An Anarchistic Journey: Personally Written by Founders Ivan Hansen & Hans Henrik Sørensen

Initially, our business model was much simpler. We aimed to base the company on external production through various suppliers to avoid the need to finance expensive machines and staff. Simultaneously, we pursued an aggressive marketing strategy. The introduction of the new company took place at the Scandinavian Furniture Fair in May 1991, where we showcased furniture designed by Søren Holst and, interestingly, door handles simply because they were aesthetically pleasing. The annual furniture fair in Bella Center Copenhagen was always a unique event with remarkable stands. Ours was no exception. During the very first exhibition, Ivan’s dad, “Old Hansen,” quickly assembled a rustic black floor space with polished nails, which was then scattered with sand.

The following year, we were offered a large stand at a very low cost. For this reason, we kept the room as it was, with a raw concrete floor and white walls. We borrowed a couple of huge, very old spotlights and an old vacuum cleaner from a local film company. To complete the look, we added an oversized American fridge stocked with Budweiser beer, and then the party began!

Although the enormous spotlights blinded most visitors, many still remember our stand as one of the best in our company’s history. Perhaps this was the beginning of our new raw approach to presenting furniture, or maybe it was the informal and anarchistic atmosphere that made the stand so memorable. Nevertheless, the furniture we showcased on the “junk-deluxe stand” was always of exquisite quality, just as it is today. This commitment has never wavered.

The Pelican chair had only been produced in limited quantities in 1940, and now it was going to be reintroduced at the international furniture fair in Cologne, marking a new millennium. It was a gamble on our part. Finn Juhl’s furniture had not been exhibited for many years and had largely been forgotten outside the realms of art and design history.

The fair became a turning point for us as we showcased furniture that everyone seemed to have an opinion about. Some found the Pelican chairs ugly, comparing them to tired animals, while others found them amusing, and there were those who considered them simply brilliant.

Despite the mixed reactions, Finn Juhl’s furniture immediately brought us in contact with foreign parties interested in the pieces. A large U.S. company expressed a desire to reintroduce Finn Juhl’s furniture to the U.S. market and visited us on September 12, 2001. However, this was right after the Twin Towers in New York City had fallen, and selling Finn Juhl’s furniture proved to be more challenging than we had ever imagined.

Despite the difficulties, we couldn’t refuse when Hanne one day asked us if we wanted to take over all rights to Finn Juhl’s furniture, saying, “We have such a nice time together; would you be interested in the official rights to the complete furniture archive?”

Relaunching and working with Finn Juhl’s design heritage was not solely the work of one hand. It occupied almost all our time, and mentally, we became deeply immersed in the world of Finn Juhl. It became our life’s work for over 25 years. The story of Finn Juhl is incredibly rich, and the more you delve into it, the more fascinating it becomes.

We have mirrored ourselves in Finn Juhl, the way he went against the current and followed his heart instead of the trends of the time. We never doubted that his design would remain relevant for a changing world. Finn Juhl’s design is universal and organic. It is not mathematically calculated but relates to nature’s own shapes, with human proportions and daring details that stimulate the senses. Finn Juhl’s design is a feeling and goes beyond mere functionality; it speaks to people.

It is no secret that for many years, our work with Finn Juhl’s designs consumed much of our time and resources, leaving little room for developing new designs with contemporary designers. They were often overshadowed while the spotlight was on the relaunched Finn Juhl models. This wasn’t ideal, but it was necessary. However, our ambition has always been to continue collaborating with Danish contemporary designers alongside our work on Finn Juhl’s legacy. It was time to embark on a new era where the two paths could merge.

We were tasked with recreating a total of 260 Finn Juhl chairs, model FJ51. Simultaneously, the Minister of Culture had the idea that not only should Finn Juhl be celebrated as an excellent designer, but there should also be a design competition among Danish designers for the linked tables in rows for the delegates, a design that Finn Juhl had never created before, as well as chairs for the secretaries who held a central place in the chamber.

So, we had to enter into a firm agreement in advance for the production and delivery of the Finn Juhl chairs, along with all the other furniture for the council chamber, without knowing the designers or the design of the furniture. It took four years from the time we received the request until the chamber was completed and reinaugurated in April 2013. The time in between was a struggle for our small company in Ringkøbing. A battle for funding, a race against time, and, above all, a challenge to learn the system, navigate, and lobby among ministries, authorities, consulates, missions, architectural firms, contractors, and especially within the UN, which is a world unto itself.

We had no idea what we had said yes to in 2009. We felt used to solve a problem for both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but as always, we took the task seriously. Through personal connections with high-ranking individuals in both Denmark and the UN, we gained significant trust that ultimately helped us overcome obstacles. We carried out this complex and monumental task in one of the world’s most significant meeting rooms, where every UN member country is represented by a seat, now crafted by OneCollection. However, we were not alone in this endeavor. The design competition, which was held, was won by the design duo Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard with a project that convincingly captured Finn Juhl’s spirit and nearly completed Finn Juhl’s project.

In 2022, we completed our new headquarters in the city of Ringkøbing, which is our home. Our goal was to create a modern office space and warehouse that reflect OneCollection’s identity and values as a design company. We put a lot of thought into the design and materials to harmonize with the natural surroundings. The building’s exterior is covered with corten steel and wooden panels, and there are large windows that bring in plenty of natural light and offer transparency inside. The new headquarters stands at a height of 8.5 meters, providing a beautiful view of Ringkøbing Fjord.