In a country where winters are long and people indulge indoors, interior design becomes a high priority. Held at the Danish Design Centre during Copenhagen Design Week 2011 last month, an exhibition called ‘Danish Design Past and Present’ showcased decades of Danish craftsmanship. With renowned furniture designers like Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, Hans J Wegner and Verner Panton, to name a few, Danish design has a long tradition, that from the start, focused on functionalism, a respect for materials, and humanity. Seen above is ‘Ellert’, an eco-friendly electric car for two designed by Ray Innes and manufactured by El-Trans in 1985.

‘PH5’ lamp (1958) by Poul Henningsen is an absolute classic. Beautiful and functional, it was originally made from glass, but is now made from recyclable aluminum and designed for a democratic and socially aware era.

Designed back in 1985, ‘Air Titanium’ is still the world’s lightest spectacle frame, weighting in at less than 3 grams. Created by design firm Dissing+Weitling, the glasses are made from titanium and have no soldering or screws. The are flexible and extremely durable.