Henrik Pedersen

Danish
Born 1967, Denmark
Practises in Denmark
Studied Fashion Design
Henrik Pedersen’s home has been likened to his design style – beautiful and elegant. However, pretentious and grand, it is not. It is warm, and welcoming, a space that has been made for living. Often described as ‘down-to-earth’, he explains that he doesn’t design for money or fame, “My passion is creating good products that can be used by customers around the world”.
Pedersen was born in Denmark in 1967 and graduated as a fashion designer in 1990. He soon realized that his passion lay more in furniture and graphic design and he now runs 365°, a Danish design studio based in Aarhus. Still drawing from his degree, his studio’s designs range from furniture and lighting to projects for clothing and food packaging companies.
His approach to both design and his own life always circles back to finding meaning and passion in what he is doing. “It’s where I always start. If you take on a brief that you truly hate, there are likely to be two outcomes: you will either fail utterly, or you will succeed because you have no inhibiting emotion. But neither is fun, because then it’s just a job – the passion has gone”.
His successful career was defined early – just one year after opening 365°, he designed the Imola chair and this catapulted his name into the design world. Only made by a handful of highly skilled craftspeople in Europe, it is known for its striking details and the graceful sweeps of its curves. It soon became a best-seller.
Pedersen’s style is described as warm minimalism; his pieces blend comfort, natural curves, clean lines and honest materials without the glitz and excessive ornamentation. The emphasis is always on remaining true to the simple mantra that good design is functional, beautiful and easy to understand.
Since the Imola chair, his studio has adapted an international approach as its marketplace often spans the world. 365° has both Danish and international enterprises as clients and to stay relevant and one day ahead, Pedersen embraces travel and exploration in order to stay inspired. Yet, he also finds inspiration in the small things, “the side of a mouse mat, the fabric of a cushion. I used to write down those moments of inspiration, but now I just leave them and trust that my mind will recall it when required”.
Key to Pedersen’s entire design approach is the customer. He will sacrifice his own predispositions and direct all his passion into optimizing craftsmanship and functionality in a way that puts the user front and centre. To own a Henrik Pedersen piece, is to own a distinctive piece that moves people passionately.
In order to achieve this, Pedersen is meticulous and uncompromising when it comes to quality and execution, his designs and attention to detail are the result of his guiding philosophy, “nothing leaves my desk until it feels absolutely right”.
When designing, Pedersen combines functionality, pricing, market trends, his own creativity and the input of engineers and craftsmen. He may be uncompromising when it comes to quality, but he believes that compromise is key to how he designs, “I say that design is the opposite of art. An artist is about expressing him or herself – no compromise. A designer is a facilitator – a midwife to a concept you could say”.
Henrik Pedersen’s impact on the design world has already been prolific, and it seems to be just the beginning, “I don’t look back. I just want to continue creating good products. Passion for design is in my mind, soul and heart, wherever I go”.
FURNITURE
- Gloster Range
- Wendelbo Range
- FRANDSEN with B&B ITALIA Range
- Houe Range
- Bolia Range
- Feel Good Range
- Bo Concept Range
- Frandsen Range
Purchase a piece inspired by this designer