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Dansk Designs Ceramics

American

Ironically, Dansk Designs, the tableware company practically synonymous with Danish design (“Dansk,” in fact, translates to “Danish”), was the brainchild of an American couple, Ted and Martha Nierenberg. 

The Nierenbergs, who founded the business in 1954, initially worked out of the garage of their Great Neck, Long Island, home and marketed their serveware, tables, decorative objects and other products largely in the United States. But they had a secret weapon: Jens Quistgaard.

After demonstrating artistic talent at a young age, the Copenhagen native was gifted a forge and anvil so that he could work in his mother’s kitchen. Quistgaard built toys, jewelry and hunting knives under his father’s tutelage. Later, he spent years learning from local artisans how to produce wood, metal, ceramic and glass models. Quistgaard’s career path solidified during his apprenticeship as a silversmith with legendary Danish silver firm Georg Jensen.

The Nierenbergs discovered the sculptor and designer on their honeymoon, which they’d spent traveling through Europe searching for top-quality goods that might form the basis of a business. 

After they hired Quistgaard and launched Dansk, their products swiftly came to epitomize the best of accessible Scandinavian design for mid-century American consumers, who fell for the firm’s staved-teak salad bowls, colorful casseroles and stainless-steel flatware, all of which managed to look handmade despite being mass-produced.  

The long-distance relationship flourished for 30 years, during which millions of Quistgaard pieces were manufactured in the company's factories.

The designs for Quistgaard’s Købenstyle line and other collections during the mid-1950s were revolutionary, with bowls built like barrels and charming, lightweight monochrome tableware in enameled steel. Quistgaard’s work married function with striking, sophisticated form. He utilized exceptional materials in the creation of his coveted cookware, barware and serving pieces, opting for warm teak and exotic woods and reintroducing steel as a go-to option for kitchen wares.

Quistgaard’s postwar-era Scandinavian modernist work is still exceedingly popular in living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens in the United States, Europe and Japan, particularly in the homes of mid-century design enthusiasts. 

Find vintage Dansk Designs furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Dansk Designs
Dansk Pinwheel Plate Mid Century Modern
Dansk Pinwheel Plate Mid Century Modern

Dansk Pinwheel Plate Mid Century Modern

By Dansk

Located in Fraser, MI

Dansk Pinwheel Plate.

Category

1970s Vintage Dansk Designs Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Dansk Striped Plate Mid Century Modern
Dansk Striped Plate Mid Century Modern

Dansk Striped Plate Mid Century Modern

By Dansk

Located in Fraser, MI

Dansk Stripes Plate.

Category

1970s Vintage Dansk Designs Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Pair Dansk Striped Plates Mid Century Modern
Pair Dansk Striped Plates Mid Century Modern

Pair Dansk Striped Plates Mid Century Modern

By Dansk

Located in Fraser, MI

Pair Striped Plates by Dansk.

Category

1970s Vintage Dansk Designs Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Vintage Set Of Brown Smooth Flamestone Designed By Jens Quistgaard For Dansk
Vintage Set Of Brown Smooth Flamestone Designed By Jens Quistgaard For Dansk

Vintage Set Of Brown Smooth Flamestone Designed By Jens Quistgaard For Dansk

By Dansk, Jens Quistgaard

Located in Doraville, GA

DESCRIPTION One of the first sets of tableware designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs in Denmark in 1957. The tableware was named Fluted Flamestone. The set offered has 11 pi...

Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dansk Designs Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Early Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Flamestone Coffee Pot with Mugs and Demitasses
Early Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Flamestone Coffee Pot with Mugs and Demitasses

Early Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Flamestone Coffee Pot with Mugs and Demitasses

By Jens Quistgaard, Dansk

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Denmark 'Flamestone' coffee or tea pot, four demitasses, four mugs, and eight saucers (four small / four larger) by Jens H. Quistgaard for Dansk Designs, circa 1958-1964. Features the Flamestone signature slate, almost brown glazed-earthenware with striated pattern and white porcelain interior (pitcher has a green tinge to the porcelain interior). Elegant, attractive set with only one fleck to the rim of one of the mugs (very minor and easy to miss -- see photos 15 and 16 for closeups). Early, Danish production, as indicated by the markings and rough exterior (a smooth version was introduced in 1964). Measures: Pitcher H 13.5" x L 7.5" x D 5" Coffee mugs H 3.75" x L 4" x D 3.13" Coffee saucers...

Category

1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Dansk Designs Ceramics

Materials

Earthenware, Porcelain

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Located in Brooklyn, NY

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Trio of White Vases by Thomas, Dansk and Rosenthal Plissee
Trio of White Vases by Thomas, Dansk and Rosenthal Plissee

Trio of White Vases by Thomas, Dansk and Rosenthal Plissee

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Quistgaard Dansk Dinnerware Set 70 Piece

Quistgaard Dansk Dinnerware Set 70 Piece

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Dansk Design Coffee Pot by Quistgaard
Dansk Design Coffee Pot by Quistgaard

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Early Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Flamestone Coffee or Tea Set

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Dansk Designs ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.

Dansk Designs ceramics are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Dansk Designs ceramics, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original ceramics by Dansk Designs were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider ceramics by Nils Kähler, Eva Stæhr Nielsen, and Axel Salto. Prices for Dansk Designs ceramics can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $65 and can go as high as $1,200, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $305.