Saving Kubus

Denmark, Design –

Young NADIA LASSEN set up a furnishing company to preserve greatgrandfather Mogens’ iconic Kubus candlestick and other beautiful designs

Co-owner and director of by Lassen, Nadia Lassen, wants to showcase greatgrandfather’s unique designs

Architect brothers Mogens and Flemming Lassen were among the first designers to work with Functionalism in Denmark

MOGENS AND FLEMMING LASSEN are icons in Danish design. It is their designs and creations that Nadia wanted to preserve and showcase when she came across photographs and blueprints and beautiful handcrafted objects left behind by the duo. Mogens (1901-1987) is her greatgrandfather and Fleming (1902-1984) is her greatgranduncle.

Kubus candlestick in nickel. Mogens & Flemming Lassen created Kubus in the 1960s, and it became an icon of Danish design. It’s up there with Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair

Nadia Lassen started furnishings company by Lassen with uncle Søren in 2008

The Lassen chair combines Flemming’s love of organic silhouettes with Mogens’ sense of stringent contours

Nadia started furnishing company by Lassen in Copenhagen when she was only 23 as she was convinced it would take off on the sheer quality of handcrafted work and design in the legacy of her famous greatgrandfather.

It was about 100 years ago when architect brothers Mogens and Flemming opened their studio Mogens & Flemming Lassen. Many of their building contracts required furnishing interiors with unique furniture and accessories so they had to design and create their own. The Lassen brothers were among the first architects to work with Functionalism in Denmark. The style became a defining characteristic, and was clearly ahead of the times in the way that they perceived buildings and design – using features such as square shapes and unique arches, large windows and open kitchens as we know them today.

Conekt Table with Stool ML42 in black stained beech. In 1942 Mogens Lassen designed the Stool ML42 for a furniture exhibition at the Danish Museum of Decorative Art

Kubus candlestick has a sharp sense of modern functionalist style designed by Mogens Lassen in 1962. Kubus bowl in burnished copper.

Tired Man Armchair (right) in sheepskin. Designed by Flemming Lassen in 1935 with its voluminous polarbear shape for a sensation of cosiness – as warm and safe as a polar bear cub in the arms of its mother in the middle of the ice cap

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A Chat with Nadia Lassen, director and co-owner of by Lassen

Nadia Lassen:

Danish design is all about simplicity, clean lines, and honest materials like wood, marble, steel and copper, and very soft and pale colours.”

Does working with the architectural traditions started by your greatgrandfather Mogens Lassen give your style another dimension?

I think so, yes. I feel lucky that I can work with their old designs and heritage, and it shows me another perspective. Mogens & Flemming Lassen not only made furniture and accessories, they also made houses, city halls, libraries and hotel decor. Their designs made me realise that it is not just about one nice product. It is about space, light and function as well.

The famous Kubus Collection is an example of exceptional craftsmanship. Do you manufacture your products locally in Denmark?

Yes, we do. We produce the entire Kubus Collection at a Danish supplier with focus on great craftsmanship. We are so proud of our production and the fact that it is not only Danish Design but also Made in Denmark, because the quality of the Kubus Collection is very high.

What materials do you like to work with in creating your products?

I like to work with honest materials such as wood, steel, copper, brass and wool. Plastic will never be my favourite product. I like to see materials get even nicer over time, and with use. Our Kubus in copper is, for example, getting green, and it looks quite amazing.

How is Danish design different from the other Scandinavian designs?

Danish and Scandinavian designs are very similar. Danish design is one of the most popular trends in Scandinavia because we have a very old design tradition here in Denmark. Many of the well-known designers are from Denmark for example Arne Jacobsen, Wegner, Poul Kjærholm, Mogens & Flemming Lassen. Danish design is all about simplicity, clean lines, and honest materials like wood, marble, steel and copper, and very soft and pale colours.

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Story by Carol Kraal. Photographs courtesy of by Lassen