A Shared Ethos – Total Design: A Culture of Togetherness by VOLA

In a conversation for VOLA on the culture of design in Denmark, Director of Designmuseum Denmark Anne-Louise Sommer and Jane Sandberg, CEO of ENIGMA, elaborate on how a connection to nature, emphasis on timelessness and appreciation for durable materials shape the characteristic Scandinavian approach to design.

“Design is the common denominator for everyone because it is something that we all have access to,” Anne-Louise reflects. While, she explains, this is true around the world, in Denmark, design is marked by a singular focus on the human experience. “[Danish design] is always something that evolves from a true need and the idea of the designer really focusing on who is going to use the design, and that is then how you find the proper solution – it is a very humanistic approach.” On this basis, the absence of ornamentation ensures each design is an expression of the way that it responds to a particular need and supports a particular function. As Anne-Louise says, “what is interesting about Denmark and the Nordic countries, we always have the humans as the starting point when you talk about design.”

“[Danish design] is always something that evolves from a true need and the idea of the designer really focusing on who is going to use the design, and that is then how you find the proper solution – it is a very humanistic approach.”

While an aesthetic of restraint and a purity of form characterise Danish design, the focus on natural materials and encouraging an interaction and a curiosity also underpins the approach. Jane explains how many Danish design classics were originally designed for public institutions, which reflects the cultural focus on design as a way of life. “With a strong focus on sustainable materials and a sense of architectural quality, the state has used public spaces to emphasise the story of Denmark as a country where design and design thinking is embedded in the way we do democracy.”

Many of the design classics that began life in public buildings have been readily taken up in domestic settings. It is a cross-pollination of function that reflects the typically understated and timeless Danish approach to design. Danes “are modest in expression and simple in choice of materials [that] do not attract immediate attention,” Jane says. Nevertheless, “the design also contains long-lasting qualities that see these products being passed from generation to generation – because they transcend time.”

Jane and Anne-Louise discuss how such a strong cultural emphasis has formed the foundation for a collaboration to thrive.

As a result of the shared ethos that permeates every aspect of Danish culture, the importance of design is felt throughout society. Jane and Anne-Louise discuss how such a strong cultural emphasis has formed the foundation for a collaboration to thrive. “In Danish, we have a saying that if two Danes meet, they form an association – meaning that we rarely do things on our own,” Jane says. “Danes have a strong trust in society and especially in what we Danes call ‘fællesskab’, meaning community – Danes build and design with human proportions in mind and with emphasis on community.”

As reflected in the Danish brand’s products, Anne-Louise and Jane’s conversation for VOLA highlights how design is a national concern in Denmark. With an emphasis on human experience, clearly identified needs, timeless forms, a pared-back aesthetic and robust materials, from the classics of the past to the concerns of today, it is an approach encompasses every facet of life.