Dansk International Designs
Encyclopedia
Dansk Designs was an American distributor and retailer of cookware, tableware, and other home accessories based in Mount Kisco, New York
. , the brand is called Dansk and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenox Corporation with headquarters located in Bristol, Pennsylvania
.
in 1954, Americans Martha and Ted Nierenberg
went in search of a product to manufacture and produce for a U.S. audience. During a visit to the Museum of Arts and Crafts--Kunsthandwaerkmuseet (today the Danish Museum of Art & Design -- Kunstindustrimuseet) in Copenhagen
, they saw a unique set of flatware on display that combined teak
and stainless steel
, created by artist-designer Jens Quistgaard
. The Nierenbergs tracked down Quistgaard and spoke with him in an effort to convince him to manufacture the cutlery. At first, Quistgaard insisted that the pieces could only be forged
by hand, one piece at a time, but Nierenberg was able to convince him they could be mass-produced, leading to Dansk Designs' first product, Fjord flatware, which has been one of the brand's enduring bestsellers.
The Nierenbergs established Dansk that year in the garage of their Great Neck, New York
home, with Quistgaard as its founding designer. By the end of 1954, Ted Nierenberg attracted orders for several hundred units from stores all around the United States, and the business took off from there. By 1958, Nierenberg and Quistgaard had expanded Dansk's wares to include teak magazine racks and stools, stoneware casseroles, salt and pepper grinders, and flatware with split cane handles. The New York Times
credited Dansk with "creating a stir" with "some of the most popular accessories found in American homes." By 1982, Quistgaard had created more than 2,000 different designs for Dansk of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home.
Dansk relocated its headquarters to Mount Kisco, New York
in the 1960s.
Dansk was purchased in June 1985 by Dansk Acquisition Corp. in a deal initiated by Goldman Sachs
.
Dansk was acquired in 1991 by the Brown-Forman Corporation
and incorporated together under its Lenox subsidiary. On March 16, 2009, a group of investors led by Clarion Capital Partners LLC purchased the assets of Lenox - including Dansk - and renamed the company Lenox Corporation.
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a community that is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,877 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. , the brand is called Dansk and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenox Corporation with headquarters located in Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Philadelphia opposite Burlington, N.J. on the Delaware River. Bristol was first incorporated in 1720. Although its charter was revised in 1905, the original charter remains in effect, making Bristol one of the older boroughs in...
.
History
On a trip to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1954, Americans Martha and Ted Nierenberg
Ted Nierenberg
Theodore David "Ted" Nierenberg was an American business executive and entrepreneur who created Dansk International Designs, a company that sells Scandinavian Design-style cooking and serving utensils and other home furnishings, established after discovering the simple but elegant design style on...
went in search of a product to manufacture and produce for a U.S. audience. During a visit to the Museum of Arts and Crafts--Kunsthandwaerkmuseet (today the Danish Museum of Art & Design -- Kunstindustrimuseet) in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, they saw a unique set of flatware on display that combined teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
and stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
, created by artist-designer Jens Quistgaard
Jens Quistgaard
Jens Harald Quistgaard was a Danish industrial designer who worked with the entrepreneur Ted Nierenberg to craft elegant and functional Scandinavian Design cookware and home furnishings for Dansk International Designs....
. The Nierenbergs tracked down Quistgaard and spoke with him in an effort to convince him to manufacture the cutlery. At first, Quistgaard insisted that the pieces could only be forged
Forged
Forged is a book written by biblical scholar, Bart D. Ehrman which attempts to analyze the historical accuracy of the Christian Bible. The book posits that 11 or more books out of the 27 books of the Christian New Testament canon were written as certain types of forgeries related to the politics...
by hand, one piece at a time, but Nierenberg was able to convince him they could be mass-produced, leading to Dansk Designs' first product, Fjord flatware, which has been one of the brand's enduring bestsellers.
The Nierenbergs established Dansk that year in the garage of their Great Neck, New York
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
home, with Quistgaard as its founding designer. By the end of 1954, Ted Nierenberg attracted orders for several hundred units from stores all around the United States, and the business took off from there. By 1958, Nierenberg and Quistgaard had expanded Dansk's wares to include teak magazine racks and stools, stoneware casseroles, salt and pepper grinders, and flatware with split cane handles. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
credited Dansk with "creating a stir" with "some of the most popular accessories found in American homes." By 1982, Quistgaard had created more than 2,000 different designs for Dansk of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home.
Dansk relocated its headquarters to Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a community that is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,877 at the 2010 census.- History :...
in the 1960s.
Dansk was purchased in June 1985 by Dansk Acquisition Corp. in a deal initiated by Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
.
Dansk was acquired in 1991 by the Brown-Forman Corporation
Brown-Forman Corporation
The Brown-Forman Corporation is one of the largest American-owned companies in the spirits and wine business.Some well-known brands of the corporation include Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Canadian Mist, Early Times, Old Forester, and Korbel champagne.-...
and incorporated together under its Lenox subsidiary. On March 16, 2009, a group of investors led by Clarion Capital Partners LLC purchased the assets of Lenox - including Dansk - and renamed the company Lenox Corporation.