The Sweet Art Collection by Charlotte Høncke celebrates Helena Christensen as new Global Artistic Director for BoConcept. Høncke was inspired by Danish pastry for this collection, featuring scalloped boucle detailing that is happily reminiscent of softly rising dough. As Danish pastry culture is revered around the world, it just seems fitting that the first collection with Christensen’s guidance at BoConcept remain refined, thoughtful, and culturally conscious, with a hint of sweetness. Christensen shares the details of the Sweet Art Collection in an exclusive interview with Design Milk below.
What attracted you to join BoConcept as a Global Artistic Director?
I’ve always admired Danish designers and architects. They’ve been a huge inspiration throughout my life, so the collaboration just feels organic. Interiors have always been such a big part of me, and working with BoConcept, a Danish company, makes it even more special.
How did your background in fashion influence this decision, and possible future projects?
They’re very closely connected; one inspires the other and vice versa. I’ve always been surrounded by immensely talented artists in the fashion business and I have always drawn inspiration from this. I feel my modeling career is a unique lifelong education on so many levels – as a photographer and as an artist too. To me, it’s all about opening your mind and drawing inspiration from design and fashion styles that inspire you and melting them together.
Can you share more about working with Charlotte Høncke, and if there are any differences you find working with a female-led team?
Part of my role as Global Artistic Director is to curate and spotlight Danish design talent and Charlotte designed the newly launched Sweet Art collection, which I love. Charlotte’s designs very much fit into my aesthetics. The organic yet playfulness of her armchair, the color hues and feel of the textiles. I think there is a femininity to this collection, which I can certainly relate to as a woman, but I wouldn’t say I’ve noticed differences working with a female-led team. It’s all about working and collaborating with inspiring human beings.
The Sweet Art Collection blends Danish traditions with modern aesthetics – how does this design history guide your personal style?
Growing up with a Danish father and a Peruvian mother, I find myself drawn to a mix of Nordic coolness and vibrant South American influences. Every place I’ve ever lived is filled with objects that I collect from all over the world. My walls are full of art. There is barely an empty spot on any surface. BoConcept has beautiful, timeless, elegant, classic, modern pieces, with very clean lines, as per the Danish design tradition. But when you pair an eclectic home with furniture pieces that have simple organic shapes, the combination creates a very good balance.
Danish Tradition
Høncke helps us reimagine a world in which we walk among sweets and treats – boucle standing in for bread, where applicable. These shapes are so near and dear to many of us, carbs sometimes shaping entire cultures. The softness is apparent in color, form, and texture, all three combining to create an overall cohesive and compelling collection. Just as food unites, furniture unites too – especially in Denmark, with long winters necessitating the need for warm and cozy interiors.
The sloping forms of the collection exude a luxurious feeling, lounging and rest central to the feeling of the pieces. Some with scalloped detailing, but all in a signature boucle in two pastel shades, the Sweet Art Collection is aptly named, maintaining just the right amount of sweetness while still retaining sophistication. The collection includes an accent chair and two poufs in bakery-inspired hues that include a cozy cream and soft pink.
Charlotte Høncke is a Danish designer, founding her own studio in Aarhus in 2010. With a special knack for blending functionality and aesthetics, she celebrates small delightful details, blending design history with cultural influences to create playful interpretations of things we normally take for granted. The designer shares, “My furniture can be unpretentiously cosy and humorous.”
Helena Christensen is a renowned model, fashion and art photographer, and named UNHCR Global Ambassador in 2019 for her humanitarian work, documenting the struggles of refugees and displaced peoples worldwide through photography. Now, Christensen adds Global Artistic Director at BoConcept to her long list of accomplishments. One of the original supermodels, she has changed the scope of style as we know it as one of the founders of Nylon magazine, bringing a different perspective to the fashion scene. She continues to innovate through her philanthropic and design work, bringing light to stories historically kept in the shadows.
Helena Christensen
To learn more about the Sweet Art Collection by Charlotte Høncke, visit boconcept.com.
Photography by Henrik Bülow.