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The story behind the Dansk trivet is actually a fashion one: Gunnar Cyr\u00e9n, an award-winning Swedish designer responsible for some of the world\u2019s most coveted<\/a> flatware<\/a>, would\u2019ve never worked with Dansk if he hadn\u2019t walked into a Parisian hotel wearing his worst corduroy suit.<\/p>\n Days prior to arriving at the hotel, some time during the summer of 1969, Gunnar was in the midst of a family vacation in Sweden\u2019s Sk\u00e5ne county when the phone rang. On the other line was Dansk founder Ted Nierenberg\u2014again.<\/p>\n For years, Ted had courted Gunnar, writing letters and making calls begging him to entertain the idea of working together. Gunnar, a lauded glassblower, silversmith, and rising star in Scandinavian design, always declined.<\/p>\n But on that day, Gunnar ran out of excuses\u2014prompting him to travel to Paris to meet the American businessman. And as soon as he arrived, he knew he\u2019d made a terrible mistake.<\/p>\n The hotel where they were meeting turned out to be one of Europe\u2019s fanciest\u2014the sort of place where his suit would make him stand out\u2014and not in a good way. When Ted arrived dressed to match the location, Gunnar became certain: This was never meant to be.<\/p>\n After a quick introduction, the two men agreed to quickly check into their rooms and then meet back downstairs. Flustered, Gunnar tidied his outfit to the best of his abilities then headed to the lobby. Minutes later, Ted reappeared in an outfit looser and more casual than Gunnar\u2019s corduroy catastrophe.<\/p>\n Ted\u2019s quick change floored Gunnar and, per his autobiography<\/a>, is what ultimately convinced him to work for Dansk, which he did for the next six years, creating over 300 original designs from 1970 to 1976. While much of Gunnar\u2019s Dansk tableware remains celebrated today, none encapsulates his playful style more than the fish trivet.<\/p>\n
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