3 Days of Design has quietly grown into one of the most engaging festivals on the global design calendar. This year’s edition unfolded in a series of beautiful — and often unexpected — encounters. It’s those unplanned moments that tend to linger longest.

Copenhagen, with its easy elegance, offers an effortless backdrop. The city’s gentle scale, rich culinary culture, and unhurried rhythm have made it an ideal stage for emerging design talent. Here, you can pedal from showroom to showroom, drifting between exhibitions as the city reveals itself in small, captivating scenes.

As recently as 2021, it was a modest gathering of mostly local participants. Today, it ranks among the world’s leading design fairs. Part of the magic is timing: Copenhagen in summer is irresistible even without a calendar full of design aperitivos. But as the festival’s appeal has grown, so has its scope. Below, we share the moments and discoveries that left the strongest impression.

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1. VASTO + Art Studies in Cecilie Bahnsen

Delicately wrapped and anchored within semi-transparent blue curtains, the emerging buttercream creations — sponges carved and frozen in time — formed a small, intimate scene within Cecilie Bahnsen’s studio space. VASTO and Art Studies unveil Residue: Soft Remains — a quiet, powerful preview of a modular seating series by Sara Regal, formed from fragmented and layered waste.

Regal, based in Mallorca, works in conversation with the discarded. Foams, construction scraps, industrial leftovers — materials that have already lived a life. She lets texture lead, trusting the slow alchemy of layering, compression and touch to dictate form.

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In step with this year’s 3 Days of Design theme, Keep it Real, the work asks a single, urgent question: can waste become a new design language? Six sculptural seating pieces answer with both memory and possibility, their shapes drawn from debris Regal salvaged across the island. Each piece holds the shadow of what it was, while suggesting an entirely different future.

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The project is the meeting point of four women whose practices cross art, design and fashion: Carmen Riestra, founder of VASTO Gallery; María Baños, creative director of Art Studies; Sara Regal; and fashion designer Cecilie Bahnsen, whose studio will frame the collection. Together, they offer not just furniture, but a meditation on transformation — on how the overlooked can become the essential.

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2. Project Materia by studio Tableau + Edition Solenne

Project Materia is a collaborative initiative between the multidisciplinary studio Tableau, founded by floral designer Julius Værnes Iversen, and contemporary art platform Edition Solenne. The project explored the intersection of material history and contemporary practice, inviting nine international designers and artists to produce functional artworks in bronze, marble, and glass—materials steeped in centuries of artistic legacy.

For its inaugural exhibition, the contributors traveled to Pietrasanta, Italy, a town renowned for its marble quarries in the Apuan Alps and historic bronze foundries. Pietrasanta’s workshops, once the workspace of Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, continue to shape the hands of contemporary artisans, bridging centuries of craft with present-day experimentation.

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The resulting works reinterpret traditional materials in ways that challenge the boundaries between art, design, and function. Marble tables emerge with embedded figurative forms, while bowls recall miniature quarries, and bronze side tables take cues from natural motifs. Glass vessels and floral-inspired objects explore delicacy and transparency, producing pieces that feel simultaneously functional and contemplative.

Each object emphasizes materiality, texture, and form, translating the historical significance of bronze, marble, and glass into contemporary contexts. By integrating digital design techniques with the physical craft of centuries-old studios, the artists achieved a dialogue between past and present, crafting pieces that are at once tactile, poetic, and performative.

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3. Spaces Within + Daniel Kutlesovski

Knowing founders Nadia and Karien of Spaces Within—a Stockholm-based brand crafting high-quality, handcrafted hardware with a jewellike attention to detail—and their unwavering dedication to style and elegance, it was no surprise they continued their perfect collaboration with Copenhagen-based interior architect Daniel Kutlesovski. Together, they create magic, transforming spaces through a visual language that moves seamlessly from intricate detail to the full interior narrative.

In their latest presentation, handle objects were displayed on large-format waxed textiles, imagined as drawers and cabinet fronts. The delicate scratches—traces of touch—added a sensual dimension that quietly unfolded before visitors’ eyes. The effect was subtle, refined, and deeply tactile.

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Always stylish, always elegant, they introduced a new handle set, with one piece featuring delicately hanging chains—an echo of Spaces Within’s distinctive sense of beauty.

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4.Dinesen and House of ORBI

As always, it was a presentation of rare thoughtfulness — the kind you simply couldn’t miss while in Copenhagen. The Dinesen Showroom was transformed into the House of ORBI, its quiet, timber-lined rooms filled with handcrafted maquettes, models, and artefacts — each piece a fragment of a larger story. Together, they charted the evolution of ORBI’s Summer Schools on Architecture, a programme that since 2019 has brought students, teachers, and makers together to learn through building.

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One model in particular caught our attention: The Fishing Hut, a wooden cabin built in 2020 by 22 students on the banks of Gram Å in Southern Jutland. Rising on the site of a hut lost to fire, it was shaped with traditional Danish timber techniques — hand-carved joints, tempera-painted surfaces, and clay plaster — all born from sketches, mock-ups, and patient craftsmanship.

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Founded by architect and PhD fellow Peter Møller Rasmussen and art director Hans Peter Dinesen, ORBI is a member-driven association created in collaboration with the Royal Danish Academy’s Institute of Architecture and Culture. Its seasonal schools unfold at a historic estate in Vrå, Denmark, where participants from across Europe design and construct full-scale projects in close dialogue with craft, landscape, and community. To coincide with the exhibition, Dinesen released A Dinesen Reader 1, a beautifully produced volume chronicling ORBI’s summer projects from 2020 to 2024 — part catalogue, part reflection on learning through making.

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5. MycoWorks + Reishi™

California biotech pioneer MycoWorks unveiled Reishi™ in the Nordic Light—a quietly radical design showcase exploring the possibilities of its mycelium-based biomaterial, Reishi™. Five Danish studios—OEO Studio, Frederik Gustav, Cecilie Manz, Maria Bruun, and Atelier Axo—were invited to interpret the material under the curatorial eye of Marie-Louise Høstbo.

“By introducing Reishi™, we have redefined how we engage with materials,” said Høstbo. “Our goal was to create a dialogue between the legacy of Danish design and the emerging possibilities of biomaterials—a space where functionality meets tactile beauty and visionary ambition.”

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Reishi™, engineered from mycelium at a cellular level, is supple yet strong, warm to the touch yet resolutely modern—an elegant challenger to traditional materials and a signal toward a more sustainable design future.

The responses were as diverse as they were poetic. Frederik Gustav’s Arbor pendant light, inspired by the fragility of kite structures, floats thin Reishi™ panels within steel frames. Atelier Axo’s Eaves Lamp is all geometry and shadow play, marrying metal and modularity with the quiet tactility of Reishi™. Maria Bruun’s Subject Matter Paravent—a sculptural, light-filtering screen in FSC-certified wood and translucent Reishi™—blurs the line between object and atmosphere. Cecilie Manz, ever the minimalist, presented Et Ark, a pine-framed container that celebrates the material’s subtle imperfections. OEO Studio’s Centurio lamp closes the series with clean lines and a warm, almost architectural presence, proof that restraint can be deeply emotive.

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6.Bleo

Bleo, already well-established in the world of sustainable interior paints, took a bold step forward during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen. Known for its beautifully coherent vision and dedication to producing high-quality, sustainable paint, the brand has always stood for a respectful design process, modest but refined identity, and a deep commitment to simplicity and beauty.

Their reputation was first amplified through thoughtful collaborations with some of the most inspiring minds in the creative industry — notably the celebrated “Cotton Colour” with designer John Pawson, which became a favourite among clients.

This year, however, Bleo went beyond a presentation — it shaped a new chapter in its creative journey. Over the three-day festival, Bleo unveiled its first tile collection, created in collaboration with the acclaimed Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen.

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The launch took place in Bleo’s studio and showroom on Borgergade 20, right in the heart of Copenhagen. The space welcomed a vibrant community of designers, architects, creatives, and colour enthusiasts from Denmark and abroad.

Tiles by Muller Van Severen features twelve handmade tiles developed with Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, exploring colour as a tactile, emotional surface. Installed as a series of composed wall pieces throughout the studio, the collection invited visitors to step closer, engaging with the tiles’ rich tones, subtly irregular shapes, and the warmth of craftsmanship.

In bringing together the worlds of paint, colour, and ceramic surfaces, Bleo signaled its future direction: expanding its material language while remaining true to its values.

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7. De La Espada + Garde Hvalsøe

Timeless quality with simplicity always wins us over. Known for a catalogue rich in tones and forms, De La Espada returned this season with a quietly powerful set of launches: a chair, desk, and bed by Aires Mateus, alongside pieces from Neri&Hu — all presented within the Deltag | Encounters exhibition in collaboration with Garde Hvalsøe and styled with Pernille Vest’s signature warmth.

Aires Mateus’ Chair One is a solid wood seat of striking visual lightness. Conceived to operate at the very edge of structural possibility, it delivers a strong, memorable silhouette — an unexpected discovery. The piece embodies the studio’s architectural ethos: honest in its materiality, bold yet timeless, balancing volume with void.

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The Bed One mirrors the same design language as the chair — crafted from solid Douglas fir with impressively proportioned planks, the natural grain highlighted with delicate laser etching. The headboard is composed of just five wide boards, the grain flowing seamlessly down to the platform base, where a simple shelf is integrated at the back, adding subtle functionality without disrupting the clean lines. True to Aires Mateus’ ethos, the piece is honest, pared down to the essentials, and effortlessly monumental, balancing simplicity with a quiet, architectural presence.

Neri&Hu’s October Dining Armchair combines slender solid wood with a saddle leather seat and backrest, its subtle joinery introducing complexity to a seemingly simple form. The design explores the idea of a threshold—reflecting the autumnal duality of endings and beginnings. Solid wood suggests permanence, while supple leather conveys transience, together evoking the liminal space where change becomes essential and every new start requires letting go of what came before.

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8. Ariake and Parachilna

Two of our favourite brands came together in one of the festival’s most quietly memorable presentations — staged in the hushed corners of a classic Copenhagen apartment, captured beautifully by our friend, photographer Irina Boersma. Thoughtful in every detail, it was the kind of encounter you simply couldn’t miss while in the city.

Apartamento Secreto / Himitsuno Kakurega (秘密の隠れ家) — translating to “secret apartment” or “hidden sanctuary” — united Japanese furniture maker Ariake with Spanish lighting house Parachilna in an intimate installation on the third floor of The Conary. Styled by Tine Daring and curated by Ariake’s Creative Director Gabriel Tan, the space offered a study in how two distinct design languages can coexist to shape interiors that nurture presence and connection.

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Ariake’s sculptural, restrained forms set the stage for human interaction, while Parachilna’s lighting became architecture in its own right — casting atmosphere and tactility with a quiet, poetic hand. Around them, the scene was enriched with handcrafted pieces from Origin Made, textural rugs by Sera Helsinki, and Kaji Bark sculptures by Gen Taniguchi, a master from Nao Washi, the 300-year-old family atelier dedicated to washi paper.

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9. Tina Frey

Tina Frey’s gentle presence adds an unmistakable charm to her work. Her design practice feels like an extension of her own nature — delicate, thoughtful, and quietly assured. Her seemingly ephemeral pieces captivate with their smooth surfaces, considered forms, and unexpected details. At this year’s festival, she presented both her regular resin collection and striking large-format seating pieces.

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Tina introduced the new Orbit Collection — a sculptural series inspired by celestial movement, balance, and interconnectedness. Rendered in her signature translucent material, the pieces combine organic, flowing silhouettes with a strong sculptural presence. The collection includes a medium chair and a small accent table, each carrying her distinctive design language of harmonious curves and fluid lightness.

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10. Charlotte Taylor for Noura Residencies

Charlotte Taylor has long been a quiet force in the digital design realm. With her warmth, elegance and dreamy ideas, she shapes interiors that are both human-centred and idealistic. Her nonchalance drifted into Copenhagen for a moment, offering a chance to experience her tasteful curation for Noura Residencies during 3 Days of Design.

Spread across two open-plan levels, the apartment’s upper floor featured a low timber bed by Danish brand Rye, flanked by a pair of horned aluminium lamps by Apohli. Opposite, the living space mixed contemporary and vintage with ease: a boxy 1960s timber armchair from Dutch dealer Calm Shapes sat alongside a polished, hammered aluminium coffee table by Berlin’s Lisa Cipriano, debossed with playful fruit motifs. Taylor and Sheila Llovet’s Sobremesa table—made bespoke for the exhibition—anchored the scene with understated confidence.

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The tension between refinement and the knowingly “tacky” ran throughout. A postcard of her cats Dante and Wolfgang clung to the fridge beside a Campari-bottle magnet. Downstairs, the kitchen centred around a two-tone oak and walnut dining table fitted with a hidden chess set, revealed with a push-pull flourish. Nearby, an eclectic cluster of timber and metal chairs surrounded another dining table scattered with books. The installation was designed to feel lived-in—morning breakfasts giving way to an improvised evening bar outside. Even the working office, furnished in the same spirited style, was part of the experience, allowing visitors to glimpse Taylor’s design process in real time.