Rikke Hagen
Rikke Hagen is a leading woman in today’s world of Danish design. She is renowned for her innovative approach to material-led design and has a focus on bringing simple solutions to life formalised through new technologies and innovative materials. Hagen developed the Bark Lounge chair in Icons collection and is one of the few pieces of commercial furniture to be crafted from the bark of a Cork Oak Tree.
Speaking about cork, Hagen says “I fell in love with the material. Cork has a warmness to it, like a fabric. It is not a feeling that you often come across with furniture – people want to get to know the material, touch it, and have an experience with it, not just look at it from a distance. To me, it emulates upholstered furniture.”
Working in B33 a Copenhagen based studio, Hagen founded Hagen Etc, a design collective who work together to experiment and bring innovative products to life.
“I am a very lucky woman. I have seven designers here in the studio with me that know everything about furniture! You cannot buy that knowledge anywhere. We share all the time in the studio, and there is always someone who knows about metal or wood or cork. We all work very professionally and feel like we can share with confidence.”
Hagen continues to experiment with innovative or unconventional materials, constantly looking for sustainable or better solutions for furniture design.
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