KAY BOJESEN PORCE LAIN

Kay Bojesen Challenged Traditions And Always Looked To Innovate His Use Of Materials To Better His Creations

Kay Bojesen’s vision was to create designs that everyone could use, admire and benefit from. One of his focus points was to create articles that would make life easier for housewives. He did so by making designs that were aesthetically pleasing without compromising on functionality.

As a trained silversmith, Kay Bojesen’s first many years of his career were spent on forging silver, as silver was a traditional and integral part of every household. However, Kay’s curiosity and enthusiasm for functionalism led him to challenge traditional designs and redundant decorations. Instead he advocated for clean, smooth surfaces and incorporating an interplay between form and function in design.

During the 1940s and 1950s industrialisation, it became possible to produce crafts in bigger quantities, and a change in materials followed. Kay Bojesen was fond of this development in the industry, as it helped in making his design available to a wider group of people. He was amongst the first designers to introduce factory-produced cutlery in stainless steel rather than hand-made silver, which was the custom at the time.

Kay Bojesen passed away in 1958, and did not live to see all the possibilities that the industrialisation and globalisation have brought to the design industry since. However, as a visionary, Kay would unhesitantly have wanted his designs to continue to progress and move with the times. In the nature of his spirit, the Kay Bojesen design heritage is therefore carried into the present by relaunching selected silver designs in more contemporary materials.

These are the principal ideas behind the KAY-series, which is created from the original silver designs from Kay Bojesen’s archive, but is now manufactured in modern materials, including porcelain and steel. The KAY-series includes plates, bowls and dishes of different sizes, to cover every household need.

The series is named after the mastermind behind the Kay Bojesen brand. It is equally a tribute to the original designer, as it is a reminder to carry on the mantra of offering great design to everyone.

A selection of pieces from the KAY collection in porcelain From left: DROP, RIPPLE, WING (55 cm) and NEST