Last week, design fans in their thousands flocked to Copenhagen for the 3daysofdesign festival.

Much of the talk on the ground was about how 3daysofdesign has exploded. If we’re going off numbers alone, the proof of its increasing popularity is in the programme. According to the official guide, over 400 events were taking place across the city from the period of June 12-14. If you were at one of the earlier editions of the festival (which was founded in 2013), you’ll recognise just how much of an increase that is.

Given that Scandinavian design is revered the world over, it’s not surprising that 3daysofdesign has managed to become such an international success story. The team behind the festival are committed and hard-working, and given the amount of things going on, it’s amazing how they manage to pull it all together.

But before we get carried away with declaring 3daysofdesign the “new Salone del Mobile”, and dubbing it the rival to Milan Design Week (which many on the ground were), perhaps we really need to consider the implications and benefits to doing so. Is it truly necessary to have two huge design events within two months of each other? From a financial and a workload perspective, how much pressure does this put on all of those attending and all those working to make it happen? Is it really sustainable, in every sense of the word? And finally, by comparing 3daysofdesign to Salone del Mobile, are we not ignoring both of the festival’s own individual identities, missions and goals?

“3daysofdesign remains committed to a growth strategy that prioritises the wellbeing of people and the planet,” – Signe Byrdal Terenziani

Managing Director Signe Byrdal Terenziani, who founded 3daysofdesign back in 2013, with just four brands in tow, has always had a specific way of doing things. The company operates as a non-profit, with funding coming from the participating brands. Conceptually, the programme is designed to offer visitors a glimpse behind the scenes of the design industry, and an open-door, everyone is welcome policy is very much in place across the course of the week.

Copenhagen is pretty small and easy to navigate, so you are able to make the most of your time by hopping around from exhibition to exhibition in an orderly fashion. Milan isn’t quite so simple, and during the Salone period, it is intensely busy. You often leave the city feeling disappointed that you’ve barely scratched the surface of the exhibitions.

But from a content perspective, and despite many design-y people bemoaning the rising presence of fashion and tech brands at Salone, it still feels as though there is a real blend of commercial and experimental exhibitions. If you want to see big brand furniture, you can see big brand furniture. But if you want something more independent, you can find plenty of that, too.

Having spoke to people on the ground in Copenhagen, there was a mixed response to what was on offer. Some felt the programme could’ve done with more unexpected moments in and amongst the brand exhibitions. But when it came to those brand exhibitions, the general consensus was that they were way more accessible and easy to navigate. Getting up close and personal with the biggest brands on the roster is significantly easier to do at 3daysofdesign than it was on a Salone del Mobile stand.

“As 3daysofdesign continues to grow, it feels as though it is on the edge of a real tipping point”

Still, given that 400 exhibitors took part, there felt to be a sense of quantity over quality in Copenhagen this year, which hadn’t been the case at previous editions.

The likes of &Tradition and Frama were standouts for many, with both creating unexpected interventions in their spaces. &Tradition used its showroom to platform four lesser-known studios in the “Studies of a Bench” presentation, while Frama opted to work with Faye Toogood, who – despite being a well established name – created an installation removed from the typical Scandinavian aesthetic, and not at all about polished furniture.

Another popular highlight was the Ukurant exhibition, which platformed creatives in a group show format. The work felt full of life and current, in a way that a lot of the brand presentations just did not. Important questions are asked by the founders Kamma Rosa Schytte, Kasper Kyster, Josefine Krabbe and Lærke Ryom: “How do you go from being a student of design to being a designer? And how do you position yourself in an industry where “good” design is often defined by low cost fabrication and quick turnover restraining the artistic practice?”

And they really are questions that need asking, as it’s incredibly hard to break into design. This isn’t made easier by the fact that many of the big brands who are able to pay their designers decently, opt for the same names, rather than taking a risk on up and coming talent. We’d hoped by 2024 this would’ve changed, but for many of the line-ups at both Salone and 3daysofdesign, it wasn’t the case.

However, in Copenhagen this year, it was refreshing to see one of the big brands trying to take a realistic step in the right direction to change this, though. On the occasion of the festival, Muuto launched its “Muuto Design Contest” – an open-call competition, which encourages entries from individuals with a background in design or related fields. Awarded by a selected jury, the first prize includes the chance to exhibit at 3daysofdesign 2025, with the possibility of a limited or extended production, and €5,000 in prize money. Not bad.

As 3daysofdesign continues to grow and heads towards its 12th edition, it feels as though it is on the edge of a real tipping point. The design industry in general needs to be careful that it doesn’t follow too closely in the footsteps of fashion, where we’ve long seen the negative impact of increasing demand, both on the designers themselves, but the wider industry and ecosystem. Time for creativity and thoughtful practice needs to be factored into the yearly schedule, which seems to be filling up increasingly with festivals and events.

Rather than becoming the “new Milan Design Week”, can 3daysofdesign instead carve out its own identity, and offer things that its Italian counterpart does not? After all, Milan will always be the heavyweight champion when it comes to design events. Rather than compete with something that is already well-established, can 3daysofdesign instead present itself as a thought leader, where progressive industry voices are of the utmost priority? Can it increase genuine moments of discovery in and amongst brand presentations? Could the annual themes (2024’s being “Dare to Dream) be used to ask more pressing societal questions? And finally, owing to its smaller scale and close-knit organisational team, can it maybe implement initiatives that see big brands have to support and platform up and coming creatives?

We look forward to seeing what 2025 holds.