On October 1, 1999, J and P open up a small shop on Strandboulevarden in

Copenhagen and found the company “Normann Copenhagen”. “Normann” is

J’s middle name and “Copenhagen” is of course the city where they start their

business.

A sculptural self-assembly lamp shade made of 69 parts and designed by the

Danish architect Simon Karkov, is the first product

put into production. Norm 69, as they name their

momentous first, takes off like gangbusters and

more designs soon follow.

The first design products reflect J and P’s

predilection toward handicrafts as well as their

boyish fascination with gadgets. Ole Jensen’s

flexible “Washing-Up Bowl” and his “Familia” series

made up of a ceramic dinner service and stainless

steel pots, share shelf space with Britt Bonnesen’s

twisted “Swing” vases in hand-blown glass, the collapsible kitchen funnel by Boje

Estermann and Claydies’ handmade clay vases, which look like wild tufts of grass.

Working with a wide variety of product categories and materials, Normann

Copenhagen stands out at a time when most design companies stay within the

confines of one narrow niche.

Wanderlust

Travels had not been a privilege of J and P’s formative years, and a

wanderlust burns in both of them.

Going to trade fairs abroad becomes a way to develop the business

while satisfying their urge to travel the world – even if it means

sleeping on the tailgate of a truck in a minus ten-degree cold or

building up a trade fair booth from scratch with no assistance.