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.