Dansk

About Dansk Brand

Over 60 years ago, Ted and Martha Nierenberg recognized Scandinavian design as the perfect vehicle for the new casual living style that was evolving in America after World War II. At the time, American architects and manufacturers were adapting a wide variety of new materials, technologies, and designs to the new postwar attitudes. No more separate dining rooms that relegated kitchens to workshops for food preparation. No more formal parties that required engraved invitations, fine linen, good china, and real silver. Americans wanted to gather for fun—for barbecues, fondue parties, and smorgasbords. The walls between cooking and dining were fading away – with more casual social interactions taking center stage.

In 1953, the Nierenbergs were traveling in Europe in search of something that would address these burgeoning desires. In Scandinavian design they found elegant simplicity wrought from practical materials that could be furnished to the American market at reasonable prices. Through the early work of Danish designer Jens Quistgaard, they found beauty and intelligence that was both relevant and revered. Dansk was born.

Over the past half century, Dansk’s commitment to distinctive design for the casual American lifestyle has endured both in homes and museums, including the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Dansk continues to challenge the paradigms that make up our lives; exploring new ways to create useful and expressive tools for entertaining and dining. With its Scandinavian modern design ethic – applying to clean, simple, intelligent solutions to great natural materials – Dansk makes everything Dansk to go with everything Dansk; and everything Dansk to go with the way we live today.