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      Jens Quistgaard Around The Table celebrates legacy of “world-famous unknown Dane”

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      An exhibition during 3 Days of Design showcased the vast archive of Jens Quistgaard, who is one of Denmark’s most successful designers, despite being relatively unknown.

      Quistgaard, who passed away in 2008, was responsible for bringing Scandinavian design to homes across America.
      As chief designer for US-based homeware manufacturer and retailer Dansk Designs for three decades, he designed more than 4,000 objects, many distributed to hundreds of stores nationwide.
      Jens Quistgaard Around The Table showcased furniture and tableware by the late Danish designerQuistgaard’s name is nowhere near as well known as the products he designed, so his contribution to Danish design history is largely unrecognised.
      With Jens Quistgaard Around The Table, archive consultancy Form Portfolios hoped to promote a wider appreciation of this “world-famous unknown Dane”.

      The exhibition was on show at Form Portfolios’ Copenhagen office for 3 Days of Design.
      A dining table showcased many of the products Quistgaard developed for Dansk Designs”With his 30-year collaboration with Dansk, Quistgaard was the design genius behind the scenes of that seminal brand,” said Mark Masiello, CEO and founder of Form Portfolios.
      “He was more committed to bringing Scandinavian modern design into American homes than building his own design legacy,” he told Dezeen.
      Quistgaard’s series of sculptural peppermills was displayed on the wallQuistgaard was recruited in 1954 by Dansk Designs founders Martha and Ted Nierenberg, who were impressed by a cutlery set that the designer had previously developed.
      Many of the designs that Quistgaard produced for the brand were tableware and kitchenware, which is why Form Portfolios made a dining table the focal point of its exhibition.
      The designer developed more than 4,000 objects in his 30 years at Dansk DesignsThe table provided display space for dozens and dozens of Quistgaard-designed objects, including plates, cutlery, candleholders, glasses, cooking pots, jugs and more.
      Behind the table, rows of shelves accommodated a series of sculptural peppermills.

      Crafting the Present reveals manufacturing techniques behind mid-century furniture classics

      As the designs for which Quistgaard is most likely to be remembered, these turned-wood peppermills recall the shapes of familiar objects, from chess pieces to pieces of fruit.
      “The peppermill designs clearly show the love of sculpture that flows through Quistgaard’s work,” said Masiello.
      The exhibition was on show for 3 Days of Design”His daughter, Henriette Quistgaard, said he hoped the peppermills on their own could be the beginnings of great dinner conversations,” he stated.
      The exhibition also featured larger objects, including a handful of furniture designs. Masiello pointed to the Stokke Armchair (1965) and the Sculptors Chair (2004) as being particularly noteworthy.
      The Sculptors Chair was among the furniture works on display”I find his creative range so inspiring,” Masiello said. “Working with different materials and object types, he was always pushing his design practice to new frontiers.”
      “He is more well known for the kitchen objects, but he was always exploring other designs too, including chairs, stools and tables,” he continued.
      Many of the objects were sourced from Quistgaard’s former homeThe show was curated in collaboration with Stig Guldberg, author of the monograph Jens Quistgaard: The Sculpting Designer, which was published by Phaidon in 2023.
      Many of the exhibits were sourced from the home where the designer spent his final years, a farmhouse on the outskirts of Copenhagen where Henriette Quistgaard still lives today.
      Original sketches featured alongside the objects”My father was a visionary of design, bridging the old world of craftsmanship into the new world of manufacturing,” Henriette said.
      “It is thrilling to see the full body of his life’s work being shown.”
      Jens Quistgaard Around the Table was on show from 12 to 14 June as part of 3 Days of Design. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
      The photography is by Sofie Hvitved.

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      Eight pared-back and elegant Scandinavian kitchen designs

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve collected eight peaceful kitchens with Scandinavian design details, in homes including a chalet in Belgium and a forest retreat in Sweden.

      Plenty of wood and stone, minimalist details and practical solutions make these eight interiors from across the world good examples of Scandinavian kitchen design.
      As well as being stylish, the pared-down interiors make for functional, clutter-free kitchens where it is easy to find and use all the items needed to make a meal in a relaxing atmosphere.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring outdoor showers, interiors with exposed services and Milanese homes with eye-catching material palettes.
      Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenForest Retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects

      Architecture studio Norm Architects designed this kitchen in a traditional Swedish timber cabin using oakwood to create a warm feel.
      Its discrete handleless low-lying cupboards have plenty of storage space, while a stone splashback is both decorative and functional. A black tap adds graphic contrast.
      Find out more about Forest Retreat ›
      Photo by Julian WeyerVilla E, Denmark, by CF Møller Architects
      A carved lightwell brings light into this sundrenched kitchen in a villa in Denmark. The brick tiles that clad the kitchen wall give the room a tactile feeling.
      The floor of the open-plan kitchen is made from herringbone parquet, a style often seen in living room that here gives the kitchen area a more luxurious feel.
      Find out more about Villa E ›
      Photo by Jesper WestblomStockholm apartment, Sweden, by Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor
      This Stockholm flat might be the exception that proves the rule when it comes to Scandinavian kitchen design – that it has to be designed using discrete colours and materials.
      Instead, local studio Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor chose a pale lilac hue for the kitchen, which nevertheless features wooden details in the form of a table and chairs. An orange pendant light contrasts nicely with the monochrome kitchen.
      Find out more about Stockholm apartment ›
      Photo by Anders SchønnemannVipp Pencil Factory, Denmark, by Vipp
      Danish homeware brand Vipp used one of its own modular kitchens for Vipp Pencil Factory, a pop-up supper club in Copenhagen.
      The dark-brown wood, commonly used in Scandinavian kitchens, contrasts against the grey concrete walls of the former pencil factory and is complimented by glass cabinets and a marble benchtop.
      Find out more about Vipp Pencil Factory ›
      Photo by Itay BenitHabima Square apartment, Israel, by Maayan Zusman
      Local designer Maayan Zusman renovated this apartment in Tel Aviv using plenty of Scandinavian brands and details, including lamps by Gubi and chairs by Ferm Living.
      A pared-back colour palette and Crittal windows that let the light in also give the kitchen a slightly industrial feel.
      Find out more about Stockholm apartment ›
      Photo by Jeroen VerrechtChalet, Belgium, by Graux & Baeyens Architecten
      This 1960s chalet in Belgium features light-filled living spaces, including a wood-and-stone kitchen that has plenty of storage spaces and large windows that open up towards a lush garden.
      Even the kitchen fan has a plywood cover to ensure it matches the rest of the space.
      Find out more about the Belgian chalet ›
      Photo by Johan DehlinSaltviga House, Norway, by Kolman Boye Architects
      Nicknamed the “house of offcuts” because it has a facade made of offcuts of wooden flooring material, this weekend retreat in Lillesand, Norway, has a kitchen with a view.
      The Scandinavian kitchen design is underlined by the use of Danish furniture brand Carl Hansen & Søn’s classic CH24 Wishbone chairs, which have been placed around a wooden dining table.
      Find out more about Saltviga House ›
      Photo by Jim StephensonThe Hat House, Sweden, by Tina Bergman
      Located in the forested landscape of Tänndalen in western Sweden, The Hat House has a traditional Swedish kitchen with an entirely wood-lined interior.
      To save space, a small floating shelf was used to provide open storage, rather than cupboards. Contrasting dark black and grey colours were used for the splashback as well as the kitchen island.
      Find out more about The Hat House ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring outdoor showers, interiors with exposed services and Milanese homes with eye-catching material palettes.

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