FORM AND FEELING

Like Copenhagen's 3daysofdesign has evolved from a small-scale initiative in 2013 into Scandinavia's leading design festival, establishing the Danish capital as a significant centre for contemporary design discourse.

- 

The 2025 edition, organised around the theme “Keep it real”, emphasised authenticity, sustainability and inclusivity—principles that reflect broader industry priorities as designers respond to environmental concerns and social responsibility.

The festival's structure across eight Design Districts, encompassing nearly 470 exhibitions, demonstrated the event's maturation into a comprehensive platform for design exploration. This geographic and curatorial expansion reflects a fundamental shift in how design is presented and consumed: no longer confined to individual objects or isolated spaces, contemporary design practice is increasingly considering broader systems as well as contexts.

The trends emerging from this year’s festival illustrated this evolution. They revealed an industry negotiating between established craft traditions and technological possibilities, between commercial viability and environmental stewardship, and between individual expression and collective needs. These tensions, rather than being resolved, are productively explored through work that acknowledges complexity while maintaining clarity of purpose.

1. AUTHENTICITY AND INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION

Contemporary design increasingly prioritises adaptability over predetermined aesthetic solutions. String Furniture's Center Center system demonstrates this approach through modular perforated metal units that can be stacked or arranged to create customised storage configurations. The system's industrial minimalism functions as infrastructure rather than decoration, providing a framework for personalisation without imposing specific stylistic choices.