2_3_ScanMagazine_Issue_81_Oct-Nov_2015_Scan Magazine 1 15/10/2015 21:34 Page 12
Scan Magazine | Design | Pandul
Left: Bubi by Koppel. Top middle: Swing VIP by Gammelgaard. Bottom middle: Ring by Magnussen. Top right: Pendant by Wegner. Bottom right: Opala by Wegner.
Let there be light The Danish specialist workshop Pandul has crafted classic lamps for more than 30 years, protecting the lighting legacy of four of Denmark’s well-known designers: Hans J. Wegner, Jørgen Gammelgaard, Erik Magnussen and Henning Koppel. “’Quality design’ has become a very mainstream, slightly washed-out term used by everyone in the furniture business,” says Claus Juhlin, owner of Pandul, “but there really is something special about the timelessness, durability and simplicity of Danish design classics that speaks to people across the world.” By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Pandul
“Denmark was incredibly lucky to have a surge in groundbreaking young designers around the 1950s,” Juhlin continues. “They revolutionised how we thought about buildings and interiors, and I think it was something that ordinary Danes could take pride in, something like a national movement, which has remained part of our social awareness ever since.” The simple, minimalist expression of the ‘50s and ‘60s is still a great influence on modern Danish design, and the classics from preceding decades have stood the test of time. “Pieces like the 1962 Wegner Pendant lamp have been produced continuously
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ever since, and 35-year-old lamps are still going strong at auction houses,” says Juhlin. “They look as modern and exciting today as they were then, and the sheer quality of their craftsmanship means that they function perfectly generations later. When you invest in one of these lamps, it’s not just a light; it’s a piece of carefully crafted functional art and artisanship.” The lamps are produced entirely in Denmark by the Pandul team. They may have a deceptively simple final expression, but the production process is long and arduous, and Pandul uses more than 70 suppliers for the eight series of lamps they make. “We’re the only ones in the world
with the rights to produce these lamps, and we have to ensure that our modern reincarnations live up to the high standards set by their creators.” As the lamps’ original designers are all deceased, Pandul works closely with their heirs, who must approve any update in colour, textile or metal to suit current tastes, protecting the designers’ original intent. “It’s a great time for good Danish design,” Juhlin says. “The Scandinavian way of approaching design is spreading further and further.” In recent years, Pandul has seen its client base grow to include private individuals as well as hotels, offices and public institutions across Europe, America, Asia and Australia. “People everywhere are adopting the idea that good furniture and lamps should heighten the feel of the room as well as be functional.”
For more information, please visit: www.pandul.dk/en