Oh, ARCHITECTMADE! I have been admiring the lovely designed products for long time now and always wanted to learn more about this company.

I have always asked myself WHO is the person who had this gorgeous idea to cooperate with different architects/designers to find the forgotten or not-yet-seen masterpieces and to produce limited series of rare design objects created by some of Denmark’s leading architects along their way to fame many years ago.

Photo credit: @petitsouriredesign (left), @architectmade (right)

Morten Jensen is the founder and owner of ARCHITECTMADE. He started on his own doing everything by himself – from the communication with the producers over quality checks to packaging and shipping.

But WHY did he decided to do all this? Because his passion goes beyond form and function. And because he wanted to change the throwaway culture, to create products you don’t get tired of looking at and with excellent craftsmanship warrented by three rounds of quality control. Everything is made to be timeless, designed for generations to come.

In 2018 Maria Tsomanis became the CEO of the company so that Morten could focus on new projects, which is something he really loves.

At ARCHITECTMADE they care a lot

They are aware of their inevitable impact on the world and they are very focused on making it a positive one. This positive impact is made by using only the best materials and delivering high quality designs that will stand the test of time.

HOW ARCHITECTMADE works

When looking for new partners, they make sure to meet the entire staff, from owners to workers in the workshops around the world. In woodshops, workers are categorized from apprentices to skilled craftsmen and the knowledge is handed down from generation to generation through master teaching. Thus, the tradition of skilled craftsmanship is preserved for generations to come. 
ARCHITECTMADE consults external experts to make sure that partners are constantly develop and improve their products and production sites.

Fair 

At ARCHITECMADE they believe that all workers, regardless of educational level or skills, should be treated fairly in all aspects of employment. Investing in their future is an investment into a better world.

Certifications are good for some, but at ARCHITECTMADE they go the extra mile to quality and sustainability visiting the manufacturing sites and workshops themselves, checking also working conditions and environmental impact. This is absolutely essential to their business ethics! What does that mean? Not all partners are FSC certified. Many of the small woodshops they work with are too small to afford FSC certification. Instead, ARCHITECMADE verifies themselves that all the materials are sourced sustainably and they also ensure that all employees are thriving and are treated fairly.

Today it is an honor for me to introduce you to the famous Architect Hans Bølling, who personally came to the ARCHITECTMADE office for this interesting interview. Thank you so much, dear Hans!

Photo credit: @architectmade (left), @petitsouriredesign (right)

Dear Hans, it is a great joy to have you here to learn more about your design universe. You have such a rich experience and a lot of success stories to tell. Where did you get your inspiration during all those years?

My inspiration is coming from my heart, I am a very creative person and I get so inspired of everything, I just can not stop. I am making a lot of stuff al the time, I am crazy about playing with the materials and the forms. I make every piece by hand and I just can’t stop. When I met my wife I owned her 5 kr. (danish – a lot of money at that time), and because of that I made her a lot of presents in form of wooden figures. I have always drawn and made puppet theater, and I made towers of matches. I am just a creative person in general, so I find inspiration in every thing in my life. Every time I had an assignment for building forest farms and so on, there was always some leftovers of wood that I got, and then I always looked at it and just started to make new stuff.

Duck and Duckling turn 60 this year, congratulations! I know that there is a cute story about the Duck and Duckling you have created in 1959. Can you please tell us more about it?

Duck and Duckling was made at first for a long time ago, before 1959. I made it with steel and plastic legs and feet, and when I saw the newsletter about the officer in Frederiksberg, who stopped the traffic during rush hour in Copenhagen to allow a family of ducks cross the street unharmed, I got the inspiration to improve my design and I was thinking about new stuff to make it better than the original product was, and out of that came Duck and Duckling.

With your Mermaid you bring a piece of Andersen’s fairy tale in our homes. Is there a special personal story connected with the Mermaid?

I have always loved Mermaids and the sea. Me and my wife Søs, we always go around the lake, and it is so wonderful. The mermaid was very hard to make, so it took a long time to get the right balance. But when I finally find it, it was wonderful – I have just always loved Mermaids, they are fantastic!

Which one is your favorite wooden figure you have created for Architectmade?

My favorite product is Rufus, my sons dog was named Rufus. Nevertheless at the beginning I thought the name should be Big Oscar, but when we was starting producing it at Architectmade and once we saw it in reality, we all were immediately thinking of Rufus – my sons dog. Rufus from Architectmade just look like the Rufus, the dog my son had. And I also love Bobby.

I would like to say THANK you again to Hans Bølling for this wonderful insight and new facts about your creations!

NEWS – brand new products are available now, for example FJ Pattern on the ingenious patterns created by Finn Juhl in 1954. I am so happy to be one of the first showing you this incredible news!

The new visions started in 2017 where ARCHITECTMADE started exploring the younger segment of architects and designers, the mix between the old fantastic masterpieces with new fantastic products created by the younger generation – all have the same vision of making quality products that can stand the test of time, and you can pass on for generations – Built to last. Born to be passed on.

I would like to send my appreciations to the whole ARCHITECTMADE Team in Denmark (especially to Lena!). Thank you so much for your support and your trust yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Best wishes from France,

Arminka

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In collaboration with ARCHITECTMADE