At the 2025 3DaysofDesign, acclaimed Danish company Eilersen marked a significant milestone – its 130th anniversary – with Evolution, an exhibition that explored the brand’s storied past and visionary future through the launch of a new, environmentally friendly viable collection: 'Bug'
This year’s 3DaysofDesign offered many brands an opportunity to reflect on their journeys while looking towards the future. That’s precisely what acclaimed Danish design company Eilersen did with Evolution, an aptly named exhibition celebrating 130 years of craftsmanship, staged at its showroom in the heart of Copenhagen.
Upon stepping in, guests were greeted by a majestic wooden horse-drawn carriage – the very piece that started it all back in 1895. Young Niels Eilersen, hailing from the sleepy village of Stensby and exceptionally skilled with his hands, began his career as a coachmaker and became the first in Denmark to use steam to bend wood. As times changed, he transitioned to building cars and omnibuses, establishing Eilersen as a pioneer in vehicle framework design, laying the foundation for the company’s future foray into furniture.
Upon entering the showroom, guests were greeted by the coach that started it all in 1895. Photo: Eilersen
Photo: Eilersen
And that furniture – from sleek chairs and tables to soft-as-cloud sofas – made the brand a household name in Denmark, its legacy still carried on by the Eilersen family. Sprinkled throughout Evolution, showcase-goers could marvel at standout designs plucked from the company’s past and present, while a 30-minute documentary tracing Eilersen’s journey hummed on TV screens, ready to be enjoyed from one of the cushy sofas. Crowning the exhibition was the brand’s latest venture: the new viable series, ‘Bug’, created in collaboration with Bly Studio.
While 130 years is a notable milestone for Nils Juul Eilersen, co-owner and fourth-generation Eilersen, it’s simply “where we are at the moment.” “I hope that someone will look back in another 130 years and say this is what they managed to do in the first 130 years,” he continues. “It’s just a step on a big, big path into the future. But it’s important, and I’m proud that we’ve managed to keep the company in the family for that many years.”
We are nerds – we’re crazy about material and construction. It’s the curiosity and eagerness to keep improving and learning to create the ultimate pieces of furniture
Nils Juul Eilersen, co-owner and fourth-generation Eilersen
Eilersen’s 20th-century classics, such as the geometric ‘Lørdagshjørnet’ (‘Saturday Corner’) sofa, created by Andreas Hansen in 1975 and the pillowy ‘Stratos’ sofa, designed in 1979 by Jens Juul Eilersen, paved the way for the brand as it exists today, defined by masterful craftsmanship and refined Danish design sensibilities. Eilersen’s sofas – visually discerning yet supremely comfortable – have become firm favourites, earning places in homes around the globe.
“It’s the everyday ambition to create pieces that have a high standard of quality, that give a meaning – it’s not just for now but for lasting comfort and pleasure,” says Eilersen of the brand’s recipe for success. “We are nerds – we’re crazy about material and construction. It’s the curiosity and eagerness to keep improving and learning to create the ultimate pieces of furniture.”
Photo: Eilersen
Photo: Eilersen
A stellar example of the company’s hunger to strive for better is the aforementioned ‘Bug’ viable series, co-created with Bly Studio and launched at Evolution. The sculptural, chunky pieces boast 40 per cent less emissions than a standard Eilersen design, comprising an armchair, sofas and a coffee table. “We said it has to be the lowest emission possible, and then infused it with our design DNA – this is our newest step,” Eilersen says.
The company discovered Eva Fly and Anne Brandhøj, the designers of Bly Studio, via the Danish TV show The New Classic, where the pair presented a piece reminiscent of the ‘Bug’. “I called them and I said ‘I think you have a very good product and a fantastic concept,’” Eilersen recalls. “I really wanted to start it from scratch and bring it into a big concept.”
After rigorous testing and research into materials, Eilersen and Bly Studio arrived at Swedish oakwood veneer for the frames of the sofa and armchair, which hug plush cushions crafted from 100 per cent reusable virgin polyester fibres. The playful forms are echoed in the artfully contoured coffee table, harnessing oak and natural stone.
The 'Bug' series. Photo: Eilersen
“Every single part of the product can be replaced, and customers assemble the piece themselves. Transport is a big climate factor and being able to pack it in a small cardboard box for delivery has a major impact,” Eilersen says. And why call it ‘Bug’? “Bugs or insects are the first indicator for an improved environment,” he explains. “And then, of course, it’s a hard shell and a soft inside.”
The ‘Bug’ series marks a leap towards more responsible design – efforts which Eilersen notes the company is committed to exploring further in the years ahead. “We’ve moved from horse carriage coaches to this product. I hope that when my great-grandchildren, 130 years from now, are building space rockets and celebrating the 260th anniversary, they’ll look back and say, ‘We started with a coach, and now here’s a space rocket,’” he says. “My dream for the future is that we stay curious, keep inventing, and remain committed to our strategy of only making good products.”