Brand Stories: Audo Copenhagen and Nearly a Century of Danish Design

Audo Copenhagen is a relatively new name in Danish design, but much of its collection has a history that goes back decades. The brand launched in 2023, when MENU and by Lassen came together under one name. The result is a collection of Danish classics alongside furniture, lighting and objects from designers working today. Pieces by Mogens and Flemming Lassen and Ib Kofod-Larsen share the range with newer work from Norm Architects, Danielle Siggerud, Jonas Wagell and Afteroom. Some designs date to the 1930s and others are quite new.

From MENU and by Lassen to Audo Copenhagen

MENU began in 1978 as Danish Steel House and grew into a company with furniture, lighting and accessories. It became known for finding contemporary designers who understood the principles behind Danish design and applied them to new forms.

By Lassen focused on the work of the architect brothers Mogens and Flemming Lassen and returned a number of their archival designs to production. Combined, the two histories give Audo Copenhagen a range from small objects and lighting to sofas, dining furniture, lounge chairs and tables, with designs created nearly a century apart sitting comfortably side by side.

Mogens and Flemming Lassen

Mogens Lassen was an architect and an early Danish functionalist. One of his best-known designs is the Kubus candleholder from 1962, a metal framework built around a cube. The original Kubus 4 holds four candles, and the collection has grown to include more candleholders, bowls and accessories.

His brother Flemming designed the Tired Man lounge chair in the 1930s. It is big, rounded, upholstered and made for comfort. Danish modernism included curves, color, pattern and substantial furniture, and the Tired Man shows that range. It still looks current.

Ib Kofod-Larsen and the Penguin Chair

Ib Kofod-Larsen designed the Penguin Chair in 1953. Its curved wooden back wraps around the sitter and appears to float above the light frame beneath. The grain of the wood is part of the design, and the shape of the back gives the chair both its identity and its support. Kofod-Larsen belonged to the generation of Danish designers whose work found an international audience at midcentury. The construction is straightforward, the materials are visible, and the shape carries the chair without added decoration.

Contemporary Audo Copenhagen

Norm Architects, based in Copenhagen, is one of the brand's most important contemporary collaborators. Their work includes the Eave sofa, the Plinth tables and the Hashira lighting collection, which includes the Hashira Linear Pendant. The Plinth tables use simple geometric forms in substantial materials such as marble, and Hashira uses cylindrical textile shades to make soft, diffused light.

Norwegian architect Danielle Siggerud designed the Androgyne collection, tables that pair strong architectural shapes with wood and stone, including the Androgyne Side Table. Swedish designer Jonas Wagell created the JWDA lighting collection, which includes the JWDA Table Lamp, and the Stockholm studio Afteroom contributes furniture and seating along with the Afteroom Coat Hanger. Audo also works with designers from outside Scandinavia. The mix keeps the collection current alongside its archive.

Soft Minimalism

Audo Copenhagen calls its approach Soft Minimalism. The forms are simple and the surfaces carry texture: oak, walnut, stone, metal, linen, leather, wool and deep upholstery appear throughout. Some pieces are visually quiet, and others, like the Tired Man or a marble Plinth table, have real presence. This is the Scandinavian habit of living with well-considered things. The "just enough" idea we've written about in the Journal is personal, and the collection suits a pared-back room and a fuller one equally well.

Audo Copenhagen at Ökenhem

Ökenhem is an Audo Copenhagen retailer in St. George, Utah. We keep a curated selection in the showroom and order additional pieces for individual customers, designers, architects, builders and other trade clients. Many pieces come in materials, finishes, upholstery and configurations beyond what you see on the floor or online.

The range lets you start small, perhaps with a Kubus candleholder or a portable lamp, and later specify a dining table, lounge chair, sofa or lighting for a whole room. For trade projects, drawing several pieces from one collection gives a space variety without a matched-set look. A Flemming Lassen chair from the 1930s, an Ib Kofod-Larsen design from the 1950s and work from Norm Architects can share a room that belongs to no single decade. If you are choosing a piece for your own home, bring the room's dimensions and a few photos to the showroom, and we will look at options and finishes with you.

Shop the full Audo Copenhagen collection