Copenhagen 10 Cult | A Solar Daytime Amongst &Tradition
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
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It's been over a calendar month since I travelled to Copenhagen but I clearly recollect the excitement every bit I laid off on human foot to see the abode of &Tradition, on i of my pattern days inwards partnership alongside Cult. Just a curt walk from my hotel, I knew I'd arrived the minute I stepped into the courtyard of the 1913 townhouse too saw a cluster of Formakami pendant lamps, designed for &Tradition yesteryear Jaime Hayon. Located across from the King's Garden inwards the middle of the city, the showroom is designed to welcome visitors into a real-life setting, too to discovery the inspiring collection of slice of furniture too lighting, which includes a mix of classic pieces dating dorsum to the 1930s, through to nowadays solar daytime designs.
Spanning 4 stories, alongside a sweeping staircase too beautifully preserved architectural detailing, the showroom includes the Lille Petra Café, consummate alongside outdoor seating inwards the beautiful plant-filled courtyard. Opting for a cosy location within due to moisture weather, I go got to examination out the Little Petra chair, i my favourite pieces from &Tradition. Designed inwards 1938 yesteryear Viggo Boesen, its depression summit too textural upholstery makes it thus warm too embracing. After a total tour of the showroom, I sat downward alongside &Tradition Founder too CEO Martin Kornbek Hansen to detect out to a greater extent than virtually the company, including how it connects the yesteryear alongside the nowadays yesteryear relaunching iconic pieces from the Danish pattern greats, spell cultivating relationships alongside electrical flow designers to create 'future classics'.
You founded &Tradition inwards 2010. Can you lot part a footling virtually your background too the path that led to you lot launching your ain pattern company.
I grew upward alongside design, producing too making character products, non for the household unit of measurement brand, but for other suppliers. Then inwards 2008 I genuinely wanted to start my ain business. Throughout my whole life I've had a passion for classic pieces, too I bought the rights to the Flowerpot, which was the starting signal of &Tradition. For me, it has ever been the story-telling approach to the production that I detect real interesting. Making products that are non alone majority produced but where nosotros are genuinely inwards the procedure from the offset to the end. I detect that genuinely interesting.
Tell us to a greater extent than virtually the Flowerpot (designed yesteryear Verner Panton inwards 1968) too how the work organisation grew from the relaunch of this iconic design.
I bought the rights to the Flowerpot inwards guild to start my ain business. The problem, which I found real quickly, is that Flowerpot was such a rigid icon, it was thus hard to launch novel products alongside novel designers! So the whole thought for &Tradition was to create a prepare that was stronger than the products. A platform where nosotros tin receive got both novel products too classic pieces.
Not alone receive got you lot achieved this, you lot at i time offering a mix of products dating dorsum to 1930’s, through to nowadays solar daytime designs. How exercise you lot strike a residual betwixt the two?
I mean value it’s a real hard residual actually, too I’m non a individual who is a large fan of simply relaunching products for the sake of it, but I am a large fan of finding products that are however relevant. So for me it does involve to live 50/50, but if the production is however relevant for the market, I don’t desire to exercise it every bit a novel design. I’d rather accept the quondam pattern too reintroduce it. Then nosotros endeavor to railroad train novel products alongside designers where nosotros are trying novel production methods or techniques, or trying things that were non possible inwards the quondam days. So for me, that’s the interesting affair also, that nosotros usage novel products to force the boundaries of the past. Take the quondam classic products too lay it inwards to a contemporary context, where nosotros mix it.
So where exercise you lot run across &Tradition plumbing equipment within the Danish Danish landscape? Is it 'New Nordic' or does it sit down alongside the to a greater extent than traditional brands?
I genuinely promise nosotros don’t sit down inwards i of those, for me it’s much to a greater extent than of import alongside &Tradition that nosotros are globally focused. We are Scandinavian from our heritage, nosotros grew upward alongside the simplicity, the abide by for the material. We are proud of it, it's however a natural business office of our life, but I mean value it’s also prissy to operate alongside designers from other countries. Someone that is also challenging our past. For me that's what’s exciting virtually it, working alongside the designers too getting a footling away from the Scandinavian.
With that inwards mind, is Scandinavia however your biggest market? Where else are you lot focused on? We're real excited virtually the Cult launch inwards New Zealand!
Scandinavia has been our biggest marketplace position but we’re also establishing ourselves globally. We are across Europe, too we’ve started upward inwards Asia Pacific, alongside a showroom inwards Shanghai. Our aim at i time is to teach unopen to the clients, too that I mean value is an exciting journey.
You collaborate alongside renowned designers similar Space Copenhagen. Do you lot also operate alongside emerging designers?
We are looking for novel designers all the time, but I detect it to a greater extent than of import to operate alongside designers where you lot also prepare a relationship. More too to a greater extent than our companionship is built on partnerships, too it takes a long fourth dimension to teach to know the designers, too a long fourth dimension for the designers to teach to know your brand. I’m non a large fan of having tonnes on novel designers, but I would similar the correct designers that nosotros run across a hereafter with, that nosotros thus operate deeper with.
So would you lot state that i time you lot prepare that relationship, each projection becomes easier inwards price of communication too processes?
Yes, too you lot go yesteryear away stronger because in that location are a lot of pattern brands on the marketplace position today too they all operate alongside the same designers, thus nosotros involve somehow to create our ain agency of collaborating alongside the designers.
How exercise you lot create upward one's remove heed when to launch novel products, or is it to a greater extent than of an organic process? If so, does this operate ameliorate from a creative signal of view?
It's an organic procedure that nosotros are trying to construction a footling chip now. It's ever inwards that dynamic procedure inwards the beginning, but at some signal alongside the arrangement you lot involve to construction it. So the business office I am generally involved inwards is organic, but thus it comes from the to a greater extent than talented people where they construction it!
Of course of report in that location are periods where in that location are to a greater extent than launches thus others, but I mean value the tendency is going away from Fair launches. In the yesteryear we’ve had large fairs too launches, but it's going to live to a greater extent than too to a greater extent than local, too through the depression season, too that's why we've opened upward thirteen showrooms now. The thought is to stand upward for our products inwards the showroom too invite people in. Our thought is genuinely to endeavor too teach closer to a to a greater extent than personal relationship, too I mean value that's also how nosotros differentiate ourselves from what the traditional pattern businesses are doing.
Something that ever strikes me when I prepare it inwards Copenhagen is the colourful buildings, too I tin run across these colours are used throughout your beautiful showroom. How does color jibe into the &Tradition Universe?
I'm genuinely glad I operate alongside people who are ameliorate at colours than me! I'm non genuinely skillful at that! I'm much to a greater extent than into materials too textures.
Do you lot mean value that tactility stems from your upbringing, surrounded yesteryear the production side of things?
Yes, I mean value it's prissy too interesting how you lot tin mix textures too materials, too when you lot speak upholsteries or wood. That for me is exciting. But I also mean value what's interesting alongside Scandinavian brands - nosotros usage mayhap to a greater extent than colours than average – is that I mean value nosotros however sell mainly the white, or greyness or dark colours, similar they exercise everywhere else. So it's simply awaking your emotions.
Yes, it's the same inwards NZ. I mean value people simply experience safer sticking alongside neutral colours, peculiarly when investing inwards large pieces.
Yes! I mean value alongside the globe we're living in, it goes thus fast too thus when you're at abode you lot desire something to a greater extent than classic too simple.
Last fourth dimension I was inwards Copenhagen I visited your previous showroom during 3daysofdesign. Also beautiful, it was a real different, to a greater extent than contemporary space. Tell us virtually the modify of location...
The quondam identify was nice, but in that location wasn't a lot of working infinite there. So to live practical nosotros needed to move, but it was also hard to live real “homey”.
Yes, it was skillful for a party! (&Tradition hosted the business office at the halt of 3daysofdesign)
Yes! It was skillful for parties! But at i time nosotros are inwards a classic edifice located inwards the pump of Copenhagen too we’ve created a showroom much similar a home. We opened upward our ain café named Lille Petra, because nosotros desire the populace to experience our products inwards existent life too inwards a existent setting. We wanted to prepare it to a greater extent than available for the public, too since it's thus central, it's prissy for people that know or don't know design... everyone tin come upward in.
Photography yesteryear Michelle for TDC
Following the interview, I spent fourth dimension alongside the lovely &Tradition PR Manager Morgane Paulissen, who took me to some notable pattern destinations inwards Copenhagen. This included a see to the iconic SAS Royal Hotel (now the Radisson Blue Royal Hotel) designed inwards 1960 yesteryear Arne Jacobsen. Here nosotros had a tour of the at i time famous Room 606. The alone room inwards the hotel that has been preserved, it pays tribute to the incredible operate of Arne Jacobsen.
Photography yesteryear Michelle Halford for TDC
Carrying out the recent renovations of the hotel, Space Copenhagen created the Loafer collection for &Tradition, peculiarly for the redesign. Seen hither inwards the stunning hotel lounge, they wanted to pattern a slice of slice of furniture that could create a feel of intimacy inwards the real opened upward space. It also nods to the signature spiral staircase too the circular columns.
Returning to the Lille Petra Café for afternoon tea, (where nosotros also enjoyed a delicious luncheon earlier), I experience lucky to receive got had such a wonderful solar daytime alongside &Tradition!
Next upward for the prepare is the opening their foremost retail infinite inwards the pump of Aarhus. Set to showcase a wide-ranging collection of timeless pieces too contemporary designs, alongside interiors designed yesteryear Studio David Thulstrup, I'm looking forwards to sharing it alongside you lot soon!
To detect out to a greater extent than virtually the prepare accept a await here, too visit www.andtradition.com.