August 22, 2026 | DESIGN & INTERIORS
MY HIGHLIGHTS from 3daysofdesign 2026
words Maria Chiara Antonini
Navigating Copenhagen meant balancing two competing impulses: the fear of missing the one event everyone would be talking about and the desire to experience everything the festival had to offer—an impossible mission, of course.
The 2026 edition of 3daysofdesign, Northern Europe’s leading design event, was its biggest yet, with more than 400 events spread across eight districts. This year’s theme, Make This Moment Matter, called for a collective shift in design from quantity to meaning. Yet with an ever-growing number of brands joining the programme, choosing between exhibitions, installations and presentations became more challenging than ever—bringing with it that familiar design-week FOMO.
So when planning my itinerary, I deliberately chose to skip the brands I had already visited in previous months. Instead, I devoted my time to discovering the work of independent creative studios that are genuinely shaping today’s design landscape, while also taking the opportunity to visit installations by heritage brands whose legacy continues to inspire and whose ability to innovate and surprise remains as relevant as ever. Here is my personal selection.
CARL HANSEN & SØN
One of the great names in Danish design, Carl Hansen & Søn has remained family-owned since its founding. Renowned for its understated elegance and exceptional craftsmanship, the brand continues to honour its rich cultural and design heritage through a thoughtful balance of new launches and carefully reissued pieces drawn from its archives, many dating back to the 1950s.
Now led by Knud Erik Hansen, whom I have had the pleasure of interviewing several times over the years, Carl Hansen & Søn continues to look to the future without ever losing sight of its DNA. While visiting the brand’s beautifully curated showroom in the heart of Copenhagen, one piece in particular caught my attention: the return of the sculptural Scimitar Chair, originally introduced in 1963 and designed by the modernist duo Fabricius & Kastholm. A timeless design, it perfectly encapsulates the company’s enduring commitment to craftsmanship, innovation and furniture built to last.
VERNER PANTON
A visit to the striking Danish Architecture Center (DAC) is always a rewarding experience. Housed within BLOX—the dramatic glass-and-concrete building that appears to float above Copenhagen’s waterfront—the institution once again offered one of the festival’s most compelling exhibitions.
Among this year’s highlights was So Danish!, an installation celebrating the centenary of Verner Panton’s birth. Bringing together several of the designer’s most iconic works, the exhibition explored Panton’s vision of design as a complete spatial experience, where furniture, lighting and colour merge into a single expressive language. One element that particularly stood out to me was the installation of 81 Flowerpot pendants, suspended in a chandelier-like composition that transformed the lights into a sculptural floating landmark. Together with the furniture on display, the installation became a fitting tribute to Panton’s holistic approach to design—one that shaped interiors through the interplay of light, form and colour.
GEORG JENSEN
Taking on the role of Creative Director at a historic brand like Georg Jensen is no easy task: it requires finding the delicate balance between respecting the legacy of the house and the desire to introduce a completely new and distinctive vision. Since her appointment in 2024, Paula Gerbase has been navigating this challenge with remarkable sensitivity. By reinterpreting the heritage of the 122-year-old Danish silversmith through contemporary objects that combine exceptional craftsmanship with a sense of lightness and playfulness, she has brought a fresh perspective and renewed energy to Georg Jensen.
For this year’s 3daysofdesign, I liked how she transformed Højbro Plads into an elegant landscaped garden, creating the setting for a collection of handcrafted lawn games carved from walnut and made in Copenhagen. Among the highlights were a refined version of the traditional Danish kongespil, with wooden batons embellished with sterling silver motifs inspired by native wildlife, alongside a playful selection of collectible objects, from spinning tops to sterling silver yo-yos, all crafted by the brand’s master silversmiths.
HELLE MARDAHI
Continuing the playful theme, designer Helle Mardahl created an imaginary universe of pastel hues and endless reflections. Crossing the bright yellow entrance door of her Copenhagen studio, I felt instantly transported into a dreamlike world. Above me, Mardahl’s Bon Bon pendant lamps cascaded in soft pastel clusters, as though the ceiling itself had become a whimsical playground.
With the invitation Game On, the designer offered her own interpretation of how craftsmanship can evolve by embracing the logic of gaming. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant, pixelated universes of Candy Crush and Tetris, she imagined a world driven by curiosity and experimentation. Mouth-blown glass lights played with geometry, while mirrored surfaces multiplied colours and forms into an ever-shifting landscape of kaleidoscopic reflections.
TINA FREY
Another designer I had the opportunity to meet in Copenhagen was Tina Frey. Set within the timeless atmosphere of Nikolaj Church—transformed today into a contemporary exhibition space—the artist unveiled her new Cosmic Collection. Drawing inspiration from celestial movements, planetary shapes and the hypnotic geometry of concentric circles, Frey transformed everyday objects into sculptural creations that explored balance, movement and luminosity.
Moving beyond fleeting trends, her work pursues a more universal and enduring aesthetic, deeply connected to the organic patterns found in nature. Each piece reflected Tina Frey’s belief that simplicity represents the highest form of beauty. More than mere functional objects, her collections embody a design philosophy where visual harmony, a sense of contemplation and the rituals of daily life come together in perfect balance.
DUNG NGO
Among the many events presented during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, one stood out as truly unmissable—especially for anyone with a passion for tableware and the art of dining like me.
Design writer, publisher and editor Dung Ngo, also renowned for his extraordinary collection of thousands of modernist cutlery pieces, unveiled his latest book: Knife Fork Spoon: Modernist Cutlery 1900–2025. The exhibition was deceptively simple in its presentation, yet remarkably impactful thanks to the richness and diversity of the objects on display. A carefully curated selection from Ngo’s vast collection traced an informal history of cutlery, guided not by chronology or academic convention, but by the discerning eye of a passionate collector and lover of design.
Handcrafted pieces sat alongside industrially produced classics, while one-of-a-kind prototypes created with 3D printing hinted at the future of the discipline.
More than a survey of utensils, the exhibition revealed how knives, forks and spoons have evolved from purely functional objects into expressive design pieces capable of defining the character and atmosphere of a table. It was a fascinating journey through more than a century of design history, proving that even the most everyday objects can become enduring icons of craftsmanship, innovation and style.
