Nordic Refined

Gentoftestolen

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Gentoftestolen er en fortolkning af Gentofte som sted og fællesskab. Den forener Bellevue’s kulturarv, folkets åbenhed og naturens organiske former i en inviterende stol af ærlige materialer, der patinerer smukt og rummer et hjerte som symbol på menneskelige relationer. Stolen er skabt til at fungere som scenografisk element i danseforestillingen STOL – a matter of trust, og vil siden indgå i talks, events og udstillinger – samtidig markerer den Bellevue Teatrets 90-års jubilæum i 2026.

Stolen bygger på tre centrale temaer: Bellevue området, Folket og Omgivelserne.
Bellevue området repræsenterer det rekreative og historiske samlingspunkt med strande, badehuse og modernistisk arkitektur.
Folket afspejles i stolens åbne og inviterende form, udført i ærlige materialer og med diskrete detaljer, der understøtter menneskelige relationer.
Omgivelserne kommer til udtryk i mødet mellem naturens organiske former og den geometriske arkitektur langs kysten.

Project Video

Designskolen Kolding
Role: Lead designer
Team: Andreas V. D. Merwede, August S. K. Rizzi, Emil K. Hansen & Freya Brinkmann.
Collaboration partner: Bellevue Teatret & Balé Teatro Guaíra
Additional thanks to: Gentofte Kommune, Møbelpolstrer Martin Christensen & Søn and Mathias Rasmussen.

Ministole

Som en ekstra del af projektet har vi udviklet mini udgaver af Gentoftestolen i to versioner: én som skoleelever skal dekorere inden forstillingen, og én som en lille “souvenir”, publikum kan tage med hjem efter forestillingen.

Role: Project manager and designer
Collaboration partner: Bellevue Teatret & PR Offset

The post Gentoftestolen first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Koldingstolene

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:37:17 +0000

Design gennemsyrer den måde vi arbejder på i Kolding Kommune og på Designskolen Kolding. Derfor vil vi gerne vise, hvad designprocessen egentlig går ud på. Vi har været ude og snakke med borgerne i Kolding om hvad der definerer os. Hvilke historier fortæller vi om os selv? Er der nogle temaer, der går igen? Netop de temaer har vi forsøgt at omsætte til tre forskellige stole.

Project video

The Chairs

Fællesskab

Her fortælles historien om de nære relationer. Mennesker, vi deler livet med, men også de steder, vi lever livet sammen. Fællesskabsstolen er mere end blot et møbel. Den er en invitation til at sætte sig og dele øjeblikket med dem, vi holder af. Stolen skal fremkalde en følelse af hjemlighed, ligesom mennesker og steder kan føles “hjemmelig”. Med sine bløde kurver og varme teksturer inviterer den til samvær og nærvær.

Landskab

Med fødderne solidt plantet i den jyske muld er landskabsstolen en fortælling om vores lokale iværksætterånd, men også om det kuperede morænelandskab, der omgiver os. Linjerne, der bryder stolen op i mindre flader, er en påmindelse om, hvordan vi som mennesker har opdelt landskabet i rette linjer, der brydes i mødet med den vilde natur.

Tilhørsforhold

Tilhørsforholds-stolen er en hyldest til Koldings stærke stål- og mejeriindustri. Tekstilet skal repræsentere det menneskelige behov for at sætte sit eget præg på det område man bevæger sig i – her illustreret med graveringer og graffiti fundet i Kolding. Tekstilets klassiske blå farve er en reference til bussædet – et sted, hvor vi mødes på tværs. Med sin unikke kombination af industrielle elementer og reference til fællesskabets mødesteder inviterer Tilhørsforholds-stolen til at blive en del af både fortidens historie og nutidens fællesskab.

Designskolen Kolding
Role: Lead designer
Team: Andreas V. D. Merwede, Molly D. Østergaard, August S. K. Rizzi & Pil I. Nicolaysen.
Collaboration partner: Kolding Kommune
Additional thanks to: Uldall Jernstøberi, Møbelpolstrer Martin Christensen & Søn, Naturvejleder Rune K. Lange, From Grafisk, Stupid Studio, Koldinghus, Skamlingsbanken og Kolding Bibliotekerne.

The post Koldingstolene first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Outdoor collection: The Living series

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 19:42:00 +0000

The Living series takes inspiration in Nordic design heritage, whitch is expressed in its functionality, minimalism and timeless design. Clean lines frame the many details. With its play in both color and structure, the solid acacia wood gives each peace of funiture its own unik expression. The Living series is manufactured with sustainability in focus. The combination of FSC certified wood and aluminium makes for a product thats made to last.

The post Outdoor collection: The Living series first appeared on Nordic Refined.

The Chair Project – Four Classics

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 20:36:00 +0000

The Chair Project is a series of four AI-designed, human-manufactured chairs. The piece reverses the roles of human and machine in the design process and industrial production. Omitting the human body, the technology dreams up entirely new forms of classic seating furniture. Chairs, both ordinary and alien, yet ultimately useless — an irony of AI solutionism.

Chairs In the making

Concept development process

Neural network (AI) and human interpretations of one another

Exhibition

Uncanny Values, MAK Vienna

The post The Chair Project – Four Classics first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Outdoor Activity Packages

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 21:12:34 +0000

A line of outdoor equipment that is meant to make magnificent nature experiences more accessible to all. The line consists of a range of equipment and activity packages for oyster safaris, underwater hunting and crab fishing. Through the design and use of materials such as titanium, ash wood and natural fibres, ‘a touch of luxury’ is achieved. Nordic Refined is products of the highest quality that reinforce the enjoyable nature experience.

Collaboration partners
Enkev Natural Fibers, Velux, Smurfit Kappa, MT-Titanium, Århus Metaltrykkeri, Syddansk Erhvervsskole & Influx.

Activity Packages

Spaer Fishing | Oyster Safari | Crap Fishing

Product Video

Development Process

Thumbnails of process elements.

The post Outdoor Activity Packages first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Woodworking Projects

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 08:23:20 +0000

Selected projects

The Hunting Chair

Hammock

Kulturpris for Kolding Kommune

Collaboration: Julia Sand

The post Woodworking Projects first appeared on Nordic Refined.

The Dog-lamp for Vero Moda

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 21:24:18 +0000

I designed this lamp for Vero Moda in connection with their fall collection 2015. Made to be a part of a larger context in a window display, the lamp works as a curious dog exploring the collection on display as well as working as a spotlight putting focus on the displayed items.

The post The Dog-lamp for Vero Moda first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Floating Oak

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 21:14:32 +0000

A series of swings designed based on oak’s properties, understanding and historical use. The products are designed for digital production and using traditional joinery technics, meaning no nails, screw glue or what so ever is needed.

The post Floating Oak first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Little Sun Redesign

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 21:36:00 +0000

Do to the VELUX Group’s 75 years anniversary, they put up a competition in collaboration with Little Sun to do a special edition of Little Sun’s already existing solar lamp. This project was carried out as part of a 5 week school project.

Form Follows Function

With this in mind, I began analyzing the existing design and quickly realized that aesthetics had been prioritized at the expense of functionality. Therefore, I started by designing the lamp’s functions before focusing on its aesthetics.

The lamp is designed with two distinct light settings: the first provides ambient light to illuminate a larger area, while the second offers a focused beam for more precise lighting. You control these settings, or turn the lamp off, by rotating the upper part of the lamp. This adjusts the lens focus or, when turned fully, switches the light off.

As I mentioned earlier, “Form follows function.” This is why the shape transitions from a somewhat square base to a rounded top. The base houses a solar panel, which is square to minimize costs, while the top features a round lens designed for optimal performance.

While designing the shape of the lamp, I focused on working within the main form itself to create a more solid appearance. This approach also allowed me to shift the center of gravity forward, enabling the lamp to not only hang but also stand independently.

Aesthetics

More Than an Icon

To complete the design, I embossed the Little Sun logo onto the top of the lamp to strengthen the brand identity and give the lamp a more distinctive appearance. Additionally, the long line from the logo serves as an indicator of which light setting the lamp is on, as demonstrated in the video below.

Project Poster

The post Little Sun Redesign first appeared on Nordic Refined.

Urban Mobility in Shanghai

Mikkel Mikkelsen — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:21:00 +0000

Parking, locking, and charging facilities near Shanghai metro stations offer convenient and secure options for city parking. These facilities cater to electric scooter and bike users, allowing them to park and charge their vehicles for both short errands and longer stays, such as during work hours. Integrated with the metro system, users can access the charging stations using their personal metro ID card. Through a smartphone app, they can monitor battery status, account balance, and lock status, as well as make payments seamlessly.

Team: Jao Yao, Mingkun Kong and Shirly Fan
Collaboration: Tongji University & Yang Design

Project Video

The post Urban Mobility in Shanghai first appeared on Nordic Refined.