Pedal To The Metal

THEY SAY IT TAKES A LITTLE LUCK to get a business off the ground.

- 

Sometimes it all comes down to being in the right place at the right time with the right product to get any kind of traction. For Holger Nielsen, lightning struck twice. First, his fortunes changed quite literally in 1932 when he won the lottery. His prize, a car, was a rather wonderful reward for any 17-year-old, but for Nielsen, it was the beginning of a much greater journey.

Despite his deep love of cars, the teenager didn’t have a driving license, so he decided to sell the vehicle and use the proceeds to fund his other great passion: working with steel. Within seven years he had built up his own business and got married – and it was his wife’s request for a pedal bin for her hairdressing salon that inspired a design that really would make his fortune. Nielsen focused solely on function: the large pedal foot provided stability, the rubber ring at the base protected the floor, the domed steel lid could be easily cleaned, and the ‘ears’ on the side of the body allowed the bin to be moved easily and quickly.