Whimsical shapes, lively colors create upbeat atmosphere at Scandinavian fair
By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, May 19, 2003
Copenhagen, Denmark — This month's Scandinavian Furniture Fair defied world events and a tough economy, both in style and in substance.
Strong attendance, including a healthy contingent of U.S. buyers, boosted the fortunes of the mostly Danish exhibitors. In product, a surprising burst of color and uncharacteristic themes of whimsy and wonder made for a memorable show.
Neither the threat of SARS nor the absence of some of Denmark's largest furniture producers deterred U.S. retailers from coming to Copenhagen and buying. According to several exhibitors who export into North America, U.S. buyers were here in force, particularly contemporary and Scandinavian specialty retailers from New York and New Jersey, Florida and Texas.
"The energy (in Copenhagen) has been much better than in High Point," said Torbin Kristensen, managing director at Hammel, a major exporter to the United States.
"The war is over. People are more ready now to buy."
At this year's show, Hammel and Skovby were the largest Danish exhibitors that generate a significant share of their revenues in the U.S. market. The largest Danish furniture manufacturer, Tvilum-Scanbirk, pulled out to instead host retailers at its factory.
Another Danish giant, Club 8, also stopped participating. With its own retail networks in Europe and a chain of Bo Concept stores in the United States, the company has little need for Copenhagen.
And office powerhouse Jesper pulled out to concentrate on High Point. About 75% of Jesper's sales are to the U.S. market.
Skovby's Jorgen Rasmussen, sales director and a co-owner, said he understands why the big three were no longer exhibitors here, but said he cannot help but be disappointed.
"We need a strong Copenhagen show because there is a tremendous amount of innovation here," he said. "The average Danish furniture manufacturer has 26 workers. We can't kick the door open (in export markets), so this show has a vital purpose."
Rasmussen said he was cheered by the good turnout among U.S. buyers, who for the most part never were Club 8 or Tvilum-Scanbirk dealers in the first place.
Keld Korsager, managing director of the Assn. of Danish Furniture Inds., the show's organizer and Denmark's furniture trade association, said he also understood why the big hitters pulled out, even though it made his job organizing the show a little more challenging.
"Tvilum is reducing its show participation all over the world — dropping Birmingham (England) and even reducing its presence in High Point," said Korsager, whose association nonetheless sold out the show and managed to attract 32% more exhibitors this year than in 2002. "I also understand the costs of pulling all your people out of the factory and the field and sending them here for a week."
The larger-than-ever exhibitor count — 425 — yielded a fair discernibly more design-oriented, more diverse and therefore less commercial.
The show's main hall sparkled with color — a marked change for a show known for a hundred shades of blond. Particularly eye-catching, and perhaps indicating renewed optimism, was the preponderance of red.
"We had been doing grays, beige, sand," said Jette Brandt, export manager for upholstery specialist Lind Furniture International. "It's time to brighten things up."
And red was not merely for display. Brandt said it is a color selling well at retail in Denmark. (A tour of some of Copenhagen's largest furniture retailers supported Brandt's claim.)
Also popular among Danish consumers are earth tones, a trend obvious in introductions here. Burnt orange, cilantro, eggplant and grass green were abundant in upholstery. Even the more modern wood pieces, for which Danish designers are famous, deliberately avoided detachment and cool minimalism in favor of warmth and even fun.
New company Cinal is representative. Cinal's contemporary tables and shelving combine solid aluminum cores with warm wood veneers. After a "hugely successful" Cologne show in January, at which California-based Design Within Reach bought the concept for its 20 stores, Cinal came to Copenhagen with a head of steam, said Morten Brorsen, owner and chief designer.
"We wanted the strength of the metal but at heart we are cabinetmakers," Brorsen said, explaining Cinal's patent-pending technology. "We wanted the warmth of the wood."
Dan-Form, too, offers very contemporary shapes in its case pieces, but drapes them in warm wood veneers. For this year's fair, new finishes and species were both warm and dark.
Bullish on its future in the United States, Dan-Form will open a new warehouse in Buffalo, N.Y., in July to speed delivery times and upgrade its service to its specialty retailers throughout the country.
"We're thrilled with (U.S.) attendance," said Sanne Protin, sales manager for the company. He was happy that last year's show, held in the shadow of the events of Sept. 11, is now a distant memory.
