If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen that I spent last week in Copenhagen enjoying 3 Days of Design – an annual festival that sees showrooms and studios across the Danish capital open their doors to the public for exhibitions, talks, workshops and tours. It’s always a fun (if exhausting) few days, and I generally come back brimming with ideas and inspiration. I’ll be sharing some of my highlights from this year’s event over the next fortnight or so, and I’m starting with &Tradition.
Known for its mix of timeless Scandinavian classics and modern pieces, &Tradition occupies a restored 18th-century townhouse in the centre of the city. It’s long been one of my favourite showrooms to visit, but it’s now bigger and better than ever before after expanding upwards into two floors that used to house private offices. It’s architecturally stunning (the staircase must surely be one of the most Instagrammed spots in Copenhagen!) and makes the perfect backdrop for a range of furniture, lighting and accessories that spans almost 100 years of Danish design history. I couldn’t wait to have a look around, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
One of the most iconic pieces in &Tradition’s stable is, of course, Verner Panton’s 1968 ‘Flowerpot’ lamp, which appears in numerous places around the building – sometimes on its own, sometimes in clusters of various formations. There’s even a ‘Verner Panton Lounge’ on the ground floor, which celebrates the avant-garde Danish designer’s use of colour and pattern through exaggerated green tone-on-tone decor, textural finishes and a striking black and white ‘Flowerpot’ chandelier.
Two further lounges – the ‘Red Lounge’ and ‘Conversation Lounge’ – sit on the floor above. The former is a cosy cocoon with dark burgundy walls and an intimate seating area; the latter is a bright, high-ceilinged space with wooden panelling, currently being used to showcase a brand-new &Tradition lighting range called ‘Mist’. The work of Copenhagen-based design duo All the Way to Paris, it takes its cue from a misty, dewy morning landscape, with a softly rounded shape and opal glass that emits a beautifully diffused glow.
One of the most interesting areas for me was the archive room, which tells the story of &Tradition’s classic designs through original sketches, photographs and prototypes. It was fascinating to learn how the design and development team draw on such resources to put iconic pieces back into production decades after they were first created – among them Hvidt & Mølgaard’s recently relaunched ‘X’ lounge chair, inspired by tennis rackets and first released back in 1959.
Adjoining this is ‘Classic Focus’ – an exhibition space dedicated to showcasing specific pieces from the archive collection. It’s currently occupied by an installation celebrating Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s ‘Utzon’ lamp, reimagined in a new ‘Steel Blue’ finish to mark the 50th anniversary of his most famous creation, the Sydney Opera House.
Many of &Tradition’s contemporary pieces are the work of long-term collaborator Space Copenhagen, and the showroom also now encompasses a dining room and event area dressed entirely with their designs. Housed under the eaves and flooded with natural light, it’s an elegant space decorated in green and white, with the Danish studio’s ‘Collect’ glassware, ‘Loafer’ chairs. ‘Copenhagen’ lighting and ‘Amore’ mirrors alongside the new ‘Trace’ glass-fronted display cabinets. Due for launch later this year, the latter combine clean lines with subtle retro-inspired details such as brass handles and curved corners, and will be available in light and dark wood.
Next door to the dining room is a bar, last week done up as a recreation of Space Copenhagen’s workshop. It offered a fascinating glimpse into their processes, with material swatches, drawings and tools on display. It also presented another of their new designs: a collection of textural flat-weave rugs with broken corners that stop them looking monolithic and draw the eye around whatever room they sit in.
Another regular &Tradition partner is Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, whose latest launches for the brand include a limited-edition version of his ‘Formakami’ paper pendant lamp illustrated with bold colours and organic shapes, plus a collection of accessories known as ‘Momento’. The latter includes candlesticks, vases and a jug, all conceived with the aim of making small everyday moments more special and considered. For 3 Days they were on show in a gallery-like room dubbed the ‘Teatro Surreal’, with the adjoining ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ revealing the moulds, casting processes and myriad inspirations behind them.
The top floor of the showroom is now ‘The Apartment’, created to show how pieces from different eras and designers can be combined in a domestic setting. It’s a beautiful space with a homely feel and celebrates the kind of soft minimalism that always appeals to me.
Finally, I have to mention the on-site cafe, Little Petra. Located on the ground floor and named after Viggo Boesen’s classic 1938 chair, it’s always open to the public (the rest of the showroom is normally by appointment only) and serves up delicious breakfasts, brunches and lunches. It spills out into a leafy courtyard – adorned with another new product by Space Copenhagen, the ‘Hurricane’ lantern – and also now has a lounge area where you can linger over coffee or food. Definitely one to bookmark when you next head to Copenhagen!
Images 8-10, 15-17, 19, 20, 30-33 and 38 courtesy of &Tradition; all other photography by Abi Dare
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