How Normann Copenhagen makes the ordinary extraordinary through great design

See how Danish design brand Normann Copenhagen challenges conventional thinking and embraces creative curiosity to make any space feel like home

Knowing the story and the design philosophy behind the brands we bring to you adds depth and meaning to each and every item you see here at Batten Home.

Let’s take a look at Normann Copenhagen, a relatively new addition to our collection.

Meet Normann Copenhagen

Normann Copenhagen was established by Jan Anderson and Poul Madsen in 1999.

The pair initially crossed paths in a small provincial town in Denmark’s Northeast Zealand and “found common ground in their love for design and their indomitable go-ahead spirit.”

Driven by a mission to “challenge conventional thinking and make the ordinary extraordinary through great design,” Anderson and Madsen followed their heart’s desire, introducing designs from both renowned and up-and-coming designers. While working from the foundation of the Danish design heritage, Normann Copenhagen pioneered a new heyday in Danish design with their own distinct and unique twist.

Normann Copenhagen collections are defined by clean lines “with a twist” and crafted with an emphasis on quality and endurance––a key pillar of Danish design philosophy. Creative curiosity is embraced, with their designers turning to art, fashion, and culture to inspire pieces that aren’t afraid to appear bold or out of the ordinary while still remaining practical.

When it comes down to it, Normann Copenhagen wants every space to feel like home.

Now, let’s take a close look at the Normann Copenhagen collection here at Batten Home. We hope you find some pieces that feel like home to you!

Normann Copenhagen: Tables

Each Normann Copenhagen table can work as a bedside table, a living room end table, a coffee table, or simply a surface to display your favorite design objects.

“If you understand the product, it does not need any explanation,” says Simon Legald, a talented Danish designer who collaborated with Normann Copenhagen on the small yet functional table in wood and steel shown above. 

While we agree with Legald, we’re going to explain his Turn Table anyway. The name Turn refers to the rotational movement used to adjust the height of its round tabletop, gently raising it up from its bell-shaped steel base. Beyond acting as a visual ballast to the light tabletop, the distinctive base also serves as a stabilizing center of gravity, reflecting how the Turn Table has been clearly designed around its function. Use it as a small coffee table or a side table––on its own or in a group of small tables––in the living room, a lounge area, or even a lobby or hotel room. The table comes in three monochrome tones: black, dark gray, and a lighter warm gray.

“In my design, I try not to add any unnecessary details. I work with simplicity by highlighting the necessities instead of hiding them. It gives the product a simple and honest expression,” says Legald, who also designed the Block Table shown above.

The handles are natural extensions of the table’s legs, perfectly showcasing Legald’s philosophy of highlighting rather than hiding the necessities of an item. With a form inspired by the classic trolley table, his best-selling and versatile mobile side table has a functional design that can work just about anywhere in your home. We love how the look of the table can easily be changed based on where you place it and how you style it.  

“For me, it is paramount that function, materials and aesthetics all come together. The design needs to both be useful and solve a basic need - without compromising the visual expression,” says Nicholai Wiig Hansen who designed the Tablo Table.

The name Tablo refers to the English 'table' and the French 'tableau', the latter meaning a scenic and organized arrangement. The refinement of the tabletop's sharpened edge complements the lacquered legs beautifully and gives the table a pure and minimalistic feel. While the smaller size is shown above, a larger size is also available, inviting you to group them together in a lounge or living space or use the small as an end table and the large as a coffee table. Another beautiful trait of the Tablo is that it’s quick and easy to assemble without any screws needed! 

“Being easy to assemble is therefore part of Tablo's function,” Hansen says. 

“In furniture design, pine has been a forgotten wood variety for quite some time. That is a pity, because pine is certainly not without its qualities,” says Legald regarding his Pine Table design. “For me, the wood’s fiery growth rings and characteristic aroma represent Nordic soul and warmth.”

There is something both earthily Nordic and expressively avant-garde about the Pine Tables in two sizes: small and large. With its voluminous octangular foot, the Pine Table can lend prominence and vigor to any room. Its weighty body is gently opposed by the tabletop’s narrow, rounded edge frame, adding a visual lightness to the solid pinewood design. Presented in its natural form, or with a colored wood stain that allows the grain to show through, all versions are finished with a protective matte varnish. Use either size individually as coffee or side tables, or together, as the smaller table can be pushed in under the larger one, creating a harmonious nest.

Normann Copenhagen: Storage Furniture + Accessories

Danish design philosophy favors a “less is more” approach that unites both form and function, and we love how Normann Copenhagen brings this ethos to life through bold yet understated storage furniture and accessories that are just so lovely to look at.

“The essence of my design is for it to be bought and used. Therefore, it has to satisfy not only the functional aspects, but also the psychological and aesthetic needs,” says Legald, again uniting aesthetic and function through the Block Shelf. Based on the popular Block Tables, Legald created an elegant stationary storage solution with three spacious tray shelves held up by a light yet solid wooden frame. Place it against a wall, together with other Block Shelves, or use it as a free-standing piece of furniture in almost any room.  

The Kabino series of furniture––also from Legald––puts storage at the forefront.

“I wanted to develop the minimalistic idiom of Kabino further to create a versatile and functional furniture series,” says Legald. The different items make it possible to fall in love with Kabino’s expression and then choose the exact piece of furniture that suits your individual needs. If you choose several pieces, you easily create a coherent look in your interior.”  

The Kabino Dresser can work in the bedroom or even as a credenza in an entryway or living room. The Tall option is great if you could use more storage in your bedroom for a coherent look, aligned with Legald’s intention for the series. The Kabino Bedside Tables will look great next to the bed or anywhere you could use a side table with storage.

The many small details of the designs help create a visual break in the uniform surface of the front and add dynamics: the signature open handles in both the doors and soft-closing drawers give an integrated look; the ash frame softens the industrial expression and adds warmth and exclusivity. 

The Kabino Sideboard is another useful piece of furniture from the Kabino series for almost anywhere in the home. Similar to the original Kabino, the new sideboard with drawers has perforated holes in the one sliding door, which gives a visual elegance.

“When you buy a modern sideboard it is often designed with pure craftsmanship or total industry in mind,” Legald says. With Kabino I have explored manufacturing methods and various combinations of material in order to give Kabino a little of both.”

With white or grey door options, the Kabino Sideboard can be used as a TV cabinet thanks to its built-in cable outlet and perforated holes which allow you to use your remote even while the doors are closed.

The idea behind the Toj Clothes Rack is to bring the wardrobe out of the closet and into your space. Screws and bolts are accentuated and the holes in the shelf’s design cast creative shadows on the floor. The rail, shelf, and trusses provide enough space for clothes, shoes, and bags.

“I wanted to design a clothes rail that could be displayed openly – a piece that was more furniture than a basic rail for clothes,” designer Legald says. "Toj works well in many different environments since its expression is clean and minimalist, and it is the individual person who gives Toj character.”

Made with robust, Scandinavian materials, the Sko Shoe Rack is a design without any unnecessary components.

Similar to the Toj, this shoe rack consists of accentuated screws and bolts as well as perforated shelves that cast creative shadows on the floor. 

”I really like designing things that are not typically seen as design products,” Legald says. “For me, a shoe rack is something that is overlooked in the world of design and therefore, it has been a fun process.”  

Oregon-based design Studio Gorm turned to historic American shaker style when designing the Shaker Basket, a storage basket comprising clean, aesthetic lines. Made from bent plywood, this storage piece celebrates functionality, simplicity, and beauty through its pleasant graphical shape that works anywhere storage is needed: store spare blankets, toys, wood, books, magazines, or anything else that needs a home.

Utilizing modern materials and production techniques, Studio Gorm explored the traditional basket shapes of the Shaker movement to come up with what you see here. Its shape is the result of a dialog with the material: the basket’s sides are mounted at the bottom to a rounded rectangle and the material relaxes into a soft organic curve. The transition between those two shapes creates a subtle visual tension to the design, which appears natural and contemporary in its totality. The Shaker Basket comes in soft sand or warm grey.

Legald’s Analog Magazine Rack is a little revolt in a digital world. The magazine rack’s hole-patterned sides are inspired by 1990s computer equipment that had similar perforations for cooling down the bulky electronics.  While the details are a nostalgic nod to technology, the shape is classic: two separate compartments and practical handles form the basis for the design. The industrial coated steel gives the rack an unpretentious look that possesses a free and easy sense of coolness. 

Usability and aesthetics go hand in hand with the Bent Box. "The shape was created through reduction; by exploring different geometries, we focused on creating a shape that would be useful and easy to understand,” explains design studio Visibility. “Our hope is that the user will intuitively integrate the boxes into their daily lives and use them without thinking twice." 

The idea behind the boxes comes from traditional Japanese magewappa bento boxes made from bentwood. The Bent Box's simple, geometric, yet organic shape results in an irresistibly charming and edgy design. The stack-ability provides flexible storage capacity and invites you to mix different colors in decorative combinations. The boxes are available in three trendy shades: pale rose, orange rust, and elm green. Endless uses await: jewelry, trinkets,  stationery, sewing accessories, make-up, toiletries, kitchen spices, or simply a neat little catch-all.  

”I've always liked hanging things up. I'm fascinated by the shape of hooks and intrigued by their function,” says Peter Johansen, the Danish designer behind the Curve Hooks. 

The Curve Hook has the classic, uncomplicated, and intuitive shape of a hook with a faceted rounding that breaks up the simple feel and gives an edge to the slightly oversized design. The broadness of its shape and the defined structure of the wood adds warmth, humor, and personality. Each color option adds a clean, Scandinavian feel, giving you an attractive way to decorate the often white walls in a hallway. Mount a single hook, several in a row or place them in a playful pattern, even opting to include some at a child-friendly height!

”Typically, a mirror has only one function, but I wanted to make a mirror that could offer more,” says Javier Moreno Studio about the Flip Mirror. “You usually look in the mirror just before leaving the house, so why not let it be there where you keep the last things you use to get ready with, or need to remember just before you go?” 

The Flip Mirror includes several functions: it can be turned up, down, and rotated a full 360 degrees. The base functions as a tray, ideal for keeping jewelry, make-up, or keys close at hand. Javier Moreno Studio consciously avoided a geometric design, aiming to use a freer and more organic shape for the mirror instead. The softness of the silhouette contrasts the glass and steel materials for a friendly and accommodating expression. 

According to Nordic mythology, Heima means ‘home’ or ‘the world’, but Heima is also the name of the cast iron 4-armed candlestick designed by Francis Cayouette. 

“The concept of ‘coziness’ varies from person to person. For me, the Nordic tradition of using candlelight is synonymous with coziness,” Cayouette says. “Arts and crafts must have a recognizability and a history and cast iron is an exciting raw material with history.”

Inspired by the Nordic culture of using candlelight and the cast iron arts and crafts of the 1950s, the Heima 4-armed Candlestick has an uneven, almost cold surface that gives it character, while the rounded shapes keep it modern.

Normann Copenhagen: Kitchenware

Conventional thinking is challenged through Normann Copenhagen’s playful and modern kitchen accessories. 

Made of solid oak and robust marble, the Craft collection of kitchen utensils is where excellent quality and exclusive natural materials go hand in hand. Each piece has a classic look and a weight that makes them comfortable to hold. The simple flared shapes that cut across the entire range bring the entire series together.

"The mills, mortar with pestle, and rolling pin are all traditional kitchen utensils used for active jobs in the kitchen. Therefore the utensils have to be durable,” explains Legald, who designed the entire Craft collection. “Additionally, the work is done by hand, so for me it is essential that the quality can not only be seen but also felt when holding the products. The marble and oak served this purpose perfectly." 

The marble handle of the Craft Rolling Pin gives it a good, solid grip when using it, while the hard materials make the Craft Mortar & Pestle ideal for grounding all kinds of spices. Inside of the Craft Salt Mills and Craft Pepper Mills are ceramic CrushGrind® grinders, which have been tested to grind salt and pepper for an equivalent of up to 200 years of normal household use without showing any notable signs of wear. 

The Craft range adds a luxurious Scandinavian feel to your kitchen decor and also includes a beautiful Paper Towel Holder. No matter if they are standing on the table, lying in the drawer, or being used, the eye is drawn to each piece.

Inspired by traditional Spanish ceramics, the Junto Collection features earthy red colors of fired terracotta that add a touch of southern warmth to your table.

The Junto Carafe and Junto Cups are shown above and we also have the matching oil bottle, vinegar bottle, and serving bowl. The signature organic form is perfect for serving. All of the pieces share a delicate interplay between surfaces that are both matte and glazed, grooved and smooth. Use the Junto Collection as a single set or mix or match it with your existing stoneware. 

Normann Copenhagen brings aesthetic design to everyday kitchen tools, too. 

Simple, easy, and functional, the Peeler is a user-friendly potato peeler with an organic mode of expression. ”The inspiration for the potato peeler's shape is derived from the professional kitchen, says design duo HolmbäckNordentoft. “We have created a cheerful, accommodating, and softer looking design instead of the usual hard and cold expression found in the classic potato peeler.”  

The Pin Peeler is pen-like in shape and stripped of any unnecessary details. Designer Jan Christian Delfs says how the pleasure derived from preparing food starts with having great kitchen utensils. A good kitchen utensil must be fun to work with and capable of mastering its function to perfection. The matte material and rounded edges soften the rigid feel and give the Pin Peeler an inviting appearance and comfortable grip. With a sharp, self-adjusting blade that rotates when in use, you can use it whether you are left or right-handed. 

The Pizza Wheel is slender in design and easily fits in your kitchen drawer. With a built-in stainless steel bottle opener, this piece is perfect for your pizza and beer nights.

Two distinct pieces of Normann Copenhagen kitchenware are shown above.

The Timber Trivet is a stylish and practical trivet with a beautifully designed finish that’s useful both in the kitchen to protect your countertop and for serving dishes in a decorative way.

"My wish was to design a sculptural trivet. I adopted a playful approach to come up with the mode of expression,” explains Australian designer Adam Goodrum. “Just like a puzzle where the pieces must be fitted together correctly to create the whole picture, the trivet’s three parts become one when they are connected together. The conical shaping constitutes an elegant gathering of the object.” 

Inspired by the functionality of traditional chopsticks, the Krenit Salad Set is a playful way to serve a salad, family-style, at the table

The Pebble Boards take their name from the rounded design reminiscent of a smooth pebble. The board is available in two versions: an oblong board and a squarer board, allowing different serving possibilities for cheeses, charcuterie, or your favorite snacks. We love the black marble with the decorative detail of the recess that gives you a place to put your finger when lifting it off the table. 

A design classic, the Krenit Bowls balances geometric perfection with ample spatiality. Engineer and materials researcher Herbert Krenchel presented the first Krenit bowl back in 1953, with its particular formation making it a typical and successful product of 1950s design ideals. The interplay between the black matte exterior and the colored interior separated only by a sharp, razor-thin edge is a characteristic element that looks as relevant today as it was then.

Normann Copenhagen: Home Office

Whether you have a corner of a room or an entire corner office, Normann Copenhagen has solutions for you.

Let your ideas flow freely with the Journal Desk, a compact desk that’s functional down to the smallest detail: the desktop has an integrated wire grommet while a steel drawer under the desktop provides space for office supplies. The simple frame is inspired by old French industrial furniture and is constructed from a combination of tubular steel and sheet steel with slightly outward sloping legs. The desk drawer can be placed either on the left or the right side based on what works best for you.

Denmark has a proud tradition of using molded wood for furniture. The Tales of Wood Office Bin is a classic, well-proportioned office bin that honors this tradition. Designed in 1984 by master cabinetmaker Bent G. Nielsen, this piece adds exclusivity and elegance to both the home office and the workplace. Tales of Wood is created with a deep respect for the cabinetmaking craft. 

Want to learn the stories behind some of our other featured brands? Learn the story behind Menu’s community approach to design and see how Form and Refine adapts a socially responsible design philosophy.

More Like This: Scandinavian Furniture That Lasts For Generations 

Batten Home carefully curates Scandinavian furniture designs and minimalist decor objects for the modern home. We are inspired by a Scandinavian aesthetic and Danish design philosophies with a new modern design feel we like to call new Nordic design. 

Have any questions for us? We’re family-owned and independently operated, and we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at hello@battenhome.co or find more inspiration on Pinterest.