Normann Copenhagen

Today, Deco's contributing editor and stylist, Doreen de Waal, tells us about one of her hot favourites.

If you like to really think out of the box, you’ll love the Normann Copenhagen brand as much as I do. In 1999, Jan Andersen and Paul Madsen teamed up to create the brand with a vision to make a difference in the design industry. Their success soon saw them opening a massive design showroom in an old cinema in Copenhagen.

What I love about products sold by Normann Copenhagen is that they're strong on design, as well as being playful and practical. They don’t shy away from interesting use of colour, form, or material. They are endlessly enthusiastic about new design, and put their money where their mouth is by inviting designers from all over the world to submit designs, then giving critical, honest opinion and advice. And then you can actually buy the designs in their super cool shop.

Here is my pick of a really fabulous bunch:

The Washing-up bowl by Ole Jensen can double up as storage, a wine-cooler, to store toys or to hold plants. It is made of rubber and comes in the brightest of fabulously bright colours.

Butterfly is a new take on the old-fashioned, cheap can openers of the kind usually found in beach houses (where all the household junk is relegated).

This is as simple and functional as a design can be... but it is made super gorgeous by looking like a butterfly! It was designed by Marianne & Rikke and is available in a variety of beautiful butterfly-colours.

I absolutely love the Cognac glass and would so love to try it out.

Designer Rikke Hagen says that she wanted to give the user the feeling of being in a gentleman’s study, as well as the sense of calmness you get when holding a smooth beach stone. And with ordinary cognac glasses, the stem gets in the way, doesn't it!

I'm always irritated by the thick lip of a dustpan, and it seems Ole Jensen felt the same way! One day he bent down to sweep the floor, holding a folded newspaper in one hand and sweeping the dust into the newspaper with the other – and so the Dustpan and Broom was born. It is functional and beautiful, easy to store and comes in black and dark and light grey.


Boje Estermann’s collapsible Funnel is available in green, yellow, black and red and is made of a special material that was developed after collaboration with Normann Copenhagen and engineers. It is practical, amusing, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

After Odoardo Fioravanti realized that with the new trend towards fusion food, people mix different food cultures, he gave three traditional kitchen utensils were given a revamp, aptly naming his new range Fusion Kitchen.

Check out the Norman Copenhagen website for loads more fabulous designs, and read their blog for a dose of wackiness. And if you think that you’ve designed something super-sexy – submit it to them! They're interested in new design, and you never know what might come of it.

The bad news is that Normann Copenhagen is not available in South Africa. But if there is anyone out there who’d like to bring this incredible range to South Africa, please make contact with them – they are eager to set up shop here!