Given the rate at which they launch new designs, it’s no surprise that one of our first postings after the long Summer break is about a whole host of new products from our Danish design favorites, Normann Copenhagen.
As always, the new products, with simple yet intriguing names such as Moon, Drop and Fusion, are the usual mix of stylish form and clever function with a small dose of humor thrown in for good measure. Normann Copenhagen also seem intent on enlisting the help of some of the more interesting designers not only from Scandinavia but from around the world. The latest series of products have been designed with the help of Herbert Krenchel, Matthias Demacker, Odoardo Fioravanti, Rikke Hagen and Jakob Helberg.
Take a look below at some of our favourites from the new additions to Normann Copenhagen’s already impressive line-up of products:
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Krenit: Salad bowl and serving set in black or white melamin designed by Herbert Krenchel.
Simplicity and balance is the essence of the Krenit series. More than 50 years after Herbert Krenchel, materials investigator and civil engineer designed the Krenit salad bowl and serving set, the minimalist design has been relaunched by Normann Copenhagen.
The Krenit salad bowl is inspired by the simple form language of the East, and the long pointed handles of the salad set reflect the traditional chopsticks. With a simple and clean expression, the Krenit series is a modern classic that lets function and aesthetics play perfectly together.
Herbert Krenchel says: “An article for everyday use must contain several aspects that play together and create the general impression. It is obvious that a salad bowl has its function, but I wanted to create a bowl which was so pretty that it could be placed in the sitting room as well. I am enthusiastic about forms and love materials. The structure of the surface is important because it makes the bowl attractive and inviting, and you feel like touching it. Krenit melamine has no decoration, and the black and white colourings together create a stress field.”
Moon: Lacquered steel dish designed by Matthias Demacker
Moon is a dish filled with holes, which breaks all the rules and takes tediousness out of the ordinary. It is an example of not always having to do what you are used to doing, and challenging conventional thinking while cultivating aesthetic awareness.
The inspiration for Moon came when Matthias Demacker was experimenting with different patterns and was inspired to break with regularity. Like the surface of the moon, Moon consists of lots of holes, which give an irregular pattern and cast a graphic shadow.
Matthias explains: ‘I sat and played with a loose combination of holes. The idea was to make a pattern without the regularity of a pattern. I got the idea for Moon after spending a whole day changing holes around. This way I got the idea for a dish spontaneously – from nearly nothing.”
Fusion: Cooking utensils designed by Odoardo Fioravanti. The set consists of Fusion Cooking Tongs, Fusion Cooking Ladle and Fusion Cooking Palette made in plastic and steel, usable for both cooking and serving.
New traditions require new design. The modern fusion kitchen draws inspiration from the entire world and mixes different cooking traditions together. That is why Odoardo Fioravanti has redesigned a series of traditional kitchen utensils. Fusion Cooking consists of a palette, ladle and tongs, useful both for cooking and serving.
Odoardo Fioravanti explains: “My approach towards design is to observe people’s actions and behaviour, although they constantly change. This is the basis for any new concept. As to Fusion Cooking, I had noticed how people mix different food cultures together and I decided to develop some utensils aimed at the fusion kitchen. I wanted traditional utensils to have a new form, which had not been seen before – as if they had evolved and some new species had been created. The name symbolises both the inspiration behind the design, as well as the fusion in the combination of materials.”
Drop: Dishes and bowl in glass designed by Rikke Hagen.
Hagen has created the Drop series for design lovers and for those who like simple Scandinavian style. The series is made up of two dishes and a bowl and takes its inspiration from a drop of water making perfectly round ripples in a pool of water
Rikke Hagen explains: “In my work, I swing between the sculptural and the functional. My style is simple and clean, and really very Scandinavian. It is the small variations that make the difference. Drop was designed due to a fascination for the dominant pattern that is created in water when a drop falls into it – a simple ripple, which makes a simple design”.
Herb Stand in plastic including stainless steel scissors, designed by Jakob Helberg.
Designer Jakob Heiberg has focused on function and utility, whilst still managing to create a design that is surprisingly different. Herb Stand organises your herbs and keeps them tidy, without being boring. Scissors and herbs are gathered together in one place, making it easy to season your food.
Jakob Heiberg explains: “I am very functional in my approach to design. I think it is fun, when you can add something new and different to a product, and thus give the design an extra quality. I wanted to design a product that you could have standing on your table. At the same time, it had to gather several uses around one function – keeping the herbs tidy and making them easy to use every day – which requires a pair of scissors.”
Some very clever designs. I really like the herb pot.
Posted by: Tracy | 03/10/2008 at 20:04