The Nordic inspirations of Louise Campbell

With her playful, poetic creations, Louise Campbell brings a spontaneous charm to the world of traditional Danish design. Her work is now on display in museums around the world. Enchanted by her artistry, Nespresso asked her to design the visual identity of the brand’s year-end, limited-edition offer. Meet the person behind the pattern.

On the top floor of a building in the Nørrebro neighbourhood, Louise Campbell weaves her wondrous world. At first glance, her fresh, bright studio appears tidily organised – until a longer look reveals that it is in fact peppered with myriad details, each expressing the artist’s creativity and poetic temperament. Silk fish hanging from the ceiling seem to swim around her, sharing the space with gigantic textile reeds expanding across the white walls. On the milk-white parquet floor is an armchair, peculiarly shaped like a pristine corolla, and made entirely of circles: the Veryround chair, one of her most emblematic pieces. On the shelves of the bookcase, tomes on famous art stand cover-to-cover with photo albums, classic and contemporary novels, and anthologies of English and Danish poetry. Welcome to the creative lair of one of the bestknown and best-loved designers in the Kingdom of Denmark. Born to an English father and a Danish mother, this cosmopolitan 40-something chose an expressive path that reflects both her parents’ cultures, giving her playful and experimental creations twice the charm. “Danish design extols uncluttered, minimalist lines, creations that get straight to the practical point,” she says, as she serves us coffee. “But English culture is less disciplined, leaving more room for ornamentation. My paternal grandmother had flowers everywhere in the house – I thought that was very pretty.”

Louise Campbell in her studio holding her own graphic-design work on a Festive Limited Edition of the Pixie Lungo cup.

Taking time to savour the moment

When she discovered London at age 15, Louise was enthralled by English freedom of expression: “I was especially fascinated by the ease with which the British could mix their sources of inspiration: a painting can influence the tone of a novel, whose theme can be reiterated in a song or a sculpture, and so on.” She soaked up everything she heard, everything she saw, and felt increasingly at ease with the artistic disciplines. But to the point of making it her career? Her parents found the notion disconcerting, preferring their daughter to pursue a more stable, conventional path. Her father sat her down for long conversations on the subject, trying to reason with her. “One day, when I was 17, we were driving around and he brought the subject up yet again. To cut the conversation short, while we were passing a furniture store, I told him that was what I wanted to do, design furniture. And that’s how I became a designer!” She began her training at the London College of Furniture. Then, at 23, she returned to Copenhagen to continue her studies at the Danish Design School, specialising in industrial design, where she developed the full range of skills she needed to design and craft furnishings. “I was thrilled to be back in this country,” she says, smiling.

Handcrafted fabric pendant luminaires made for a 2014 exhibition in Cologne.

When asked which aspect of her origins is most important to her, she doesn’t hesitate: “I feel more Danish than English. I tend to seek simplicity in all things.” She has no trouble explaining why she preferred staying in Copenhagen: “The spirit of this city is relaxed, natural and direct. That goes for design as much as it does for architecture, food or human interaction. We trust one another – people are honest, for the most part, and we rarely lock our doors. Another advantage is how close everything is, less than twenty minutes away by bike, which isn’t the case in London. People are approachable, and when you have coffee with a friend, you take the time to savour the moment, to be in the now. The air is unpolluted; the sea’s clean enough to swim in right in the middle of town. Copenhageners care deeply about the environment – they’d rather travel by bike than by car and they’re meticulous about how much waste they generate. On that subject, we take recycling very seriously in Denmark. My design work focuses on making solid, sturdy things that will last a long time.”

The Veryround Chair in laser-cut steel circles, made in 2006 for the Italian brand Zanotta.

Poetic landscapes

Relaxed, warm, passionate – Louise Campbell expresses a vibrant spontaneity and open hospitality similar to what can be felt in her collaboration with Nespresso. “My goal is to convey the Nordic vibration in a snap,” Louise explains concisely, snapping her own fingers while immediately adding, “but this lifestyle is rich and complex, composed of multiple cultures, multiple histories, many different places. As I thought about what would bring us together best, I found that nature was our loveliest common denominator. Nature that is wild, beautiful, almost fantastical – wide open spaces, where the cold reigns in winter.”

This is the first time that capsules of the same coffee will each vary in design.

Artistry that is precise, bold and easily recognisable.

“Even if we’re city-dwellers, natural elements permeate our imaginations. When I was seeking inspiration, I looked closely at the character of Nordic cities and territories. I saw sharply cut coastlines, very steep mountains, especially in the fjords of Norway. I continued my research and started focusing on geological maps. That’s when I realised that the good idea I’d been hunting for several weeks was right under my feet!” The multi-coloured curves, inspired by topographic surveys of the Far North, form the matrix of this stimulating work. This design will be used across the entire offer for the holiday season, available in limited edition. Coffee capsules inspired by Nordic culture, Pixie cups, and the décor in Nespresso Boutiques around the world – all will be graced with these refreshing, natural patterns.

The ripples of the topographic maps form the matrix of a natural, soothing world.

For our first meeting, Louise tracked down the early mock-up pieces for the project, and arranges them on the broad work table in the middle of her studio. Some are on paper, some printed on thin metal plates, others laser-cut so the designer could shape them into a 3D capsule for a sense of volume. The pastel colours are reminiscent of the light Scandinavian pastries that inspired the aromas of the limited-edition coffees. The shapes are precise, bold and easily recognisable, showing great attention to detail – her English side. This is the first time the Copenhagener has handled the final version of the capsules. Each presents a graphic design slightly different from the others in the same sleeve, a first for Nespresso. “It may look like a successfully completed project today, but when it was in the development phase, it felt to me like the hardest project I’d ever had to do,” says Louise as she brings us another coffee – a lungo served in Royal Copenhagen porcelain cups that bear the design she revamped herself for the legendary brand.

Royal Copenhagen porcelain, with a design that Louise Campbell has been updating since 2008.

Recipe for happiness

She began drinking coffee in England rather late - at 20 years old. “I have a clear recollection of my first sip, when one of my best friends served me a perfectly prepared Turkish coffee.” When she returned to Copenhagen to continue her design schooling, she quickly adopted Danish-style coffee consumption: long coffees, sipped over time. “Especially since we sometimes worked 24 hours straight when we had deadlines to respect for plans and our coffee kept us company.” The Anglo-Dane has noticed how bean quality has improved over the last twenty years: “In the 1990s, we only drank industrial grade –it was rather tasteless and they were all the same. Then coffee options began to improve in the 2000s.

The limited-edition coffees for the holiday season are inspired by Nordic culture.

Her delicate hues and undulating lines are also on the Festive Limited Edition cup range.

Today, Denmark is very picky about coffee quality and choice, to the point that it’s considered rude not to offer your guests a cup of high-quality coffee. Nespresso’s perfect for that – the coffee machines make life so much easier!” A pleasant environment, some relaxed conversation, a cup of coffee in hand: suddenly, without even having tried, we are in a moment of hygge, the quintessential Danish recipe for happiness that has captured the public imagination for years, and which happens naturally and gracefully in Louise Campbell’s workshop.

The Prince Chair in steel, felt and rubber, designed for Hay (2001).

Express Bio

1970: Born in Copenhagen.

1995: Graduated from the Danish School of Design in Copenhagen.

1996: Opened her first studio in central Copenhagen, working for big names such as Louis Poulsen, Royal Copenhagen, Holmegaard, Stelton, Muuto, Interstop and the Danish Ministry of Culture.

2005: Her pendant luminaire designed for Louis Poulsen won the Gold Medal at the iF Product Design Awards (one of the world’s most renowned design awards).

2019: The year-end holiday line, created through her collaboration with Nespresso, is officially launched.