From the 4 – 8 February, Icons of Denmark exhibited for the first time at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. The fair brings together the best of Scandinavian design as well as established international brands with a presence in the Nordic region.

For Icons’ first year exhibiting, we addressed the question many people ask each other on a regular basis – “How is Work?”. With the average British person spending 3,507 days at work throughout their life, we wanted to know how our clients experience work and in turn how we can improve it for them.

To do this, we asked our audience to engage with our collection which has been created to support the modern workplace and the various activities in which we participate.

The workplace is where we learn, focus and collaborate but, good or bad, many factors determine how much we enjoy our work. With this in mind, we created a collection which contributes to our enjoyment by offering comfortable, supportive and functional furniture which doesn’t compromise on style or the principles of Danish design.

An interview with Jesper Jensen and 365 Design

365DESIGN, a Danish publication that focuses on the Scandinavian furniture market met with Jesper Jensen during the fair. Here are a few snippets from the interview:

“For the first time, Icons of Denmark are exhibiting at Stockholm Furniture Fair. 365DESIGN spoke with the owner, Jesper Møllgaard Jensen, about the company he started 10 years ago as an agency in London, with the goal of selling Danish furniture design to British architects and designers. With clients such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, it goes to show that the interest and demand for Icons of Denmark can be worldwide, with a new direction they are expanding into Scandinavia, the original inspiration for the brand.”

“We are proud to take the first step into the Scandinavian market with our new Nordic director of sales, Birthe Barner-Hansen. Birthe brings a wealth of experience and expertise from her many years in the furniture industry”, comments the owner. Most recently Barner-Hansen secured projects with Carlsberg and Danske Bank.”

Addressing the open plan office

While the open plan office hasn’t failed, a more diverse approach to workplace design and furniture is required. The one size fits all approach to workplace design has been questioned for some time now, and with an increased interest in acoustic products, phone booths and designing for privacy, manufacturers are responding to these workplace needs.

Around the halls at Stockholm Furniture Fair many exhibitors had unique and intelligent answers to reinvent the traditional office cubicle. Our own iteration took the form of an angled iron frame with our new system called 4T, integrating our Bank Sofa and Table, creating an architectural structure which can be individually designed based on the needs of the user. With this only being the first iteration of the system, the possibilities for addressing the issues in workplace design are endless – from integrating our Kant table for a workstation to applying acoustic panelling for cubicles and adjustable meeting rooms. Watch this space!

The launch of the Crossover series

Another first for Icons was the launch of the Crossover chair series. With the prototype shown initially in September 2019, we analysed the feedback from clients and optimised the chair to find the final design. Designed by Hans Thyge & Co, Crossover is a hybrid of two concepts – the ergonomics and functionality of a task chair combined with the sophisticated profile of a meeting chair. The result is a unique design: an all-day chair that draws the eye and provides comfort for the spectrum of work activities.

When seated, Crossover responds to the natural postures of your body with a synchronised tilt mechanism. This connects your movements with the chair and cradles different postures throughout the day. To keep things effortless, Crossover is weight-activated and has only two manual adjustments for seat height and tilt activation.

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who came by our stand at the fair. We hope you enjoyed visiting us as much as we enjoyed exhibiting! For more updates or highlights, follow our Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin!

Thanks to our partners at New Works, Ellis Ellis, Lintex and Massimo for providing the lighting and accessories.

Until next time.