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Today, the studio is yet another high-profile
link in the Scandinavian design tradition in terms
of their use of natural materials, clean lines, and
sparse ornamentation.
The golden years of Scandinavian design were
the 1950s and 1960s, with Danes Arne Jacobsen,
Hans Wegner, Poul Kjærholm, and Børge Mogensen
propelling the phenomenon that became known as
Danish Modern.
“We haven’t gone for the New Nordic style
specifically, although obviously we’re a part of the
movement. We see it as something global, though,
just as the Scandinavian style of the Fifties and
Sixties was part of continental European modernism
and closely related to Bauhaus, de Stijl, and
Russian constructivism, which all developed in the
Twenties,” Bjerre-Poulsen says.
“But there’s something in our design culture
that’s born out of our connection to the Nordic
climate, to the crafts and the natural materials that
surround us, and that something makes us stand
out.”
In design history, classic Scandinavian design is
referred to as a more humane version of industrial
modernism.
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‘There’s something
in our design
culture that’s
born out of our
connection to the
Nordic climate,
the crafts and
natural materials
that surround
us, and that
something makes
us stand out’
T
he same cult of raw materials also puts
Denmark at the top of another list – the
list of the world’s best restaurants.
“The food scene in Scandinavia – led
by Noma in Copenhagen – has a close
relationship to the nature that surrounds it. This is
evident not only in the ingredients used, but also in
the way the food is served and presented, and in the
symbolism of the terroir,” Bjerre-Poulsen says.
And Norm Architects should know.
Along with the design company Menu and
restaurant chain Cofoco, they have opened Höst, an
extremely scaled-back New Nordic restaurant. Höst
is part of a huge corporate design effort carried out
on behalf of Menu, for which Norm Architects was
named Designer of the Year by Danish home decor
bible BoBedre.
“It’s nice to win, but I’m not sure what it means to
us in creative terms,” Bjerre-Poulsen says.
The work for Menu was carried out in record time
– just two years – and encompassed a completely
new mindset, product range, and even partnerships
with new designers, such as Danes Cecilie Manz and
Søren Rose, Brit Benjamin Hubert, and the Swedish
agencies Form Us With Love and Note Studio.
DECEMBER 2014 | SCANDINAVIAN TRAVELER