10 DAYS OF SUMMER during 3 DAYS OF DESIGN

10 DAYS OF SUMMER, 18.6.2025 - 20.6.2025
3 DAYS OF DESIGN
Gammel strand, københavn

The 10 Days of Summer exhibition is a collaborative exhibition between the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark and a group of Finnish or Finland-based designers, showcasing furniture and everyday objects inspired by the Nordic seasons during 3 Days of Design 2025.

The exhibition assembles an interesting group of Finnish designers and will present a collection of furnitures and items, inspired by the northern seasons, that can be used in a variety of outdoor settings. The exhibition is curated by the director of the Museum Wegner Anne Blond, and participating designers are: Aino Michelsen, Aleksi Peltonen, Antrei Hartikainen, Elisa Defossez, Henri Judin, Jonas Lutz, Rasmus Palmgren, Salla Luhtasela, Samuli Helavuo, Studio Tolvanen, Tatu Laakso, Ville Auvinen and exhibition architect Pinja Koskelin.

Dear Summer, 
If you didn’t want to show up, you could’ve just texted. 
Sincerely,  
Soaked and emotionally overcast 

The Finnish summer is fleeting and unpredictable, passing  
by this year on Monday. Yet when it visits, it sings to all our  
senses; sun-warmed pine, sweet wild berries, the sizzling  
warmth of the sauna heat, waterside views, and endless  
light. Even 10 days can feel like eternity.

10 DAYS OF SUMMER

When summer arrives in the Nordics, life moves outdoors. The balcony, terrace, garden, park, forest or archipelago become new spaces for everyday living. The ever-changing Nordic weather is a sometimes humorous challenge, but it is also a defining condition — one that 12 Finnish or Finland-based contemporary designers have responded to in the exhibition 10 Days of Summer. 

The curated group reflects the width of contemporary Finnish design, with each designer taking on the shared challenge of creating a piece of furniture or functional object for outdoor use. Something that engages with life outdoors without compromising each designer’s distinctive design language. A challenge that has resulted in pieces, that offer privacy in dense urban environments or that make outdoor storage practical, pieces that can withstand rain or wind and that ease the annual spring cleaning, pieces light enough to carry under your arm and pieces that help attract birdlife to your balcony. 

When these works appear together, they evoke a longing for the carefree and sun-filled Nordic summer. Yet because the weather is so unpredictably fickle that the skis never quite make it into storage, this longing also carries a touch of melancholy. At the same time the Nordic region is also a place of moods, where constantly shifting energies allow spaces and objects to emerge in a play between light and shadow. They appear, fade, disappear and reappear. This dynamic is something that 10 Days of Summer exhibition architect Pinja Koskelin has woven into the design of both the interior and outdoor spaces of the exhibition. 

10 Days of Summer seeks to engage both the functional and the poetic, sensory dimensions of design, inviting visitors to reflect on how thoughtful design can shape our surroundings and, in doing so, enrich both our physical and mental well-being. 

PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY 18.6.

10:00 Meet the Designers & the Curator: Join us for a morning coffee and croissants with Lille Fugle. Chat with the designers behind the works as well as the curator Anne Blond and be one of the first to experience the exhibition.

17:00-20:00 Opening Party w. drinks and music:
Opening words by honorary consul general of Finland to Denmark, Fritz Schur.
Enjoy drinks and music together with us at the atmospheric Gammel Strand courtyard.

THURSDAY 19.6.

12:00-13:00 Helsinki Design Week 20 years, Designing Happiness TALK: To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Helsinki Design Week (5–14 September) is organising an international exhibition and symposium titled Designing Happiness in Helsinki. Much has been said about the happiness of Nordic countries, but can happiness actually be designed? The exhibition explores the tools that foster optimism, create joy and cultivate a sense of togetherness, while also critically examining the science of happiness. As part of the exhibition 10 Days of Summer, a conversation will take place on designing happiness and the ideas behind the anniversary year. Taking the stage are Anniina Koivu, curator of the Designing Happiness exhibition, and Anni Korkman, Programme Director of HDW.

18:00-20:00 Courtyard drinks: Enjoy drinks and music together with us at the atmospheric Gammel Strand courtyard.

FRIDAY 20.6.

10:00 Morning Coffee & Croissants: Join us for a morning coffee with Lille Fugle

15:00 Midsummer beers. Enjoy drinks and music together with us at the atmospheric Gammel Strand courtyard.


The exhibition is supported by: The Finnish-Danish Cultural Foundation, The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Asko Foundation, The Furniture Foundation and The Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark

Exhibition text by curator Anne Blond. Introduction words by Claire Gould.

3daysofdesign is Denmark’s largest design festival, established in Copenhagen in 2013. The festival takes place in showrooms, shops, streets, galleries, and various other venues throughout Denmark's capital. Copenhagen hosts a growing community of design enthusiasts who gather at 3daysofdesign to celebrate creativity.