Still Making Waves – 250 Years of Royal Copenhagen

One of my favourite parts of 3daysofdesign has to be how up close and personal you can get to your favourite brands; and nowhere was this more evident than at Royal Copenhagen.

Already a huge fan, I’ve been collecting their perfect porcelain for the best part of a decade now, so it was with childlike excitement that I headed to their historic flagship store on Amagertorv, to see their latest launches, learn more about their 250^th anniversary and even have a go at painting a plate of my own.

Centred around an exhibition that gave a new perspective on Royal Copenhagen’s centuries-old traditions, ‘Still Making Waves’ honoured both the heritage as well as the skilled artisans and craftspeople whose dedication has, and continues to, shape who they are today.

From watching pieces of the Blue Fluted Palin collection (which dates back to 1775 when Royal Copenhagen was founded under the patronage of Denmark’s then Queen Juliane Marie) being meticulously hand-painted, through to seeing the extraordinary processes behind sculpting the delicate forms of the Flora Danica botanical collection; the main focus of most visitors attention was actually not on the traditional tableware, but on a striking new set of interior objects.

Called, ‘Kontur’, and taking its inspiration from the rhythmic patterns of ocean waves, the collection includes four exquisite pieces; a vase, a dish, a small trinket box or bonbonniere, and a bold yet beautiful limited-edition lamp, of which only 250 have been made.

Not only celebrating the brands trademark cobalt blue pigment, with each piece hand-sprayed to give it that fluid looking finish, Kontur also pays homage to the unique factory mark found on every Royal Copenhagen product.

Symbolising Denmark’s most significant waterways, the ‘Oresund’ or Sound, the Great Belt and the Little Belt, it was this hand-painted triple wave motif I too tried to use as a starting point when I sat down to paint a plate of my own.

Much harder to do than it looks, even when being guided by someone who does it every day, after the festival each piece (no matter how bad they may look I hasten to add) will be fired just like its beautiful counterparts, and used to decorate the Motif Café which sits on the opposite side of the store’s cosy courtyard.

Thankfully for me however I could remember my truly inspirational time with Royal Copenhagen in a more aesthetically pleasing way, by choosing a one-of-kind keepsake from a collection of miniature plates that had been crafted specially for the occasion, which as you might expect now takes pride of place in my growing collection.