We Love This: October 2026
By Signe Hansen | Press photos
Scandinavian design is famous for its clean lines and understated beauty, but some of its greatest classics began with a simple and very practical question: how can this work better? From a chair that grows with a child to a lamp designed to eliminate glare, these pieces prove that functionality need not come at the expense of beauty. Below are six Nordic classics where purpose is at the core of the appeal.
Ant chair – Arne Jacobsen
Light enough to move easily, compact enough for a busy canteen and strong enough to withstand everyday use, Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair was designed in 1952 for the canteen at Novo Nordisk. Its slender appearance hides nine layers of pressure-moulded veneer, formed into a single curving shell and balanced on slim steel legs. The result is almost sculptural, but its origins are firmly practical – a working chair whose function helped shape its now-iconic form. From EUR 339.
Stool 60 – Alvar Aalto
Three legs, one round seat and a bent birch leg that helped change furniture design. Created by Alvar Aalto in 1933, Stool 60 is beautifully simple and endlessly useful: a seat, small table, bedside table or extra surface whenever one is needed. Better still, it stacks neatly and can be flat-packed. Almost unchanged for more than 90 years, this is Scandinavian practicality distilled into its simplest form. From EUR 270.
PH 5 – Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen did not design the PH 5 simply to look good. Created in 1958 in response to changing bulb shapes and the glare they could produce, its layered shades carefully direct and soften the light. The result is a lamp that turns a technical solution into an unmistakable silhouette. More than six decades later, it is still one of the most popular lamps in Denmark. From EUR 1,000.
EM77 vacuum jug – Erik Magnussen
It is no secret that Scandinavians love coffee, and so it is perfectly natural that we would design a vacuum jug around the idea of making coffee easier to pour. Erik Magnussen created the EM77 for Stelton in 1977, combining a clean cylindrical form with simple everyday functionality. The design was conceived to make serving easier, while replaceable components help extend its lifespan. Produced in Denmark ever since, the EM77 proves that even the most ordinary kitchen object can become a design classic when it simply works. From EUR 79.
Vipp pedal bin – Holger Nielsen
Some design icons begin with grand visions. The Vipp pedal bin began because Holger Nielsen’s wife needed a practical waste bin for her hairdressing salon. Made in Denmark in 1939, its pedal-operated lid soon made it popular in clinics too. What started as an everyday solution eventually found its way into homes – and even MoMA’s collection. Practical, sturdy and satisfyingly simple, it is proof that no household object is too humble for thoughtful design.
From EUR 265.
Storage rarely feels this light. Designed by Swedish architects Kajsa and Nisse Strinning in 1949, the String System combines its instantly recognisable wire side panels with shelves that can be moved, added or removed as needs change. A modest bookshelf can grow into a full storage wall, incorporate cabinets or become a workspace. Perhaps that adaptability explains why a system created more than 75 years ago still feels entirely at home in contemporary interiors. Priced per unit.
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