Sculptural, Slow, and Scandinavian: A Look Inside 3 Days of Design

This year’s 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen unfolded under the theme Keep It Real – a call for authenticity, consciousness, and individual expression in an industry often shaped by aesthetics over substance. Across showrooms, courtyards, cafés and curated spaces, the message came through loud and clear: real design isn’t just about how something looks, but how it lives. We spent three days moving through exhibitions that embraced imperfection, celebrated material honesty, and invited slower, more considered ways of seeing.

Wendelbo

Wendelbo’s Reflections exhibition, staged during 3 Days of Design, felt like a quietly confident statement – both a nod to the brand’s 70-year legacy and a look toward its future. The space encouraged a moment of pause, offering a chance to revisit the roots of craftsmanship while exploring how tradition can evolve through new materials, refined forms, and contemporary perspectives.

The pieces on show leaned into sculptural shapes and graphic simplicity; seating that felt architectural, tables with a kind of bold restraint, and finishes that caught the light just enough to draw you in. There was a strong emphasis on materiality, with reflective chrome and lacquer finishes creating an almost meditative rhythm throughout the space.

Among the new releases, the Atli Lounge Chair by Hlynur Atlason stood out as a beautiful embodiment of this theme. With its sculpted form, sleek chrome base, and deep, tailored cushioning, it strikes a balance between softness and structure; a piece that feels grounded in Wendelbo’s craft while speaking fluently in the language of now.

The exhibition also introduced designs from Norm Architects and John Astbury, each bringing a distinct voice that feels well matched to Wendelbo’s evolving identity.

The Ridge Sofa by Norm Architects immediately stood out to us for its understated elegance. Its low profile and gently contoured form give it a grounded, calming presence; the kind of piece that feels just as good to look at as it does to sink into.

John Astbury’s Kin Tables explore a quiet sense of rhythm, a series built on shared forms and subtle shifts. Both the side and coffee table are anchored by a sculptural pedestal base and defined by soft, rounded edges that feel both strong and gentle. The clever twist lies in how the tabletop and base relate: cut from the same formal language, but rotated just enough to create a sense of dialogue between the parts.

Normann Copenhagen

One of the standout experiences of this year’s 3 Days of Design was UNFRAMED, Normann Copenhagen’s ambitious, multi-level exhibition housed in their Copenhagen showroom. Rather than a traditional product showcase, UNFRAMED felt more like a conceptual playground – a series of immersive environments that blurred the lines between installation and functionality. Familiar design elements were reimagined, repeated, deconstructed and layered in unexpected ways, making you question where the product ends and the artistic expression begins.

There’s a clear respect for timeless forms and quality craftsmanship, but also a willingness to take risks with scale, with materials, with mood. The exhibition unveiled 19 new pieces, spanning everything from modular sofas to sculptural side tables and generously oversized lighting. Some were extensions of existing collections, others completely new. Across the board, there was a strong throughline of minimalism paired with playful detail, and a confidence in letting bold ideas speak for themselves.

Ferm Living

Ferm Living took a more expansive approach to 3 Days of Design this year, inviting visitors to experience their world not just in one place, but across three distinct locations scattered through Copenhagen. It felt less like visiting a showroom and more like stepping into a series of lived-in vignettes; from the calm of their Holmen headquarters to the buzz of their Dapple Bar pop-up in Kongens Nytorv.

At the heart of it all was the new Dapple Collection, Ferm Living’s first full outdoor dining set, which made its debut in the pop-up bar. The pieces have a quiet elegance to them: soft curves, refined finishes, and a perforated pattern that plays beautifully with light and shadow. Inspired by dappled sunlight filtering through leaves, the collection captures that feeling of easy outdoor living; not precious or over-styled, just calm and beautifully considered.

Back at their Holmen space, Living with Ferm offered a more intimate look at their design philosophy – how their pieces are meant to move through real life: personal, shared, imperfect, evolving. Across each location, there was a consistent thread: a sense of calm functionality, rooted in thoughtful materials and the quiet joy of things made well.

101 Copenhagen

101 Copenhagen’s new showroom was a true highlight of 3 Days of Design. The brand’s latest collection builds on its signature language of bold forms, quiet elegance, and tactile materiality, all grounded in a philosophy that leans into balance and restraint. There’s a sense of umami, not just in the tonal palette, but in how each piece manages to be both visually arresting and deeply meditative.

The new space gave the work room to breathe: clean lines, raw textures, and striking silhouettes interacting effortlessly with light and shadow. It was less about trends and more about atmosphere – a place that invited you to slow down and notice the tension between weight and lightness, rough and refined. It felt like a continuation of the brand’s aesthetic world, only on a much larger, more immersive scale.

Audo Copenhagen

Audo Copenhagen’s MONUMENTS exhibition stood out as one of the more conceptually layered offerings at 3 Days of Design. Set throughout Audo House, spanning the café, concept store, serene courtyard, and gallery-like rooms, the installation unfolded as a meditation on time, space, and the enduring presence of form.

Curated by Norm Architects and Christian Møller Andersen, MONUMENTS explored the dialogue between classical ideals and modern minimalism. Rather than focusing purely on product, the exhibition created atmosphere; a sensory landscape of textured surfaces, sculptural objects, and quiet interventions that encouraged a slower, more reflective engagement with design.

Fourteen contemporary artists contributed pieces that examined permanence, emotion, and materiality, reinforcing the idea that design isn’t just something we use, but something that shapes how we inhabit space.

Each brand we visited this year brought something distinct. What united them was a shared commitment to authenticity; to stripping back the noise and creating spaces, objects, and moments that feel grounded, generous, and true. In the spirit of Keep It Real, this year’s festival wasn’t about chasing trends – it was about design with presence, and designers with something to say.