Design weeks never fail to be laden with chairs. To help you separate the wheat from the chaff, our design and interiors reporter Jane Englefield has rounded up seven of the most striking seating projects from Copenhagen's 3 Days of Design festival.

The annual 3 Days of Design festival concluded in the Danish capital last week, where over 400 exhibitors presented pieces ranging from a sleek sauna lamp to futuristic cutlery.

As always, there was an abundance of seating vying for visitors' attention, rendered in all manner of materials. Here, we've selected seven standout projects that may not reinvent the wheel, but do a savvy job of stretching the parameters of what the humble chair can be.

Conversation pit by Mesura for Vipp

More than 60 people can pile onto this oversized conversation pit, created in a delicious shade of butter yellow by Barcelona studio Mesura for Danish furniture brand Vipp.

Mesura designed the jumbo seating using Vipp modular sofa elements, which were surrounded by chunky stainless steel components interspersed with playful, swimming pool-style ladders.

Positioned at the Vipp campus, the furniture was a smart way of showcasing a product as part of a site-specific installation that won the hearts of visitors of all ages.

Break a Leg by Romain Basile Petrot

Break a Leg is a dining chair by Paris designer Romain Basile Petrot, crafted from a duo of bent aluminium pieces that were mechanically nailed together to form a cantilevered seat.

Though brutalist in style, the chair has a barely-there simplicity to it, which allows its cleverly conceived structure to shine without the need for extra decoration.

"The chair proposes a distinct expression of lightness – not through visual delicacy, but through structural tension, reduction, and the impression of suspension," said Petrot.

Break a Leg was unveiled at a group show hosted by design platform Deoron.

Crisscut Bench by Carlo Raymann

The co-founders of Helsinki-based woodworking studio Minestrone Workshop were out in full force at A Prima Vista, an exhibition of Finnish design that included a witty timber fountain sculpture by rising star Didi Ng Wing Yin.

Among the group was designer Carlo Raymann, who presented the Crisscut Bench, formed from rough-hewn slabs of silver fir arranged in a pleasing crisscross formation.

Raymann has previously made a name for himself with his charming, wafer-thin fish sculptures carved from delicate pieces of wood, so it was a joy to be reminded of just how artful his application of larger pieces of timber is, too.

Skind by Crude

There is such an attractive tension to the composition of Skind, a set of mass-produced dining chairs upcycled with beautifully distressed leather skins salvaged from old sofas.

Each sofa skin has been stretched across the chairs to just the right degree, creating a charming collection of seats that look as if they're trying on slightly ill-fitting clothes.

One of the buzziest projects from this year's Other Circle exhibition, the seating was designed by Copenhagen duo Crude.

Established by Sofie Winther and Charles Boyte in 2024, Crude transforms waste materials into new products to question the design industry's relationship to value and consumption. I'm intrigued to see what they do next.

Sun lounger by Lasse Sylvest Lilleør

Emerging Danish designer Lasse Sylvest Lilleør used glossy, UV-resistant plastic when designing this delightfully unusual sun lounger, which echoes the structure of a spinal column.

Presented as part of the Ukurant exhibition of work by young creatives, the lounger stood out for its cradling, vertebrate-like form. It's energising to see designers who are just starting out have such unique voices so early in their careers.

Mission Seating by Christine Kalia

Cypriot designer Christine Kalia was another contributor at Other Circle, presenting a dining chair, armchair and bench made from repurposed aluminium window components.

Kalia added buckled fastenings to each of the pieces, borrowing from the visual language of spacecraft.

The window components don't look especially comfortable, but the project revealed how an unlikely everyday object can be used to make something new and unexpected.

Ghost in the Shell by Kwangho Lee

Hosted by Copenhagen gallery V1 Salon, For Scale Only was a group show featuring the archival works of designers from Rick Owens to Max Lamb.

Contemporary pieces were also on display, including this bright white knotted armchair by South Korean designer Kwangho Lee.

At first glance, you can't help but root for the chair to be soft to the touch, thanks to its satisfyingly marshmallowy appearance.

Unfortunately, a quick paw at the furniture confirms that it is solid, created from a coated plastic structure. Still, the illusion was enough to draw you in and make you want to take a seat.

3 Days of Design took place from 10 to 12 June 2026 at various locations across Copenhagen, Denmark. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.