Anker Bak
Human-centric design
Danish cabinetmaker and designer Anker Bak considers design to be solutions to real problems for real people.
Designer and cabinetmaker Anker Bak (b. 1983) is known for his problem-solving and human-centric design approach. His designs are characterised by a profound understanding of needs, functionality and a deep respect for wood.
Anker Bak creates designs for people in different life situations and typically meet a need that he or close family members have experienced. When his point of departure is not close relationships, he is often inspired by observing and talking to people where they live and work. Japan in particular has become a great source of inspiration.
Anker Bak’s design is simple and functional. In addition to putting people first, Anker Bak’s design pursues a distinct Danish design tradition inspired by master designers such as Hans J. Wegner and Børge Mogensen. Bak feels particularly connected to Wegner, because, like Bak, he was a qualified cabinetmaker before he became a designer. Furthermore, Bak also endeavours to envision designs that will meet future needs so they can be as enduring as possible.
Anker Bak’s mode of expression is simple and functional. In addition to a human-centric approach, Anker Bak’s design pursues a distinct Danish design tradition inspired by master designers such as Hans J. Wegner and Børge Mogensen. Bak feels particularly connected to Wegner, because, like Bak, he was a qualified cabinetmaker before he became a designer. Furthermore, Bak also endeavours to envision designs that will meet future needs and, thus, will be as enduring as possible.
“To me, the design process is about observing, reflecting and drawing to make sure that the ideas actually work – not only on paper. I want my designs to resolve real problems for real people,”
says Anker Bak about his design philosophy.
Anker Bak was born and raised in the countryside of Denmark. He began pursuing a creative path early on when, as a dyslexic, he was allowed to take additional woodworking classes at school. But the ability to use his hands and process wood was particularly shaped at his grandfather’s woodcarving workshop in Sweden, where he learned to appreciate the value of detail in the woodworking process.
Bak trained as a cabinetmaker at a boatbuilding company in 2004, where he focused on making custom fittings for sailboats, which earned him a silver medal at the end of his apprenticeship. After completing his apprenticeship, Bak travelled the world and ended up working in Japan, Finland, China and Hawaii. He began to study manufacturing technology and was collaborating with designers from various industries, when his passion for wood and traditional joinery got the better of him. This explains why Bak returned to Denmark, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in furniture design from VIA University College in 2014.
Anker Bak has never lost his international perspective and he continues to create designs for companies both in Denmark and abroad. His unique appreciation of needs, function and materials has earned him numerous awards and recognitions. At the age of just 19, he won the Danish National Championship (SkillsDenmark) for cabinetmaking, and in recent years he has won the Wegner Prize, the Joinery Award (Snedkerprisen), the Finn Juhl Prize, the Ejvind & Inga Kold Christensen Prize and a Danish Design Award as ‘Designer of the Year’.
Our designers
Hans J. Wegner
Among Danish furniture designers, Hans J. Wegner is considered one of the most creative, innovative and prolific. Often referred to as the master of the chair, Wegner designed more than 500 chairs in his lifetime – many of them considered masterpieces.
Arne Jacobsen
One of Denmark's best-known and most respected architects, Arne Jacobsen has become synonymous with modernism throughout the world. His precise yet expressive aesthetic continues to serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary designers.
Bodil Kjær
Danish professor and architect Bodil Kjær has significantly contributed to the spread of Danish Modern design principles through her travels, knowledge gathering and promotion of the relationship between design and architecture.
Bonderup & Thorup
After graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture in Copenhagen in 1969, Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup began a collaboration that led them to join forces on design projects across the globe for more than 20 years.
Brad Ascalon
Brad Ascalon is an American designer born in 1977. He entered the art and design world at a young age. His grandfather, a sculptor and industrial designer, and his father, a renowned artist, encouraged a passion for design, craftsmanship and materials that would last.
Børge Mogensen
Cabinetmaker and designer Børge Mogensen (1914-1972) created durable and simple furniture with a focus on people and is today regarded as one of the most influential representatives of Danish Modern.
EOOS
The design studio EOOS, founded by Martin Bergmann (b. 1963), Gernot Bohmann (b. 1968) and Harald Gründl (b. 1967), enjoys a reputation for its poetic approach to design.
Frits Henningsen
Frits Henningsen was an uncompromising designer known for his perfectionism and vibrant personality. He gave new expression to traditional designs and viewed quality craftsmanship as essential. Unlike most cabinetmakers, he always designed his own furniture pieces.
Kaare Klint
Kaare Klint is recognized as the father of modern Danish design and a renowned furniture designer, educator, and visionary. He insisted on clear, logical design, clean lines, the best materials, and superb craftsmanship, as seen in his iconic Safari Chair from 1933.
Larsen & Bender Madsen
Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen designed around 300 works, including the Metropolitan Chair. While the chair was their favorite object, they also made other pieces from bedroom suites to bookshelves. The results were always simple and timeless.
Linie Design
Linie Design, a Danish design company, was founded in 1980 and since then has specialized in the development of handmade rugs in elegant designs and of the highest quality materials.
Mads Odgård
The dream of becoming a designer has lived in Mads Odgård for as long as he can remember, so when the time came, he left his birthplace, the Danish town of Kjellerup, and moved to Copenhagen to work in the creative business.
Mogens Lassen
Architect Mogens Lassen created works rooted in cubist architectural ideals inspired by Le Corbusier. Considered a pioneer of functionalism in Denmark, Lassen’s designs showcased his ability to express ideas through diverse materials.
Morten Gøttler
Born in Copenhagen, and originally trained in shipping, Morten Gøttler became a self-taught designer and architect recognized for his exceptional understanding of wood and strong belief that innovation is the foundation for successful design.
Nanna Ditzel
Her desire to explore spaces and experiment with techniques on the edge of what is possible led Nanna Ditzel – one of Danish design’s most distinctive personalities – to become acquainted with the entire design universe.
Ole Wanscher
Ole Wanscher was integral to the aesthetic and functionality of modern Danish design. Having studied under Kaare Klint, he helped shape Danish furniture design as a designer and as an educator when he took over Klint’s professorship at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Poul Kjærholm
Poul Kjærholm mixed his strict, modern idiom with superior quality and materials rooted in Danish craftsmanship traditions. Despite his short career as a furniture designer, Kjærholm’s craftsmanship and clear expression resulted in timeless designs with a global influence.
Fabricius & Kastholm
The design duo specialised in furniture design and single-family houses, and their designs were characterised by minimalism, sophistication, functionality, quality and their eye for detail.
Rikke Frost
Danish designer Rikke Frost has always been curious about the combination of different craft traditions and types of material, a fact clearly reflected in her design portfolio where traditional and contemporary design is expressed in sofas, tables, chairs and lamps with an organic idiom.
Strand & Hvass
The Strand + Hvass duo is part of a new breed of Danish designers whose work continues in a direct line from their celebrated predecessors. With the Extend Table design, they infused the modern Danish furniture tradition with a bold new expression.
Tadao Ando
Japanese architect Tadao Ando bases his work on a design philosophy that unites Japanese design traditions with modern Western expression. Inspired by Le Corbusier, Ando’s style is minimalistic and innovative, with a focus on functionality.
Thomas Bo Kastholm
Thomas Bo Kastholm creates designs that unite diverse materials into compelling compositions with clear purpose. The TK8 Daybed, with its close ties to the core principles of classic, modern Danish design, exemplifies Kastholm’s ideals.
