Kunsthåndværket: Well-designed solutions

Danish design and handicraft have gained popularity in recent years, and especially handmade one-of-a-kind products are in demand. In the tourist town of Ebeltoft in Jutland, Denmark, you’ll find the shop Kunsthåndværket (‘The Handicraft’ in English). Here, owner Karen Skotte sells a wide variety of Danish design, arts and crafts to locals as well as tourists.

Originally, Skotte wanted to make ceramics. She is a qualified graphic designer and has taken several courses at the art academy in Aarhus. 15 years ago, she started designing ceramics. “The first product I made was the toothbrush holder,” Skotte recalls. “It’s more relevant now than ever before. People have realised the importance of having a separate toothbrush holder for each family member in order not to infect each other.”

With her ceramics brand, KopCup, Skotte seeks to create practical solutions to everyday problems. That’s why she designed a vase for dish brushes. “A customer once asked me, ‘don’t you have a vase with a large hole in it to allow the brush and the cloth to dry,” Skotte says. “And I thought to myself, ‘that’s brilliant, why hasn’t anyone thought of that before?’ Then I knew I had to make it.”

Still designing products for the KopCup line, Skotte has also expanded her assortment to include many handicraft products from other designers. “People want to buy something not everyone has,” she reflects. “And many wish to find special gifts instead of just bringing flowers.”

Among Kunsthåndværket’s customers are many tourists, especially from Norway and Germany, who are keen on buying unique Danish design souvenirs, since “Danes are extremely skilled within the field of design and crafts,” as Skotte says.

“Tourists want souvenirs, but they don’t want the old-fashioned ones,” she elaborates. “They want something unique, something of great quality and something with a story.”

Ceramic toothbrush holders

Web: www.kunsthaandvaerket.dk
Facebook: Kunsthåndværket
Instagram: @kunsthaandvaerket