11 Typical Danish Gifts under 500dkk

Posted on January 25, 2018 by dejligedays

People often want to buy friends and family ‘back home’ an typically Danish gift. There are a number of design brands who make wonderful and very Danish style items such as Kåhler, Holmegaard, and Lyngby but today I thought I’d share some things I would, and have, bought for my friends and family and they loved them.

Danish Flags

The Danes love their flags and no celebration table is without one. You can buy stylish table top ones such as the link here or get little small one or two use ones from places like Flying Tiger and Søstrene Grene so your friends can celebrate like Danes.

Georg Jensen Christmas decorations

Christmas decorations in Denmark usually err on the side of very tasteful. I often buy a Georg Jensen gold or silver decoration as a gift, even outside Christmas time. The first part of the year is a good time to pick these up in the sale.

Royal Copenhagen Easter Eggs

One the same theme a beautiful Royal Copenhagen porcelain egg is always a very appreciated gift and again you can usually find them available most of the year.

Hoptimist and Wooden Birds

A Hoptimist or a little wooden bird from Archtectmade is a lovely little whimsical gift which so very Danish. Both always put a smile of the recipient’s face.

Liquorice by Lakrids

The Danes love liquorice! If your loved ones are not hardcore liquorice fiends then the fruit or seasonal liquorice from Lakrids will give them the Danish experience without the strong taste of traditional liquorice. They also do a great selection of the real stuff too.

Lego

Lego is about as Danish as it comes. You can visit the Lego Store and pick up some specifically Danish bits and bobs. Usually you can get a little mini figure key chain with Copenhagen on it. There are also sets exclusive to the Lego Store which are worth sending home to family members who don’t live near a Lego store.

Aalborg Snaps

Treat a family member to a truly Danish drinking experience with a decent bottle of snaps. I’m no expert but the Aalborg Snaps seems to have some historical and traditional cache.

Danish Butter Cookies

Yep, a cliche but one that most people like to receive. Look for ones in a pretty or retro tin for a gift that continues after the biscuits are gone. Magasin is a good place to find these.

Unique Art (Visse Vasse, Kortkartellet)

Over the last five years or so a number of artists have broken out of the smaller design scene into the wider consciousness. Two favourites of mine, which feature lovely Danish images, are Visse Vasse and Kortkartellet. Or head to a design market and support smaller producers.

Flea Market Finds

A short weekend stroll around some of the summer flea markets can yield lots of Danish gifts from old blue and white plates with your loved one’s birth year on (there are always people selling these at almost every flea market I have ever been to here) or smaller ones featuring old Danish buildings and churches.

Finderskeepers – my highlights

Posted on September 28, 2015 by dejligedays

I have been going along to Finderskeepers design market since it started a few years ago and I always find it such an inspiring place. It is hard for new designers to showcase their work and this place opens that wide open. There are a number of designers that I recall seeing and buying things from that are now super successful such as Nur. It is also a great way to spot emerging trends before they are fully grown, probably even more so than at the more official design shows. Themes I noticed were more earthy colours, plants (particularly succulents which still seem to be having their day), colourful clothes and leather work. There were also a number of stands selling products directly aimed at men.

Over the last few Finderskeepers I had started to notice there was a very dominate theme of graphic designers so it was refreshing to see this weekend’s market featuring a little more diversity. There were also a few innovations on the organisation which much improved the experience. Firstly the Finderskeepers people walking down the queue scanning e-tickets and stamping hands so once the doors opened people who had pre bought tickets could go straight in. The addition of food stands from Kødbyen food market was a great touch and I can heartily recommend hotdogs from Foderbrættet. Finally there was still a separate section for clothes but it was nice to see more fashion designers amongst the design stands.

So these were my particular favourites from the market: Japanese inspired hanging plants from Planteplaneter. Perfect for high ceiling apartments and by all accounts they are pretty easy to keep alive. These absolutely divine silk kimonos from Sissel Edelbo. Judging by the interest around this stand it looks like the next trend here is actual real colour! More plants, this time amazing succulents from Kaktus København. Finally these amazingly simple yet stylish greeting cards (and other very beautiful calendars and to do pads) from Kartotek. I adore the coffee cup one, there is no way I am parting with that!Finally I was delighted to find a ceramicist I once bought a spoon rest from back in 2008 at the market . It was very precious to me and I broke it last week so it made my day to find a replacement here. And finally the icing on the cake (groan) was to meet the amazing Cecilia Fahlström, the author of Copenhagen Cakes, a book I have been lusting after. With my soon to be sticky hands on the book, I was delighted that she agreed to sign my copy too. Watch this space to see more of this book and my baking adventure with it.

The next Finderskeepers takes place here in Copenhagen (there are also markets in Århus and Odense) at the end of November, keep an eye on their website, Facebook or Instagram pages for more information.

Danish Design beauty at Northmodern

Posted on January 21, 2015 by dejligedays

Before my accident I spent the day at Northmodern design show at the Bella Center. It was wonderful to immerse myself in such beautiful Danish design so whilst I am the blogger with one hand, I thought I’d share some of the beauty with you. I was delighted to see the pink look is also popping up in the Danish interiors scene. I also love the vibrant blues and gold with plants. How about you?

Beautiful new Art Deco inspired prints from Visse Vasse.

I am a big fan of Kortkartellet and they were showcasing lots of new designs including Paris, London and Berlin.

Pink and and black from Louise Roe.

Pretty pink bonbons

Gold planters from Ferm Living

Finally a very coordinated stand from Playtype.

Nur tray three ways

Posted on October 2, 2014 by dejligedays

Wednesday was a wonderful family day celebrating our son’s fifth birthday. After baking almost fifty cakes for his birthday celebration at preschool today I decided rather than the blog post I had planned to write to share one of my favourite new things – my copper Nur tray. It is so versatile and I had a lot of fun playing around with different looks using it. Can you guess which one I settled on?

Danish Design – Kobenstyle

Posted on September 9, 2014 by dejligedays

If you have been following my flea market search lists you will know that very prominent on those lists are Kobenstyle cookware. We have been very lucky to have found either at flea markets here or on Etsy all the pieces we wanted in great condition but as well as sharing some pictures of these beautifully coloured pots I thought I would share a bit about their place in Danish design.

Like a lot of Danish design classics they were designed in the 1950s – in 1954 to be precise – by a Danish designer Jens Quistgård. The difference was they were actually designed for an American company, Dansk Design, for the American market, although they were also available in Denmark. Quistgård also designed for many other well known Danish design houses and is highly regarded for his work and also bringing Danish design to America.

The design followed the Danish design philosophy of good quality, well designed items available to every day people. The range of cooking pots were made from steel enamel in bright colours. They were lighter and more affordable than cast iron and were intended to look good enough to be brought to the table. Functional but attractive at the same time.

We have two casserole pots, a paella pan and two small sauce pans – one of which was bought at Frederiksberg Fleamarket from a lady who had originally bought it from a flea market in Brooklyn, NY. We use them all the time and love the look of them too.

Design Trade Copenhagen 2014

Posted on August 26, 2014 by dejligedays

I spent the morning at the Design Trade show at the Bella Centre yesterday. I loved walking around, meeting interesting people and seeing so many beautiful things. I thought I would share some of the designers, products and brands I loved.

Rie Elise Larsen, in my opinion, make the world’s best tea towels. They are so beautiful and at the same time work so well. We own a few but they don’t look as pristine as these.

I love the scents of Skandinavisk‘s candles, Muuto dots and these simple little wooden men from Applicata.

Everyone is crazy about Ferm Living at the moment and I like these beautiful shelves, perfect for showing off favourite ornaments.

Graphic art is big at the moment in Denmark and these are some of my favourites (clockwise from top left Frou und Frau; Visse Vasse; Michelle Carlslund and Lisbet Krøll). I also love I Love My Type (below from their website).

Room Lego heads are certainly going to be part of our home soon.I also loved all the green plants dotted around the venue – it seems succulents are here to stay.

Finally a big thing I enjoyed about the event was that although there were lots of the big brands there, there was also space for smaller, newer designers to have a real presence in the Now’s Market. I am in love with the Nur trays. I also loved the Now’s Work, where you could watch designers and artists at work, particularly Linedyr below.

It was a great day being surrounded by such creativity and inspirational stories.

Our new place

Posted on August 13, 2014 by dejligedays

So we have been living in our new place for about six weeks now and it is really starting to feel like home. We had to decorate the main rooms before we moved in so the kitchen and hallway are still waiting for the magic white paint touch! It is strange to finally be living in our own home where we can actually make decisions about where to put things and how we want certain rooms to eventually look (yes, kitchen I am talking about you!) I felt a little like I had lost the ability to make decisions as when you live in rented apartments a lot of decisions are made for you and you adapt. So when my husband asked me where I wanted the magnetic knife holder, I just said where ever seems logical as I as so used to getting used to where someone else thinks things should go. Eventually I was pressed into a decision that suited us and not someone else.

The kitchen certainly falls into this realm. The fitted cupboards were chosen by the previous owners and whilst there is nothing wrong with them and they are clean and modern, I can’t see them being the final kitchen in the long term. We have made the kitchen more ‘us’ with the addition of cool lighting and plants and for now I am happy with it.

The bedroom is easier, we now have been reunited with our giant Ikea wardrobes but on the flipside of the rented vs owned conundrum I actually prefer the interior layout of our old apartment’s wardrobes – but that is the joy of learnt adaptability as I will soon be used to my current storage situation.

The living room is a cosy space with all our favourite artwork and no worries about how many holes we are making in the walls.

I have pared down my ornaments and will be rotating my favourites rather than having everything out on display and my son has had fun enjoying the freedom to decorate his walls with stickers from Søstrene Grene.Finally I have my own dedicated workspace, full of my favourite things to help inspire me.

So here is a little glimpse into our new place, it still is sinking in that it is ours and we don’t have to pack up everything again and move to somewhere else until we really want to. I feel very lucky and settled.

A cup for charity at the VIPP store

Posted on July 3, 2014 by dejligedays

I loved the VIPP flagship store on Ny Østergade when I visited it as part of the Meet the Blogger masterclass last month and decided I needed to go back to look at the shop and its products a bit more. I saw on Instagram that there were running A cup for charity at a pop-up coffee shop in the store to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. As well as enjoying a coffee or tea and a cake you get to take home an elegant VIPP mug, plus the proceeds go to charity.

It was a gloriously sunny day when we visited and it was lovely to sit outside the shop enjoying the warmth and a delicious cup of Løv tea with a Strangas cake all in the name of charity. Definitely worth a visit, the pop up coffee shop is open during opening hours Monday to Friday 11.00 am – 6.00 pm (Saturdays 11.00 am – 4.00 pm), until September.

Hoptimists

Posted on June 24, 2014 by dejligedays

You can’t help but smile when you see these little bouncing ball of fun in shops or people’s homes. One touch of the head of a Hoptimist and they bounce for ages. But these bright, retro looking things are yet another Danish icon, like the wooden birds. First came the Birdie and then Kvak and Bimble and Bumble (Bimble is the girl one (right) and Bumble the boy (left)).

Like the birds, Hoptimists were designed by a Danish cabinetmaker. Hans Gustav Ehrenreich created the design for the Hoptimists back in 1968. Once you know this you can see how they are very reminiscent of that time, with their bright colours and round shapes. Production stopped in 1974 but they were relaunched in 2009. I love the Easter specials.

Do they make you smile too?

1001 Hats at the Round Tower

Posted on June 9, 2014 by dejligedays

It was quite by chance that we went to the 1001 Hats exhibition in the Round Tower yesterday. As it was a public holiday sadly our planned activity in the city centre was not taking place so on a whim we decided to go to the top of the Round Tower to enjoy the cloudy views. On the way up we saw this glamourous display of hats in the exhibition room.

The show has been put on by the The Association of Danish Hat Designers and Miliners to showcase this small field of craftsmanship. I loved looking at all the fabulous hats and wished I lived more of a glamourous existence where the perfect hat would be de rigueur.

There is a small curtained area full of hats for you to try on and admire in mirrors. They are encouraging people to instagram their hat modelling with the tag #1001hat so that is well worth looking at.There were lovely little side areas with themed hats and historical information but I loved the hats they had on display from films including at hat from the film Titanic. It is an unusual but inspired exhibition and I am delighted that we chanced upon it.