TOOLS DESIGN

The Danish design duo that jointly call themselves Tools Design was founded in 1989 by Claus Jensen and Henrik Holbæk, who are two of the most established designers in Denmark, working out of their studio in the old industrial area north west of Copenhagen which is today the creative area of the City.

Since 1993, they have won awards at all of the prominent exhibitions in Europe and the US. Henrik Holbaek graduated from the School of Architecture (Industrial Design Department), under the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts; Claus Jensen graduated from the Danish School of Design, specialising in furniture and implements.

Henrik and Claus have developed a task-sharing method that exploits the interests and abilities of both designers. According to Henrik Holbaek, his partner does his clearest thinking while holding onto modelling materials, whereas Henrik himself would rather fiddle with paper as his philosophies in front of the computer. "We get into some intense arguments before we reach an agreement. If we can't agree, then neither of us is right, and the idea isn't good enough," they say. During the process, Claus Jensen and Henrik Holbaek benefit greatly from their ability to carry out virtually every element from idea to finished product.

The products of Tools Design are often characterised by a simplistic and innovative approach. The portfolio ranges from electronics and medical equipment to household products. The design philosophy of Tools design is to put “something extra” into the products. The strength of the studio is to manage product design and communication to create lifestyle design.

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