Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2019 | Part 2

For the second part of my round-up from 3 Days of Design (you can see the first here), I’m focusing on three collaborations which draw on influences from Scandinavia and Japan. The two cultures’ shared emphasis on simplicity, nature and traditional crafts mean it’s a natural pairing, and the last few years have seen all sorts of projects involving designers and inspiration from both. All of the below are truly beautiful examples – I hope you like them as much as I did…

Karimoku Case Study

First up is Karimoku Case Study, a new lifestyle brand developed by Japanese wooden furniture manufacturer Karimoku, Copenhagen-based Norm Architects and Tokyo design studio Keiji Ashizawa. For 3 Days of Design it transformed the Kinfolk Gallery into a tranquil sanctuary, inspired by the temples and gardens of Japan and brimming with natural textures, earthy tones and organic shapes.

I instantly fell for Karimoku’s elegant and understated collection, which includes daybeds, sofas, tables, chairs and shelving units in oak, maple and walnut. It was exhibited alongside accessories and artwork from a range of Danish creatives, among them handmade leather boxes by August Sandgren and reading material from independent bookshop Cinnober. I particularly liked the sculptural ceramics by Turi Heisselberg Pedersen and the decorative wall hangings by Sara Martinsen, who weaves strips of ash veneer into intricate patterns. And everything was finished off beautifully thanks to dried foliage arrangements from flower shop TABLEAU and tactile fabric from Kvadrat.

The Table Project

Another Japanese-Scandinavian collaboration launched during 3 Days of Design was ‘The Table Project’ – a collection of tableware from Skagerak, All the Way to Paris and renowned Japanese porcelain brand 1616 / Arita Japan. It was created by Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara, who reinterpreted illustrations from Arita’s 400-year-long archive using stencils and negative space. The result is a set of 100 pieces that are hand-painted in red, blue and brown and can be mixed in endless combinations. In addition, All The Way To Paris worked with Japanese tenugui producer Kamawanu, who uses a traditional dyeing technique called chusen, to create complementary tenugui cloths.

The press preview of ‘The Table Project’ also gave me the chance to have a look around Skagerak’s beautiful showroom, which is flooded with natural light and backed by a lush garden where I could have happily spent all day lounging in the sun!

Frama x House of Grey 

Finally, Frama opened a new exhibition in its Copenhagen studio store (a former apothecary built in 1878). Called ‘Senses’, it was created in collaboration with UK interior designer Louisa Grey, whose stunning London home I featured last year. Her aim was to help visitors escape the hurried pace of modern life and reconnect with nature, and the result is a sensory journey that takes clear inspiration from Japan. There’s a sand garden, a sound and scent room featuring Frama’s latest fragrance, a relaxation area with a wooden Japanese bath, a meditation zone with textured stones sourced from local quarries, and beautiful displays created from dried grasses. The overall effect is somehow both soothing and energising at the same time, and I absolutely loved it.

Frama also used 3 Days of Design to unveil a new space above the  store, which consists of workspaces, a kitchen, a guest bedroom and a bathroom. All showcase Frama’s minimalist, geometric style but have a wonderful rawness about them, too. I was very taken with the way the walls have been stripped back, revealing layers of textured plaster that contrast beautifully with the sleek lines of the furniture. The whole thing is perfectly imperfect, and very calming to boot.

All photography by Abi Dare