There is something so innately cool about Copenhagen. It feels both effortlessly refined, elegant, and up-to-date, yet it has enough grit to make things interesting. And the same can be said for its design, where modernist clean-lined silhouettes sit seamlessly in centuries-old spaces, or vice versa, with iconic designs untouched for centuries styled in sleek, modern fit-outs.
And then there is 3daysofdesign, where the best of the best from around the country and wider world come together to take over the city, showcasing mind-bending, shape-shifting, rule-breaking ideas that make you really think. Or as the theme this year suggests, to 'Keep it Real'.
Well, thanks to Velux, I had the pleasure of spending two days in the city, thinking about design — how cool it is, how it can influence the way we live and feel, and how it's constantly changing, both pushing forward and looking back. I returned home with a phone clogged with photos and a mind racing with ideas. But here are three big thoughts that have stuck with me a week later.
1. We've Been Overlooking the Importance of Daylight
When it comes to designing our homes, we place most of our focus on the fittings, finishes, and furnishings. And rightly so. But in doing this, we've all forgotten one very basic, but very important thing: daylight.
During a panel talk hosted by Velux, design expert Katarina Matsson spoke with Thomas Lykke, head of design and co-founder at OEO Studio, Selma Tir, a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, and Lone Feifer, architect and director of sustainable buildings at Velux, about the concept of 'daylight design'.
"It's an archaic design tool," explained Lone Feifer. "We're genetically designed to be outdoors." But too often, the comfort of the homes we build these days seems to come at the cost of natural light. Not only does that mean we have to spend more money and energy on artificial lights, but the effects run deeper.
"Around 10 percent of the light we absorb is used for non-visual purposes," explained Selma Tir, who was just days away from handing in her thesis on the physiological and behavioural effects of daylight. Getting the right amount of natural light at the right time of day is absolutely crucial to our well-being.
It was honestly an eye-opening talk for me, having just spent my first winter in London, where I seriously felt the impact of the shorter days and all-but absent sunlight. And there was perhaps no better place to discover the concept than while sitting beneath one of Velux's very own roof windows, feeling the sun gently skip across my skin, and the wind work to keep the room at the perfect temperature.
As it happens, I have three Velux roof windows in the flat I rent, which flood our dining table with fresh air and sunlight. They're the only source of natural light we have access to, so now, I make sure to sit beneath them as much as possible — and am doing so right now.
2. Just Because It's Practical, Doesn't Mean It Can't be Pretty
It's a point I've pushed in my own home for a while now, but while wandering around the streets, showrooms, and studios at 3daysofdesign, I feel like it was categorically confirmed. Just because something is functional doesn't mean it can't also be pretty.
I honestly believe there isn't a single thing in your home that can't also be aesthetically pleasing. Visiting the headquarters of Danish design brand Vipp, I discovered how a humble waste bin could become the catalyst for a company that now produces some of the most stunning kitchen, lighting, furniture, bathroom modules, and home accessories (including, of course, very beautiful bins — now available in a special copper finished designed by Paris/Marrakesh-based Studio KO).
I saw colorful extension leads by AVOLT that I'd willingly leave draped across my living room floor for all to see, and delicate glassware that doubles, if not triples, as sculptural works of art.
I saw striped timber handles, levers, and pulls designed by Australian practice YSG Studio in collaboration with Bankston Architectural that combined naturally colorful woodgrains from around the world (think New Zealand Purpleheart and African Padauk), that would make the simple task of opening a door a pure delight, and sound systems by Rudy Audio that did a whole lot more than emit sound, but some serious style, too.
I also saw so much more, but I hope I've proven my point by now.
3. I Should Never Confidently Say I Don't Like Something
Could lace curtains be back in fashion? Only in a bright, bold red.
But, honestly, one of the biggest realizations I had at 3daysofdesign was how I should never say I don't like something. At least not confidently. Because the reality is that I just don't like it at that moment — I'm just waiting for a designer to come along and twist the concept, to see it in a different way, to reinterpret it for now.
What am I talking about? Lace curtains. Floor cushions. Copper finishes. Three things I've definitely cast aside in the past, classified as dated, drab, or downright ugly. But now? Well, I'm not so sure.
First, there were the cherry-red lace curtains I saw by &drape (shown above), that I simply couldn't stop photographing. It was something about the way the light spilled through them, casting soft yet sculptural shadows on the floor. And, of course, the red was eye-catching... so maybe it's not that lace curtains are outdated? But in order to make them feel more apt for homes today, we just need to dunk them in some color.
Then there were the floor cushions. Previously, something I saw as a fallout of the boho trend from the early 2000s, it seems they're back and most certainly better than I remember.
Instead of the heavily patterned, tufted design, they're sleek and sustainable in the case of Juslin Maunula, a Finnish design studio that repurposes surplus fabric stock (from the likes of Sandersons) into floor poufs and podiums (as well as cushions and coats).
For Hem and Studio About, however, they take on a more inflated, playful, almost-pool float style. Tapping straight into the 'inflated' decor trend we've already written about here at Livingetc, even I'm prepared to admit that this take on floor cushions would be the first choice of seating I'd go for.
And lastly, there's copper. The finish I've found myself moving further and further away from in recent years, opting instead for timeless iterations of brushed brass and stainless steel. But then I saw the "imaginary" guesthouse that Studio KO designed for Vipp, inspired by founder Holger Nielsen's metalworking background.
Blending the design studio's Mediterranean aesthetic with Vipp's Nordic roots, the space represented "a new kind of harmony that occurs when contrasting materials and ideas come together," explained Kasper Egelund, CEO and third-generation Vipp owner. "With an element of surprise and playfulness, the space integrates tactility, audio, smell, and bold aesthetics that we hope awaken all the senses."
And indeed it did. Charred timber walls (an ancient Japanese wood preservation technique known as 'Yakisugi') were complemented with reddish Italian marble, Berber-inspired fabrics from Pierre Frey, and a subtle haze in the air, but at the heart of the space was a copper-clad kitchen — its energy (and surface) positively radiant.
Still encapsulating the worldly nature of the finish, its reflective surface made it feel slicker, and perhaps all I felt was missing. So, is the copper interior trend back in 2025? I dare say so.
In the world of design, it can sometimes feel like a constant chase to keep up with the latest interior design trends, so I truly value the opportunity that a visit to 3daysindesign provided me with: a chance to 'Keep It Real', to slow down (figuratively, not literally — it was a jam-packed few days) and think about the way we live with design, how it can change the way we feel, and behave, and interact with our space and each other, for the better.
