Northmodern 2016: Scandinavian creative players gather for fair’s third edition
Now heading toward its fourth edition, ever-growing Copenhagen design fair Northmodern recently returned with a rich selection of design talent, independent brands and an international roster of creative players.
Taking over two halls of the city's Bella Centre (which is soon planned to become the anchor for a new district including residential buildings, workshop spaces and commercial venues) the fair is a biannual event that looks at establishing a commercial and creative hub for European design. Over 300 companies, design studios and brands had a strong presence at the recent fair, making it the region's number one emerging platform for creative conversations.
Brands such as Muuto, Menu and Ferm Living presented collections, sharing the vast space with younger players such as Friends and Founders, Vienna-based duo chmara.rosinke and lighting design studio Truly Truly (who were also responsible for illuminating installations across the fair).
While commercial ventures were shown in one hall, a second space was dedicated to more staunchly independent talent and local design schools. In particular, a celebration of Scandinavian design heritage came from the Copenhagen Technical College’s annual Branching Out project. Inviting leading Danish designers and craftsmen to work with students from the school, the project presents a new direction for Danish design: one that pays tribute to its rich history while embracing contemporary leanings.
Northmodern will regroup for its next show from 18–20 August. Wallpaper* will see you there.
Taking over two halls of the city’s Bella Centre, the fair is a biannual event that looks at establishing a commercial and creative hub for European design Pictured: ’Upside Down’ collection, a graduate of Delft Technical University’s Industrial Design department
More lighting designs
Danish brand Friends and Founders returned to the fair with graphic works and techical textiles
More work
’Planets’ mirrors, by the Czech Studio Revír. The studio was founded by Martina Kleinová and Miroslav Nachlinger, both graduates of the Faculty of Art and Design in Ústí nad Labem
’Moirè’ lights and concrete chair
’Hopper’ carpet beater
Chair
Vases
Sculptural vases
’Kram’ chair participants on Copenhagen Technical College’s annual Branching Out project
’Spine’ lounger
’18° Stool’, created as a collaboration between O&M Design and Adam Holst Hoffbeck for Branching Out
Sofa
’FuncTure Side Table’, winner of the FSC Design Awards
Via Design graduate Laura Bilde’s geometric pieces
Also the result of the Branching Out project was this modular sofa by Lisbeth Kamstrup-Holm and Julius Victor Schneevoigt
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Northmodern’s website
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
At its academy, Prada sets an agenda for the future: ‘Technology cannot replace the ability to work with your hands’Wallpaper* takes a trip to the Prada Group Academy in Scandicci, Tuscany, where Prada CEO Andrea Guerra and CMO Lorenzo Bertelli outline the future of Italian craft on the institution’s 25th anniversary
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Hunker down in a perfectly equipped work-from-home hub this winterIf your WFH set-up needs an upgrade, or if you need to kit out a new small business from scratch, we’ve got you covered
-
Rains Amsterdam is slick and cocooning – a ‘store of the future’Danish lifestyle brand Rains opens its first Amsterdam flagship, marking its refined approach with a fresh flagship interior designed by Stamuli
-
Three lesser-known Danish modernist houses track the country’s 20th-century architectureWe visit three Danish modernist houses with writer, curator and architecture historian Adam Štěch, a delve into lower-profile examples of the country’s rich 20th-century legacy
-
Is slowing down the answer to our ecological challenges? Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 thinks soCopenhagen’s inaugural Architecture Biennial, themed 'Slow Down', is open to visitors, discussing the world's ‘Great Acceleration’
-
This cathedral-like health centre in Copenhagen aims to boost wellbeing, empowering its usersDanish studio Dorte Mandrup's new Centre for Health in Copenhagen is a new phase in the evolution of Dem Gamles By, a historic care-focused district
-
This tiny church in Denmark is a fresh take on sacred spaceTiny Church Tolvkanten by Julius Nielsen and Dinesen unifies tradition with modernity in its raw and simple design, demonstrating how the church can remain relevant today
-
‘Stone, timber, silence, wind’: welcome to SMK Thy, the National Gallery of Denmark expansionA new branch of SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark, opens in a tiny hamlet in the northern part of Jutland; welcome to architecture studio Reiulf Ramstad's masterful redesign of a neglected complex of agricultural buildings into a world-class – and beautifully local – art hub
-
Discover Bjarke Ingels, a modern starchitect of 'pragmatic utopian architecture'Discover the work of Bjarke Ingels, a modern-day icon and 'the embodiment of the second generation of global starchitects' – this is our ultimate guide to his work
-
Step inside Rains’ headquarters, a streamlined hub for Danish creativityDanish lifestyle brand Rains’ new HQ is a vast brutalist construction with a clear-cut approach