Collection: Niels Bendtsen

The Danish-Canadian industrial designer gleaned his education through familial nurture and his own curious nature. Bendtsen’s father, a cabinetmaker, apprenticed with Jacob Kjær in Copenhagen; Bendtsen in turn, apprenticed with his father at the family shop in North Vancouver, where his respect for precision was formalized. A cast metal candlestick holder, the first product he created, sparked a lifetime of design and manufacturing. In 1973 Niels returned to his birthplace, Denmark, and plunged headfirst into design. He freelanced for the likes of Eilersen, IKEA, and Kebe—for whom he created the Ribbon Chair that holds a place in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection—and produced his own pieces under the brand 2B. More recently, Niels has designed for Linteloo, Montis, FLOS, and his own brand Bensen.