Day two from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen

The Dezeen team are reporting from the 10th edition of 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen (7-9 June). Read on for all the coverage from the second day (Thursday 8 June).

6:00pm A 30-metre dinner table awaits 80 guests in this collaboration between architecture and design studio Spacon & X and 3 Days of Design.

The table is made entirely from borrowed local materials including 1000 bricks from Petersen Tegl, which sit on a table structure made from old industrial shelving from Barlby Carlsson.

The chairs have been supplied by +Halle and the glassware is made from recycled glass from the medical and construction industries, designed by Pernille Bülow Re:Use.

The table is made up of ten tables representing ten years of 3 Days of Design. It will host the who's who of Copenhagen's design scene tonight.

"This table is only here for three days, so why get loads of new stuff when we can just borrow it?" says Spacon & X co-founder Nikoline Dyrup – Max Fraser 

5:30pm Also on the agenda at today's Materials of Tomorrow symposium (see 4.30pm update) was a discussion about the need for a "neo-regionalist" approach to sourcing materials.

We must not assume that bio is always good

Speaking on a panel with architect Kim Lenschow and Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum, Phil Ayres from CITA mycelium lab asked "what does it mean to be a sustainable material? We need to not jump on the bandwagon that bio is always good."

"If everyone rushes to use the same mycelium substrates, for example, the next waste stream to come out of that is just another monoculture."

Ayres implied that the scale of use of any one material is what creates the problems, not necessarily the material itself.

"It's too easy to say it’s biodegradable when we're talking about the global scale these things will be deployed at. We need to move into an era of neo-regionalism, whereby we must use locally appropriate resources in a move away from global homogeneity" – Max Fraser

5:00pm Copenhagen Carpenters' Guild has opened its annual Carpentry Craft/KBH exhibition at Moltke's Mansion, an 18th-century baroque building in the city's Frederiksstaden district.

The 469-year-old organisation supports local craft and production, and its annual exhibition brings together master craftspeople, apprentices and makers in a bid to highlight both traditional and innovative craft.

This year marks the organisation's second year showing as part of the official 3 Days of Design calendar – James Parkes

4:30pm At the Materials of Tomorrow symposium, Caroline Till cautioned in her keynote against the misuse of the term regenerative design.

We've got a bit of a crisis in the design industry

Till, who is the co-founder of research agency FranklinTill, told attendees "by definition, sustainability is about maintaining the status quo and we’ve gone past being able to do that".

"The conversation has started to shift towards regeneration: putting back better, restoring, replenishing."

Till continued "personally, I think we’ve got a bit of a crisis in the design industry. We use these terms, but what do they mean? What is the definition of regenerative and who has the right to use it?" – Sophie Chapman

4:00pm In a conversation moderated by Dezeen deputy editor Cajsa Carlson for Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen, a panel comprised of the brand's creative design director Marie-Louise Høstbo, artist and designer Jaime Hayon and architect Elisabeth Roberts spoke about wellbeing and the convergence of art, design and architecture.

When asked about their advice for architects, designers and brands who want to incorporate art and a sense of wellbeing into their work, the trio had some straightforward suggestions.

Break the rules

Roberts advocated for getting away from screens, going offline and finding inspiration in the natural and practical. Høstbo argued that it is vital to get out of your comfort zone, and Hayon ended on a straightforward note: "break the rules" – Cajsa Carlson

3:30pm French designer Aurelien Barbry and Danish designer Sinja Svarrer Damkjær have launched lamp collections for Le Klint.

Designed to encompass the DNA of the Danish brand on its 80th anniversary, both collections feature shades made using Le Klint's signature hand-folded paper techniques.

"I wanted to design something that is simple but with a little twist," Barbry explained, while Damkjær said that she drew reference from a "neatly packed bunch of flowers" – James Parkes

3:00pm Following our earlier reporting of Rolf Hay's comments about trade fairs (see 12:30pm entry) you can now read the full conversation Hay had with Dezeen's Max Fraser.

"Trade fairs are a completely irresponsible way of showing" says Rolf Hay at 3 Days of Design

Speaking from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, which doesn't include a main trade fair, Hay described the shows as "completely irresponsible" and said they are "not the way forward". Read more ›

2:30pm At the Mattiazzi presentation Dezeen spoke to Studio Œ, founded by Lisa Ertel and Anne-Sophie Oberkrome, about male-dominated design.

Bigger brands don't have the courage to work with young designers

"A lot of bigger brands don't have the courage to work with young designers and so it was great to see that Mattiazzi is taking these steps to work with young female designers,"  Studio Œ told Dezeen.

"I don't think that you can see from our work that we are female," they continued.

"If you see our pieces next to the chairs by Jasper Morrison, they are saying 'hey, we are here'. We don't have to hide behind it."

The Berlin-based design studio has launched MC23 OTO, a collection of benches manufactured by furniture brand Mattiazzi that take inspiration from architectural forms.

MC23 OTO was launched alongside a roster of furniture pieces by industry favourites including Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Foster + Partners – James Parkes

2:00pm At the brand's showroom, Ferm Living founder Trine Andersen and designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng spoke to Dezeen about their collaboration on the Dal Piece table.

Is it a piece of furniture or is it art?

Andersen and Øfstedal Eng discussed the design process, explaining how the choice of materials, handcrafting technique and shape of the table changed to create both a functional table and design object, and explained the importance of creating thought-provoking pieces.

"Is it a piece of furniture or is it art? We are, of course, a commercial company creating functional pieces, but we love to add a layer of something that isn't commercial; something that is there to create emotion or ask a question," Andersen said – Sophie Chapman 

1:30pm Following our preview in yesterday's live coverage, read more from our conversation with design studio GamFratesi, who told Dezeen that Copenhagen is becoming the "second biggest destination for design" after Milan.

"We have clients and press coming from the US, coming from the Far East; everybody that we met in Milan is basically travelling again to be in Copenhagen," said studio co-founder Enrico Fratesi.

"It's now not only the Danish brands, I can also see many Italian brands are participating. So it means that this is a very positive fair for many, many people."

The studio yesterday unveiled a "warm and friendly" portable speaker designed for Bang & Olufsen – marking its first foray into technological design.

"We wanted to create something that you really want to have in your home that expresses some kind of nature," said Gam.

Read more from our interview with GamFratesi's Enrico Fratesi and Stine Gam

1:00pm A centrepiece made up of furniture, objects and materials by Kristina Dam Studio is the subject of this still life drawing class, currently underway at the brand's showroom – James Parkes

12:30pm "There are more powerful ways to launch products than at trade shows."

Trade shows not the way forward – everyone can see that

Speaking to Dezeen at the brand's HAY House shop and showroom in central Copenhagen, HAY co-founder Rolf Hay told Dezeen that "trade shows are a completely irresponsible way of showing, by putting so much money, energy and materials into a display that is there for four or five days.

"It's not the way forward and I think everyone can see that."

When asked about his impressions of 3 Days of Design, he added: "This event is getting stronger and stronger and also more international. [It] is mainly done in permanent showrooms around the city, and they will all remain beyond this week. So it's definitely a more healthy way of showing" – Max Fraser

12:00pm Dutch textile designer Borre Akkersdijk, founder of ByBorre, spoke to Dezeen about his collaboration with Fogia. The Swedish brand has used textiles in custom colours from Akkersdijk's collection to give a distinct look to some of their designs.

Akkersdijk told Dezeen that he is "thrilled that Fogia are supportive of my wider mission to bring more transparency to the textile production supply chain" – Amy Frearson 

11:30am "A few years ago, I would talk to European designers who would aspire to move to London for work. Since Brexit, this has changed," Stockholm-based designer Luca Nichetto tells Max Fraser.

Since Brexit designers can enjoy a better quality of life in Copenhagen over London

"Increasingly designers talk about Copenhagen; a more liveable city that has a thriving design scene with prospects to earn a decent income and enjoy a better quality of life. I can see the appeal."

Nichetto is at 3 Days of Design to launch the Azores sofa and Sela lounge chair for De La Espada at Garde Hvalsøe showroom – Max Fraser

11:00am Argentinian designer Alfredo Häberli has reimagined Arne Jacobsen’s The Fried Egg and Hans Olsen’s Gesture chairs in a series of six playful colours and finishes for furniture brand Warm Nordic.

"Colour is something for me that is the first decoration, but it's something that you can add in a gentle way to respect an existing design, which in this case is not mine," Häberli told Dezeen.

Arne Jacobsen's iconic Fried Egg chair was recently featured in a painting of Mary, the Crown Princess of Denmark, which was presented by Warm Nordic founder Frantz Longhi at this morning's press preview.

"I thought maybe she would just sit on the chair with a huge dress covering the whole thing and you would only see the chair’s legs" – James Parkes

10:00am Danish design studio Christian + Jade has created an exhibition in collaboration with wood flooring manufacturer Dinesen that explores the density of wood and its significance and history as a commodity.

The Weight of Wood exhibition, which takes place at the Dinesen showroom as part of 3 Days of Design, was the result of a year-long research project commissioned by the brand's recently founded Dinesen Lab – James Parkes

9:00am Check out everything that took place on Day one from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen.

Kicking off day two, Danish furniture company Takt has launched Spoke Sofa, a sofa that can be fully disassembled and have its parts replaced and recycled.

Spoke Sofa, which is the brand's first sofa, was developed in collaboration with Norwegian studio Anderssen & Voll.

Rooted in circular principles, it aims to provide an alternative to conventional sofas, which are "notoriously wasteful," according to the brand.

Read more about Takt's flat-pack sofa "designed for repair"

To stay up to date, follow Dezeen live: 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, taking place from 7 to 9 June 2023. Check out what happened on Day one from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen. 

Dezeen Events Guide has created a 3 Days of the Design guide, highlighting the key events at the festival. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

All times are Copenhagen time.

The lead image is by James Parkes.