Thorup's winning chair, Noel in DR TV's "Danmark's Næste Klassiker"

Denmark has one of the world's most well-known and proud design traditions, but all the great masters are gone - so where is Denmark’s future design classics derived from? 

With ‘Danmark’s Næste Klassiker’, DR1 created a popular cultural program about Danish furniture design, in which five professionals, including Kasper Thorup, competed every week to make the best potential future furniture classic in a specific category. Mette Bluhme Rieck hosted the course of the battle when the designers during six programs designed a dining chair, dining table, sofa, lamp, children's furniture, and an armchair.

Museum Director Anne-Louise Sommer was, together with the renowned designer Kasper Salto, on the judging panel. Together, they challenged the young design talents to create the next potential design classic.

THE ESSENCE OF MATERIALS

Interview with Kasper Thorup from 'Danmark's Næste Klassiker':

By Susanne Holte

In the first episode of DR1's cultural and lifestyle program, "Danmark's Næste Klassiker," Kasper Thorup's sleek dining chair, the Noel Chair in steel and flagline, convincingly emerged victorious. Demonstrating a confident style, Thorup showcased his ability to cut to the core in creating visually powerful furniture that resonates with both the past and the future.

Drawing associations with iconic furniture architects like Mies van der Rohe, Poul Kjærholm, Le Corbusier, and Jørgen Kastholm — pioneers who shaped the functional agenda over half a century ago — the young Danish furniture designer Kasper Thorup readily acknowledges his place in design heritage. However, as affirmed by one of the TV program's judges, Anne-Louise Sommer, the museum director at Designmuseum Denmark, Thorup is undeniably "completely his own."

Thorup's winning chair, named Noel after his young son, embodies an unwavering commitment to a visible and easily comprehensible construction, echoing the spirit of functionalism. Crafted from steel and flagline, the chair adheres to a minimalist design principle, cutting to the core where materials and form engage in an entirely open dialogue. In this way, the chair encapsulates Thorup's overall approach to the design process, reflecting his inclination to delve into the essence where there is almost nothing left. One could argue that he operates on a deconstructive principle, breaking down to build up.

MODERNIST & FORWARD-LOOKING CHAIR

“Kasper’s dining chair is very modernist and forward-looking in its expression. The distinct choice of minimal and raw materials draws parallel to our architect pioneers. But the chair has its very own expression and it clearly demonstrates what league the design of Noel chair resides in”

— KASPER SALTO about kasper thorup's noel chair

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“I work with contrasts, construction, and lightness, constantly questioning whether I can explain my material choices, the design interventions — and if there is a good reason for what I do”

— KASPER THORUP

CONTRAST & LIGHTNESS

"I work with contrasts, construction, and lightness, constantly questioning whether I can explain my material choices, the design interventions — and if there is a good reason for what I do," explains Kasper Thorup, who earned his MA in furniture design from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2017. Today, he pursues his dedication to architectural, minimalist design and natural materials through his own furniture brand, Thorup Copenhagen, based in Copenhagen.

Having briefly explored carpentry along his journey, Thorup is fundamentally open to all materials but readily admits to a particular reverence for steel, perhaps because it allows for a detailed examination right to the edge.

"In my view, good design is synonymous with simple design, but good design must also stimulate the senses and have the potential to captivate," says Kasper, combining steel with more tactile and organic materials such as wood and flagline.

"It's an interesting process to find the essence of a given material, to challenge it and discover its inherent potential," says Kasper, who enjoys working with contrasts and, despite his minimalist style, draws inspiration from nature and traditional craftsmanship.

"I have great respect for the craftsmanship dimension and find it interesting to collaborate with skilled artisans. It is in dialogue with them that it becomes possible to challenge the materials," says Kasper, who prefers to create furniture that enriches the recipient and has a sustainable perspective. According to the emerging furniture designer, a perfect piece of furniture is one that withstands the wear and tear of the eye and demands thoughtful consideration.