Three Scottish designers who made their mark at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen

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How three Scottish designers made their mark in Copenhagen for the 3 Days of Design Festival

The enduring appeal of Scandinavian design is further bolstered each summer at the 3 Days of Design Festival in Copenhagen. Over an impossibly tight timeframe the city hosts flocks of design enthusiasts, buyers, brands and of course designers showcasing their work.

What started out as a small-scale showcase of mostly Danish design is now a firm fixture on the international design festival calendar. 3 Days of Design festival is second only to Milan for those seeking out the latest innovations, approaches and styles for interiors with over 400 exhibitors and events spread out across the city.

Opera Park Copenhagen featuring Vestre furniture - 3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Matteo Bellomo. Opera Park Copenhagen featuring Vestre furniture

The festival benefits from stunning locations to discover the latest designs in furniture, homeware and interiors. In addition to traditional furniture showrooms, visitors can hop on an electric lime bike and venture across the city to canalside apartments or former industrial warehouses where they can experience the vibrant creative festival after hours.

Three Scottish design studios embraced the opportunity to showcase their work at 3 Days of Design making an impact with buyers, visitors and the design community. Seeing Scottish design thrive in Copenhagen side by side with leading interiors brands as part of an international festival is a real treat and I can’t recommend a trip enough to readers.

Timorous Beasties – What Are You Looking At? 

timorous beasties at 3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Jakob Storm for Local Heroes. Left to right: Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons of Timorous Beasties, with Curator Stacey Hunter of Local Heroes

Programmed by Edinburgh-based design curator Stacey Hunter of Local Heroes and supported by The Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, iconic Glaswegian design duo Timorous Beasties gave a sneak preview of their latest collection Straight out of the Jungle with an immersive pop up installation in a canalside studio space in the Christianshavn District.

Printing designs on a mirrored floor for the first time, it reflected a series of vibrant wallpaper panels and printed lace curtains inviting visitors to question what they were looking at.

Restrained and minimal this was not; unashamedly playful and hugely popular it most certainly was. A series of daily streetside screen printing workshops were over subscribed as Danes and festival visitors clamoured to get a taste of screenprinting and a Timorous Beasties tote.

When we spoke in Copenhagen, Alistair McAuley of Timorous Beasties said, “This installation plays with materiality and how people look at things. Generally, if it’s a rug, it’s on the floor, if it’s wallpaper, it’s on the wall. So we wanted to take the whole interior, and transform it into a mesmerising series of reflections.

“If you take photographs of this space against the floor, it changes the whole aspect of it. You don’t know which way is ‘the right way’ within the space. This kind of pattern making isn’t unusual for us. The application though, is quite different.”

timorous beasties at 3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Jakob Storm for Local Heroes. Timorous Beasties installing their pop up installation What Are You Looking At?

“It’s an exercise in looking at things differently and trying to get people to use pattern in a less obvious way, and just see how well you can live with it. This makes it much more interesting.”

Design curator Stacey Hunter of Local Heroes who first approached The Scottish Government’s Nordic Office about supporting a Scottish presence at the festival added, “People often ask me what is the aesthetic of contemporary Scottish design and the reality is that it’s incredibly diverse with different studios and brands across the country producing their own highly distinctive and original work that often sits outside of international trends. Timorous Beasties are such an iconic example of this – they have collaborated with a huge roster of prestigious brands worldwide and the reason their designs are so sought after is because they have always stayed true to their own unique vision. Their work can be surreal, menacing and daring and that’s what their customers love.

IMAGE | Jakob Storm for Local Heroes

“When 3 Days of Design festival announced that their theme for this year’s festival was ‘Keep It Real’, I knew that Timorous Beasties were the perfect team to bring to Copenhagen and demonstrate to international audiences how contemporary design, especially in the context of design festivals, from Scotland is bringing something fresh and new to the scene.”

Nick Ross Studio

shot of Nick Ross designer for 3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Martin Brusewitz

Of the Scots on show at 3 Days of Design festival this year, the one most familiar with the festival is Nick Ross. The Inverness-born designer is now based in Stockholm, exploring how history shapes our understanding of the present. With a studio founded on curiosity and craft, his work blends sculptural form with material storytelling. Nick has shown work at the festival every year since 2017 and for 2025 he created an installation of wooden vases at other.circle, launched a new dining chair together with +Halle, and opened a cafe as part of NIKO JUNE called Café NIKO.

The output of Copenhagen-based creative workshop and studio NIKO JUNE is closely followed by design insiders worldwide keen to snap up limited edition product launches so the launch of a public facing cafe was eagerly anticipated by festival goers who flocked to its opening alongside the other.circle exhibition at Papirøen in the Christianshavn District on the opening night of the festival.

IMAGE | Courtesy of Nick Ross Studio. Mixed Grill vase installation by Nick Ross Studio as part of other.circle exhibition

Speaking about his installation of wooden vases featured at the design festival (Mixed Grill shown as part of the other.circle exhibition) Nick Ross said, “Mixed Grill followed on from a set of nine identical chairs shown during this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, all built using a repeated system of construction and a strict formal logic. What’s shown here comes from what was left behind. The vases are made entirely from the thin strips of wood trimmed away from the raw boards during the making of the chairs. Filled with handmade paper flowers, they bring a delicate, crafted contrast to their minimal wooden forms.

“The title Mixed Grill points to this shift in focus: a kind of second serving. Like meat shaved off a kebab, these vases are made from the scraps of the various wood species used on the original chairs.”

part of Nick Ross collection at 3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Courtesy of Nick Ross Studio. +Halle Proto Chair designed by Nick Ross Studio

He added, “I think 3 Days is in a good place right now, since it’s something most people within design visit, but it’s still not as big or messy as Milan design week is. Since Copenhagen is the main competitor to Milan as the design center of Europe, you get the right people visiting the city. But it is still a lot more streamlined than Milan. Both because of the size of the city and the ease of travelling between the various locations.”

Iseabal Hendry

IMAGE | Grant Anderson. Iseabal Hendry at Dundee Design Festival 2024

Festival first-timer Iseabal Hendry debuted a new series of sculptural work titled ‘Cuan’ at 3 Days of Design festival with Objective Studies, alongside nine other international artists.

Objective Studies is a Copenhagen-based digital platform introducing distinctive objects and furniture with an emphasis on ‘slow craft’ whilst supporting emerging design talent. It’s an ideal context for Iseabal’s work which is rooted in traditional craft techniques seen throughout rural Scotland—from basket weaving to boatbuilding.

Speaking to Iseabal about her pieces at 3 Days of Design festival, she explained ‘Cuan’ means sea or ocean in Scottish Gaelic. Living by the sea in the north west Highlands, these pieces look to the soft curves of waves for their form. Giving an insight into her design process she said, “I used locally sourced Scottish Elm, finely milled and steam-bent, using skills I learned when I studied traditional clinker boat-building at school. I steam-bent these pieces freehand, without any former or mould, in order to create truly soft, expressive waves. Each piece was then hand-sanded, buffed and oiled repeatedly to really showcase the beautiful grain of the Elm.”

IMAGE | Courtesy of Iseabal Hendry. Cuan by Isebal Hendry as part of Objective Studies

“My signature weave comprises thin leather strips which are intricately handwoven and stitched together to create an exact fit for the wooden form. By cutting the leather into fine strips I can make use of the whole hide with very little wastage.

“For ‘Cuan’ I used a cool, bold blue and a deep teal, both woven with a dark navy cotton. With the woven panel complete, I created a curved line of holes through the wood, precisely measured, marked and carefully drilled. Through these holes, traditional saddlery stitching brings together the Elm and leather to create these sculptural, playful and expressive forms. ‘Cuan’ celebrates traditional craftsmanship and my local landscape in playful forms that feel contemporary and full of joy.”

Before you travel to 3 Days of Design festival

3 days of design festival in copenhagen
IMAGE | Matteo Bellomo. Downtown Copenhagen during 3 Days of Design festival

Here’s some tips from those who have been there, done that and screen printed the t-shirt.

Nick Ross advises readers to, “Book your hotel early. It’s the most expensive time of year to visit Copenhagen.”  Isebal Hendry added, “Arrive a day early to get your bearings and make the most of each day of the festival Copenhagen. Also, do your research before you go, and create a little google map of locations you want to visit so you can see what’s close by.”

Stacey Hunter recommends that you, “Build in enough time to visit a few districts. The 3days app allows you to save specific shows you’re interested in on a map of the city. Copenhagen has lots of summer-specific activities that open up in June – like La Banchina,  an outdoor swimming spot with a café, wine bar and sauna. Give yourself a chance to exhale by the water in the middle of the busy city.”

As a festival newbie this year I can only add that design editor Amy Frearson’s Curated Places Map is a great starting point for recommendations. It’s even better if you join the Danes and explore the city by bike, discovering great food, drink and of course design as you go.

words Owen O’Leary


Looking for another design festival to visit? See a list of the best ones to visit in 2025 below.

11 global design festivals to visit in 2025

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