How did the idea of TAKT come to life?

Henrik: It was a combination of dissatisfaction with how things were being done in the industry as well as an uplifting opportunity to be part of the solution to our large environmental challenge.

The dissatisfaction came from seeing the Danish design heritage being managed as a luxury lifestyle thing. Danish design is inherently not luxury, but more about deep consideration for how people live their lives and supporting this with limited resources. By forcing it into a luxury lifestyle and just maximising price points, you deprive many people of participating.

The uplifting opportunity was that we could contribute to a brighter environmental future while using modern distribution methods to make it accessible to a wider audience

What influenced your decision to make sustainable furniture the focus of the brand?

H: The focus of TAKT is both around delightfully crafted furniture as well as a natively sustainable approach. They go hand in hand because good sustainable furniture also has a long lifetime, and nothing can secure a long aesthetic lifetime than a good thoughtful design. I think for many people, the choice of objects to live with, is a reflection of their perspective on “the good life” – the values they want to base their life on, and what makes them feel in tune with those values.

So, I think it is inevitable, that the environmental footprint of the objects we surround ourselves with will have a huge impact on how we perceive them in our daily lives. I think it will be hard for most people to find pleasure in products that they know harm our environment. I am positive that the TAKT approach will be the prevailing approach going forward.

The opportunity for TAKT is that it is much clearer and easier to get started in the right way than it is to turn an old super-tanker around. Previously people talked about “digital natives” as people who were born with a digital mindset. Now we will talk about “natively sustainable” companies that have a starting point in sustainability rather than the huge task or unlearning old habits.

To some, furniture may serve as an interior design element in spaces. But it also seems to determine people’s actions and behaviours performed within that space. What do you think is the role of the furniture?

H: I think good furniture has a role beyond decoration. It serves a real functional need in your daily life – something to sit on while you eat or work, a place to relax, to bring comfort to social gatherings with friends. So, good furniture is a tool for your life at home. Good furniture design can elevate this further to also bring a good atmosphere to your home. It finds its place in the hierarchy of objects and brings a presence and personality. It is both the tactility and scent of natural materials, but also its specific shapes and curves. I have pieces of furniture at home that have been with me for many years, and still, I find pleasure in reading their lines and being challenged by the curves. It can help me get grounded and find my presence.

How would you describe TAKT’s approach to designing, building, and selling furniture?

What makes it so different from other brands and what are some of the factors you consider when producing and transporting furniture?

H: I think clarity, delight and simplicity are what we strive for in all aspects of our business. This is the direction of our product design, but it is also how we conduct ourselves when doing business. We sell directly to our users, so we have the pleasure of direct dialogue – no agents or retailers in between. It means that we can cut costs and serve them at better prices to our users, but it also means that we can more clearly learn from our users.

In the same way as clarity in design means that you can clearly decode the use and functionality of a piece, clarity in business means that we share many details with our users – they can see a detailed break-down of how their price for the furniture goes to materials, salary to craftsmen, royalties to the designer, etc. They can also see the detailed carbon footprint of their specific piece of furniture, and how we are off-setting the last elements of this so it becomes carbon neutral.

It all seems quite natural, but it is a big departure from how things are working in the industry. You would not dream of what your hard-earned money normally goes to when buying design furniture, and there is typically very little understanding of how the complex supply chain harms the environment.

T02 Soft Chair is designed by Thomas Bentzen with distinct attention to material and functionality. Its organic details result in an unassuming yet graceful character.

Sustainable products tend to result in greater costs. How do you strike a balance between sustainability and cost-effectiveness?

H: It is indeed not cheaper to produce in a more sustainable way. All materials are more expensive, products take longer to develop, and you can only work with the best workshops that have good control of their way of working. However, since we sell directly to our users, we cut out many middlemen and can offer these savings back to the user at more compelling prices.

A brand’s region plays a major role in its growth. In your opinion, what characterises Danish design and how has the country-influenced TAKT’s aesthetic / approach?

H: We have a deep tradition of furniture design in Denmark. The mid-century period resulted in a remarkable range of amazing design classics from furniture architects like Arne Jakobsen, Børge Mogensen, Poul Kjærholm and others. What characterised that period was a common drive to bring quality furniture to normal people – it was a clear extension of the post-war agenda to elevate the living standard for everyone. You saw these amazing architects design furniture for public institutions also. The result was simple crafted furniture designs that always retained an element of personality and delight. So, the greater agenda of society was driving the development of the design.

We are clearly moving into a period now where sustainability is and will be a leading agenda. Our task now is to help drive this agenda from how people live their daily lives, and I think that the Danish approach to design provides a very credible answer to how that is done. Not just from looking back at the mid-century period but to use the values and approach in forward-looking designs.