Within the history of Danish design, there is a group of objects from distant decades that have not been surpassed in use and which remain contemporary, by virtue of their simple forms. This book examines twenty of those objects in detail, with descriptions of their purposes and origins as well as the goals of the designers who created these archetypes. In addition, the chapters illuminate the evolution of Danish design from handcrafted items to factory-made products that preserve the values of the workshop. By focusing on the essential nature of useful things, the designers of the archetypes created objects that are at once treasures from the past and heirlooms for the future.

Dr. arch. Michael Sheridan is an American architect and an internationally recognized scholar of twentieth-century Danish architecture and design. His previous books on those subjects include Landmarks: The Modern House in Denmark (2011), Louisiana: Architecture and Landscape (2017) and Room 606: The SAS House and the Work of Arne Jacobsen (2023). He currently divides his time between New York and Copenhagen.