Series from Kay Bojesen
Silversmith and designer Kay Bojesen had a very special talent. He brought wood to life, becaming world-famous for creating wooden animals with soul, humour and a twinkle in their eye. Kay Bojesen’s series range from the iconic monkeys to colourful birds and charming wooden figures, to bed linen and baby toys.
Explore Kay Bojesen’s series here
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Kay Bojesen
Monkey
The Kay Bojesen monkey is a classic and a lovable friend who will be by our side through each stage of our lives – from the kids’ room to becoming a beloved design icon in the home. The first Monkey was born in 1951 and is still produced in the same way today as it was then. Each figure has been created by hand and crafted at a Danish wood-turning mill.
The monkey is a high-quality piece of craftsmanship that accompanies us from child to adult at every stage of our lives, and is also an incredibly popular gift for those you love. And with this cute figure, you don't just get classic Danish design from 1951. You also get a unique Monkey from Kay Bojesen. No two of them are alike. And when the popular figure is allowed to hang out – as it does in many homes – the different nuances in the wood change and give the already unique Kay Bojesen Monkey even more personality. Over time, the affects of light and air will change any colour nuances in the wood to a more uniform, warm golden brown tone.
The monkey is available in small, medium and large versions. Common to them all is that they are original wood creations. Kay Bojesen always gave his wooden figures a special soul. Each one also got its own story, and with their smiling lines, unique shapes and vibrant wood they have survived many generations. According to Kay Bojesen, wood only comes to life when it has a story.
The monkey is also available in a Reworked anniversary edition, which is a special edition of the iconic Monkey made form residual wood. The anniversary monkey is both a celebration and a standpoint. In 2021 in marked the 70th anniversary of Kay Bojesen cutting the first smiling lines into the classic Monkey. And a standpoint because the Anniversary Monkey was born out of a principle of responsibility in craftsmanship and design.
As the new family member is made from residual wood, there may be variations in wood types, such as teak, walnut, oak, ash, maple, limba and mahogany. We cannot guarantee which woods each of the Anniversary Monkeys are produced from. This depends on the availability of residual wood. But we can guarantee that each Anniversary Monkey will be even more unique than the original classic if possible.
The process of processing the Anniversary Monkey is considerably more demanding than the well-known Monkey in teak and limba, which is turned out of one piece of wood and, like its original siblings in the monkey family, is produced in a high quality and with great craftsmanship. Many pieces of wood need to be adapted and put together, and this places high demands on both the craftsmanship and the quality of the wood.
The reworked Monkey is based on the principle of upcycling, and the ambition is to use the resources that would otherwise have been wasted. In this way, the Reworked Monkey gives new life to wood and can be displayed - or hung - as a responsible ambassador for a new and modern interpretation of the original wooden stories of which Kay Bojesen was a true master. The result is a Monkey that, through craftsmanship and design, unites heritage, wood types and shades – a true collector’s item with its own unique expression and story. The special edition has a 70th anniversary stamp on the paw and comes in a limited edition in a special wooden anniversary box.
The famous Kay Bojesen Monkey was actually created when Kay Bojesen wanted to make a hook for his children, but instead he ended up making a world-famous Danish design icon. Since then, the monkey has come in several different sizes and versions, and the many much-loved members of the monkey herd continue to find their way onto countless wish lists and gift tables around the world.
Wooden figures
Decorate your home with Danish design classics
Decorate your home with Kay Bojesen’s wooden figures. For example, add the Kay Bojesen classic, the Soldier. Use him to decorate the children’s room, where he can inspire imaginative play and games. Or put him in the hallway and let him welcome your guests while symbolically protecting your home. Or put him wherever you think it best fits your interior design.
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Kay Bojesen
Birds
The Birds series is a collection of songbirds with unique names in a wide range of playful colours. All birds in the Birds series are designed based on Kay Bojesen’s original drawings from the 1950s and produced in FSC®-certified wood, which guarantees that the trees have been planted, cultivated and felled responsibly. Kay Bojesen designed with soul, humour and a twinkle in his eye and looked at the world from a child's perspective when creating new stories in wood. There had to be room for the imagination to unfold around the figures, and the simple design language, clear colours and friendly expressions have become his signature.
The Bojesen family’s terrace in Bellavista was full of flowers, cane furniture... and birds, and at some point a picture of the wooden songbird was found in one of the family’s photo albums, which might well have been inspired by his flying friends on the terrace. It turned out later that there were originally five birds, and since then the family of songbirds has grown big and colourful.
All Kay Bojesen’s sweet songbirds spread joy and capture the hearts of both young and old with their charming personality. The Nightingale was created in collaboration with the new H.C. Andersen House, which opened in the summer of 2021, and is inspired by the world-famous author’s fairy tale about the little bird with the big voice. And the colours of the Nightingale are inspired by the beautiful Chinese Nightingale.
The bird Georg fuses Kay Bojesen’s use of both wood and silver, as both the beak and the legs are decorated with silver leaf. And the gorgeous shades of green in the plumage are inspired by Kay Bojesen’s jewellery with jade stones. The Alfred Bird is named after one of Kay Bojesen’s great-grandchildren. This Nordic name also symbolises the innocence and peace that has always characterised the designer’s wooden figures. The songbird Ruth is named after Kay Bojesen’s Swedish daughter-in-law. She took the family by storm with her femininity and love of pink.
The Sunshine bird represents one of the five original colour combinations. Originally designed in the 1950s, and like its five colourful siblings, it has never been produced before. The Raven songbird is crafted with black feather splendour and is a stylish and classic feature of the otherwise colourful bird collection from Kay Bojesen.
The series also includes the Kay songbird, named after Mr Bojesen himself who was a big fan of the colour blue. He was always wearing either an impeccable blue suit, shirt and tie or white work coat. And the Ernst songbird takes us one place up in the family tree to Kay Bojesen’s father – a gentleman with many talents. He was a businessman, publishing director, cultural personality and also a creative soul who, together with his wife Valborg, inspired his son Kay to create his collection of beloved wooden figures.
The birds series also features Kay Bojesen’s iconic turtle doves in several versions and his sparrows, which he designed in the mid-1930s. These birds bring a touch of romance into the imaginative world of Wooden Figures. Kay Bojesen’s songbirds are a good example of how he, with a simple design, managed to gives his figures life and soul, so that to this day they spark our imagination and speak to the child in all of us, across age and generations.
Original stories in wood
The
Kay Bojesen story
When the Kay Bojesen brand was founded back in 1932, it marked the start of a story about a craftsman with a great sense of humour and plenty of curiosity. Kay Bojesen created his animals and figures based on the philosophy that good design should be accessible to everyone, and over time Kay Bojesen has become synonymous with original Danish design.
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Kay Bojesen is part of Rosendahl.com
We preserve and develop Danish design icons so that both present and future products can be part of the brands that have helped create our Danish design culture.
We preserve and develop Danish design icons so that both present and future products can be part of the brands that have helped create our Danish design culture.
