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Get to know - Danish designer Thomas Bentzen
Thomas Bentzen is one of the greatest designers in Scandinavian design today and is the man behind several modern design icons.
A LOVE OF WOOD
It's hard not to be inspired by Thomas Bentzen's charming Copenhagen studio. The glorious light, the buzz of the street outside and sketch after sketch of current and future design classics that bear Thomas' signature.
It's a small space that harbours creativity, and where Thomas works out his inspiration.
“Inspiration for me comes from hard work. It comes when I build and assemble models. When I get to think with my hands,” says Thomas, gesturing towards all the samples, prototypes and tools that surround him.
In his charming studio in one of Copenhagen's creative neighbourhoods, prototypes jostle with sketches of Thomas' current and future designs.
Thomas Bentzen is the man behind modern design icons like the Cover chair and the Around table. In addition to being one of the greatest designers in Scandinavian design, Thomas also has a career behind him as Head of Design at the Danish brand Muuto. Today, he has his own studio in Copenhagen where he continuously sketches and works on new projects. Preferably with wood as the basis.
‘I don't have a favourite material in that way, you have the right material for the job - that's the correct answer,’ says Thomas. ‘But to be honest, I have a weakness for wood and especially veneer - thin sheets of wood. It's great fun, but very difficult to work with,’ says Thomas with a smile.
Every job has its right material, says Thomas, but his weakness is wood. Here Cover lounge chair in oak.
I think it was Salvador Dalí who said that you shouldn't be afraid of perfection because you will never reach it. I think about that a lot, because I could easily work on a chair for ten years.’
For Thomas, Scandinavian design is about functionality and making something that is as simple in its execution as in its design.
A NATURAL SENSE OF FUNCTION
From his early years visiting his grandparents to his university years, good, simple and functional Scandinavian design has been a natural part of Thomas' surroundings.
‘For me, Scandinavian design is all about functionality. And that probably has to do with our history and life in the countryside where there wasn't much money, so what was created was not for the sake of art but for the function it fulfilled,’ says Thomas thoughtfully.
‘It's about trying to make the design simple - not only in the execution but it should also be easy to rest your eyes on. It's very much about honesty - showing off the material you're working with and using it in the right way.
It kind of sticks with you. Functionality is not something I think about when I design, it's just a natural part of me and how I think,’ Thomas explains.
A SLOW DESIGN PROCESS PRODUCES TIMELESS RESULTS
For Thomas, the design process is an ongoing process of sketching, building and testing.
‘I think it was Salvador Dali who said that you shouldn't be afraid of perfection because you will never reach it. I think about that often because I could easily work on a chair for ten years. If I had the chance,’ says Thomas with a smile.
In reality, the design process takes two and a half years for a chair. And often Thomas' previous work can be recognised in his new projects.
‘Every time I work on a project, I learn something new that I take with me into the next project and in this way my products build on each other. So a lot of my inspiration comes from things I've done before.’
This is particularly evident in three of Thomas' most popular designs - the Cover chair, the Around table and the Linear outdoor furniture range.
‘I'm really happy with the Cover chair. I think it really represents a lot of what I love about being a designer,’ says Thomas, beaming. ‘The fact that design is created from your hands and where you learn by creating and changing the design all the time. The covers on the chair's armrests came about because the armrests were initially not comfortable enough. So we thought about what to do and how to save it and came to the conclusion that we put covers on them! And that's how the design process works.
What became a solution for a more comfortable chair also became the name of the now iconic Cover chair. But the chair evolved from another icon, the stylish Around coffee table.
‘The Around table was inspired by older Scandinavian design where coffee tables used to have edges so you wouldn't spill coffee on the nice carpet you had under the table. I chose to include an edge in the design and work with modern veneer, but I couldn't get it together in a nice way. So I made an opening in the edge almost out of sheer frustration and that came to be what gave the table its character,’ says Thomas, shrugging lightly.
For both indoors and outdoors - Linear steel table is a table designed by Thomas Bentzen, made of lacquered steel with a modern, stylish design.
The Around table was inspired by older Scandinavian design where coffee tables used to have edges so you wouldn't spill coffee on the nice carpet you had under the table. (...) but I couldn't get it together in a nice way. So I made an opening in the edge almost out of sheer frustration and that became what gave the table its character.’
Although Thomas's favourite thing is designing furniture, over the years he has also taken on projects that are different for him.
‘The Elevated vase for Muuto was a different project for me because a vase does not fulfil the same function as a chair. I was inspired by my work with the Cover chair and wanted to combine wood with glass. In a way, it's like making a vase from nature and bringing nature into a home. Then I wanted to highlight and emphasise what a vase actually is, hence its wooden base that sort of lifts up the flowers in the vase so you can really see them,’ says Thomas.
Over the years, Thomas has learnt that it's rarely possible to get things perfect, but it is possible to get it really good.
NOT QUITE PERFECT BUT REALLY CLOSE!
It is clear that Thomas is meticulous in his work and that everything has a thought behind it. However, he himself never really feels finished with a project.
‘You reach a point where you feel you can no longer find things to improve in the design itself. So you start looking at the quality or going to the factory and discussing details, but I've learnt that you can't get it perfect, but you can get it really good.
For Thomas, inspiration comes when he gets to create and work things out with his hands.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Sustainable design has become an increasingly important part of the interior design industry, and for Thomas it is a natural part of his work.
‘We think about these issues all the time. From start to finish, and it's not just about using recycled plastics, we also have to think about the material we use, how it affects the people who work with it, and how we ship the product in the best way.
And all that starts with really good design. You want to create objects that people want to keep and you want to do it really well, you want to create good craftsmanship. It should not only be sustainable in the design, but also in the quality so that even if someone gets tired of the chair itself, they can just move it to another room or to their summer house and after a while they might rediscover it again and then the quality is the same.
In Thomas' home, the rooms are filled with prototypes of his designs that he has brought in to test and see how they work in a real home environment.
Express your personality through the choices you make and the things you choose to live with: the books you have, the cup you like to drink your coffee from, the sofa you like to sit on - all of these things are what make a home so beautiful and show who you are’.
THOMAS'S HOME
For Thomas, the hope is that his designs will be useful in everyday life and give the eye something beautiful to rest on in the home - even when the furniture is not in use. In his own home prototypes of his designs fill the rooms.
When you have a design studio and make furniture, you need to take it to a real home to see if it works as you intended. To see that it's not too big or too small. I use my own home for these little experiments and sometimes the experiments are left in the home. Which I don't think my wife is particularly fond of,’ says Thomas, laughing.
For Thomas, the heart of the home is the family dining area, where the kitchen and dining room are combined into one lively room.
‘I really like the atmosphere in that room because people come and go, cook and eat, play and study. So yes, I think it's the most important room in my house right now.
One of Thomas' tips for creating a home that feels welcoming and comfortable - express your own personality.
THOMAS 5 TIPS FOR A WELCOMING HOME
- Personality - it's important that you like what you have around you, that you choose furnishings that you love so that your home reflects your personality.
- Think - think before you buy.
- Mix and match new with old.
- Combine different materials - wood is a very warm material and looks great with steel, for example.
- Colour - dare to bring in more colour and avoid having everything too monochrome.
Express your personality through the choices you make and the things you choose to live with: the books you have, the cup you like to drink your coffee from, the sofa you like to sit on - all these things are what make a home, so choose what shows who you are,’ concludes Thomas.
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