It is time to talk about the Scandinavian design event 3 Days of Design (3DD). Do you want a grumpy report or a naïve optimistic report? I will try to keep a balance.
Launched in 2013 by four Danish brands, 3DD has grown into a sprawling design marathon. This year, it hosted nearly 470 exhibitions and drew over 60,000 visitors, all under the warm June sun of Copenhagen. It has, over time, become everything Stockholm Furniture Fair wishes it still was. And compared to Milan this even has no lines. No chaos. An app that (mostly) works. And perhaps most impressively: a citywide layout you can actually walk.
Everyone loves 3DD. Swedish fair Stockholm Furniture Fair is getting smaller and less important, and the Danes have all agreed on focusing on the Copenhagen event rather than scatter around at Milan, Cologne etc. If a Danish company is doing a marketing activity during a year – it is here. And there are plenty of Danish brands… And now they have the Finns, the Norwegians, the Swedes and even the Icelandics. This is truly a Scandinavian design event.
Being Swedish and seeing Copenhagen running a better event than my local Stockholm Furniture Fair, I am of course a bit jealous. Of course. And they do it so well. 3DD is one of the design weeks with a working app with interactive map. They still manage to hold off the hang around design brands like the car exhibitions and shallow fashion events we see in Milan. 3DD is all about interior design. And the international visitors are here. Americans, Australians, all over the world.
And now to the critical part. I would say that this year was a bit messy. Is it a communication thing? Has the design week grown too much and too fast? 469 exhibitors compared to last year’s just around 400 exhibitors. Of course it is difficult to see 469 exhibitions in three days. A lot started already the day before, on the Tuesday. Official press groups arrived already on the Monday. And not everyone was told. Meaning that they missed the whole press thing. The app (that I love) pointed out some addresses at the wrong direction.
A few cracks have begun to show in the event’s previously seamless façade. Key players like Etage Projects and Frama opted out of the official programme entirely, instead launching side events that quietly questioned the need for institutional alignment. The unofficial “Other Circle” exhibition brought together 40 respected brands—including CC Tapis, No Ga and Meritalia—outside the festival’s framework. It begs the question: are we witnessing the beginning of a parallel culture?
And then there’s the content itself. Let’s be honest: many of the big names fell flat. Kvadrat, Fritz Hansen, Finn Juhl—the pantheon of Danish design royalty—offered impeccably executed, technically sound, utterly forgettable launches. Even Artek and Marimekko’s joint effort barely registered above a shrug. Within my international network of trend analysts (yes, we have a WhatsApp group), the consensus was clear: 2025 is the Year of the Superbland.
Last year’s poetic high—Faye Toogood’s installations—set a tone that, sadly, was not matched this year. This time around, too many major exhibitors seemed to have played it safe, prioritising product over story.
But not all is lost. There were bright, creative sparks: Adorno’s collective was a welcome presence. Tableau returned with newfound clarity and impact. The Mindcraft team wowed with “Functional Clay,” a refreshingly conceptual take on utility. Lee Broom’s exhibition was a sensory masterclass, and Louis Poulsen’s gamble on a sculptural collaboration with Henrik Vibskov paid off with bravado. The Norwegian pavilion at “Other Things” also stood tall—playful, smart, and genuinely new.
So where does that leave us? 3DD remains the undisputed heavyweight of Scandinavian design weeks. It is both small and large enough — intimate yet global. But this year revealed the early warning signs of bloat, the beginnings of institutional complacency, and a worrying loss of surprise from some of the scene’s stalwarts.
Still, Copenhagen has the infrastructure, the energy, and the weather. What it needs now is a bit more soul from the giants, and continued rebellion from the fringes.
Oh—and next year, perhaps send the press invite? Yes, let’s not delve into the fact that the organisers forgot to invite me and I ended up staying at a youth hostel…
Some random favourites below.
Something old, something new, something folk
The things that makes my heart race, are one way or another associated with upcycle, reuse or plain old vintage stuff. I would say that this most likely is beacause we need authenticity but it is also a way of looking at “stuff”. We have enough of things, and we need more stories and reuse.
Danish brand Eilersen celebrated 130 years with worn and torn pieces. You can see that these pieces have been loved. Nice touch.
Studio 91 92 participated both at Adorno and the building that hosted Material Matters. I loved how they took generic flea market lamps and added 3D printed lampshades. Love.
These generic vases from the 70s are updated by Norwegian Kristine Five Melvaer at Other Circle.
Continuing this thing where old meets new. Here at the French exhibition at the French Embassy. There were a lot of antiquities at 3 Days of Design.
Contemporary tapestry at Adorno.
The amazing installation by Lee Broom with vintage atmosphere.
Filth to make you react
In a world of blandness we aim for the easy way out. Any reaction is a good reaction. Both at Rue Vert and at Functional Clay we saw cigarette buts. And of course the magazine about Cocaine is provoking.
Bland colours
So, it’s the year of bland. And so are colours. Don’t get me wrong. I love a neutral colour palette. But every now and then we need a pop of colour. Colour brands like Muuto and Hay showed colours leaning towards a beige hue. Picture above from Hay.
Normann Copenhagen did the same.
Even colour and tile lovers at File under Pop went for a brown, beige hue.
I think Norm Architects and Audo did a fantastic job or working with darker tones and still make it interesting.
Amazing creativity
But a design week, like the one in Copenhagen, is not only about looking at shapes, materials and colours. It’s also about falling in love with someone’s creativity. Here are some examples that stood out.
Louis Poulsen invited fashion designer Henrik Vibskov to do this red installation. I don’t know what it is, but it is big, red and beautiful.
Alpi booked a museum. Here is an installation at Thorvaldsen Museum. Amazing.
I said it above. I am so happy that Julius and his team at Tableau is back. He is such a force. He is working with all the strange, unusual and unique designers in Europe. A wood vase by Swedish Niklas Runesson. And Dutch favourite Laurids Gallee. Strange and wonderful.
I am also very fond of the Mindcraft team. They work with innovative craft. Above are pieces by Claydies. You can drink coffee and play the coffee cup like a trumpet. Or as a whistle. Loooooove. And sooooo strange.
Not deliberatley strange, but strange. Australian brand Bankston +YSG made these handles out of natural wood. No dye.
And of course always, always Helle Mardahl.