Norwegians, and Icelanders, the Danes are forward thinkers when it comes to design, never losing touch with their inspiring natural landscape. The connection the Danes have to their land is not just exemplified in their design and finishes, but it's evident in the fact that they’re the world's current leaders in moving towards more eco-friendly and sustainable design practices. Denmark is a rich country. It's rich in equality, health care, personal choice, land, maternity leave, pastries, and brains for design. Denmark's prosperous design industry also proves to the world that there is absolutely no compromise between equality and development.

Photos from:

www.danish-interior-design.com

www.nordicdesign.ca/former-classrooms-transformed-into-stunning-apartments/

www.theculturetrip.com/europe/denmark/articles/the-10-most-iconic-pieces-of-danish-design/