LABORATORIUM
Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen
LABORATORIUM is a series of exhibitions that invite guests to experience the creative “engine room” of a designer or craftsman up close. The third exhibition in the series gives visitors a unique opportunity to enter the design process and studio behind selected furniture created by the design duo Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen. The exhibition is presented at the museum the same year as the design studio is awarded a Design Council Honorary Award 2026.
When Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen open their design studio to the public in a new exhibition at the Designmuseum, awaits a rare insight into how the two furniture architects design furniture and products. As long-time educators at the Royal Danish Academy’s School of Design, they have shaped several generations of designers. Over the course of more than half a century, they have left a lasting mark on Nordic furniture design, working closely with leading manufacturers. The exhibition invites visitors into the Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen studio, where original 1:1 manifold drawings, scale models, prototypes, and digital 3D renderings fill the shelves and worktables. It offers a close-up look into their creative “engine room” and delves into the development and production processes behind selected furniture pieces.
Craftsmanship at the Centre
Trained as a cabinetmaker and a ship’s carpenter before becoming furniture architects at the School of Furniture at the Craftsmen’s College, Foersom and Hiort-Lorenzen represent a rare combination of craftsmanship and design thinking. Together, they have created numerous pieces of furniture and products for more than 50 years. One of their most famous designs is the Campus chair, which they created in 1992 for the furniture producer Lammhults. Today, it can be found at nearly all modern universities and has been produced in over 1.5 million copies. The Campus chair is also featured in the exhibition as a clear example of the studio’s design philosophy, where craftsmanship is paramount, and every detail is carefully considered and tested to create a seamless balance between form, function, and aesthetics. “We are craftsmen first of all, so we are not afraid to use our hands in our work,” says Johannes Foersom.
A focus on sustainability
Over the past 25 years, Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen have researched new materials to enable sustainable large-scale furniture production. While they initially experimented with moulded shell chairs made from cellulose, their focus today is on hemp, exploring how both the stalk and its by-products can be used so that nothing goes to waste. “We use the hemp stalk, which was previously used to make ropes for ships, for example, to make a very strong shell. The leftovers that are cut off when the shells are shaped can then be used for new castings for table bases, so we get to use them all,” says Peter Hiort-Lorenzen.
Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen has developed furniture for, among others, Normann, Cane-line, Fredericia Furniture, Hay, Lammhults Möbel AV, Paustian, and FDB. They have won several international design awards as well as the Finn Juhl Prize, and their works are represented in the collections of, among others, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Trapholt in Kolding, and the design museum’s own collection.
Design Council Honorary Award 2026
At the opening of the exhibition, Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen received the Design Council’s Honorary Award. The Design Council justifies its choice by highlighting that the duo occupies a central position in the generation following the great era of Danish design. The Council emphasizes the significant impact Foersom and Hiort-Lorenzen have had on the education of new designers, as well as their early and consistent integration of sustainability as a key parameter in their practice.
The Design Council’s Honorary Award is one of the most prestigious distinctions within Danish design and has, since 1980, been awarded to individuals or companies that have made a decisive contribution to the Danish design field. Previous recipients include Hans J. Wegner, Verner Panton, Jacob Jensen, Nanna Ditzel, and Knud Holscher. It is Denmark’s only award recognizing a lifelong contribution to design.
New Exhibition Series
LABORATORIUM is a series of rotating special exhibitions showcasing innovative and exemplary design from our time, while also shedding light on the design process, from the earliest spark of an idea to the finished product or work. The series presents the works and processes of experienced and acclaimed designers alongside the visions and experiments of emerging, forward-looking designers and craftspeople.