From idea

to final product

Designer Simon Legald

The Hyg family was born from the core of

Normann Copenhagen’s design philosophy,

which is to infuse the indefinable uplifting

feeling of home into design. Because it’s

nice to be home. Whether it is in the privacy

of your own personal space or your homes

away from home, the comfort of home makes

you feel at ease and at your best. In Danish

culture, the feeling of home is inextricably tied

up with the concept of hygge, and this sparked

the idea of creating a furniture collection that

is the quintessence of just that.

As the idea of Hyg developed in his mind,

Simon Legald plunged into the facets of hygge

with the aim of giving it shape. It became a

puzzling exercise in translating mood and

feeling into design.

Simon and his team took the idea apart

and tested volumes, lightness, strength

and thickness in a long and comprehensive

examination, until all of the pieces of the

jigsaw puzzle were in place. From the bursting

sketchbooks, a soft and embracing idiom

materialized – one that combines comfort and

ease with an expressivity that is playful and

free.

What is hygge to you?

For me, hygge is about surrounding myself

with things that make life good. It can arise

from an atmosphere, the company of friends,

or just the pleasure of a good and comfortable

chair. It is my impression that practically

everyone has their own definition of hygge, and

my intention with Hyg was to create something

that adapts to people’s different perceptions of

the word. The collection embraces the concept

of hygge in a broad sense, leaving it open for

interpretation.

Can you tell us about your design process?

Designing Hyg was a very physical process in

the sense that it required a lot of handmade

prototypes and adjustments before we got

to the final result. Over twenty different

prototypes were made in order to achieve

the exact shape and comfort we envisioned.

The feeling of hygge is not only linked to the

visual experience of the design – it lies in the

overall sensuous experience. A lot of effort has

gone into sculpting the shape to provide rest

and support for the human body, to make it

comfortable to sit in, basically.

What proved to be most challenging

in the making of Hyg?

Attaining the right balance in the shape was

the biggest challenge. I wanted the chairs

to surround and support the body without

locking it in a fixed position. We all have dif-

ferent proportions, so creating something that

the majority will feel comfortable in is not an

easy task.

What or whom is Hyg intended for?

Hyg is for everyone. It is a collection intended

to meet and adjust to the needs of people.

8 From idea to final product

From idea to final product 9