This autumn, NORDICMODERN brings Vibeke Klint’s VK-1 back in red. The rug was originally designed for Danmarks Nationalbank in several colours. Red is the only one of these original colours that NORDICMODERN has not previously brought back into production.
The story of VK-1 begins at Danmarks Nationalbank, where Vibeke Klint was commissioned to design rugs for Arne Jacobsen’s landmark building in central Copenhagen.
Completed in 1978, the Nationalbank is considered one of Arne Jacobsen’s major architectural works. Vibeke Klint took inspiration from its strict functionalist architecture when developing VK-1.
The rug is built around a simple geometric composition, characterised by a square placed in one corner. It was conceived to work with the proportions and precise architectural language of the building.
Like many of Vibeke Klint’s rugs, VK-1 was not created simply as an object to be placed in a room. It was designed for a specific architectural setting, with colour, pattern and proportion considered in relation to the space around it.
From the Nationalbank to Paustian
In 1987, the original rugs from Danmarks Nationalbank were loaned to Paustian for an exhibition of Vibeke Klint’s work in Copenhagen.
A surviving photograph from the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see the different versions of VK-1 together. Vibeke Klint’s original watercolour study provides another part of the story, showing her exploration of colour and composition within the design.
“The original sketches and historical material give us an insight into how Vibeke Klint worked with colour, proportion and variations within the same design. For us, bringing VK-1 Red back into production is part of preserving and carrying this important piece of Danish design history forward.”
Nana Fenge, NORDICMODERN
The final original colour
Nearly four decades after the Paustian exhibition, VK-1 Red is now returning to production, completing the story of the original Nationalbank colours.
Handwoven in New Zealand wool, VK-1 Red is also available made to measure.
