Classic modern casts a retrospective eye over some of the work produced by Danish designer Bjarne Bo

The distinguishing features of the vintage 60s and 70s work of Danish designer Bjarne Bo Andersen (more often known simply as Bjarne Bo) are its gently rounded lines and its ergonomic functional qualities. Bo's 1960s Vias range of kitchen containers in bright opal-fruit colours (pictured right) provides a good example. Vias comes in three sizes, the largest (capacity 2 litres) having a diameter of 17cm and a height of 16.25cm, the medium (capacity 1 litre) a diameter of 12.5cm and height of 16.25cm, and the small (capacity 0.5 litre) a diameter of 12.5cm and a height of 10.25cm. These sizes provide a wide range of utility.

All three sizes of Vias have two finger-width slots in the lid. These recesses are not just straight-sided grooves, but are scooped-out recesses which enable the fingers to grip the container easily and securely if the containers are reached down from a shelf. The lids, meanwhile, are kept firmly in place with a tongue-and-groove twisting mechanism which is also operated using the lid's finger-slots. In this case, the user places four fingers in one slot and a thumb in the other, gaining a strong torque advantage which twists the lid off effortlessly. Both functions of the lid slots are completely intuitive and natural for the user.

Similar design qualities can be seen in Bo's grater and mandolin pair (pictured left). Featured alongside a set of drinking glasses by Verner Panton in Copenhagen's prestigious design museum the Kunstindustrimuseet, or Museum of Industrial Art, Bjarne Bo's plastic grater and mandolin slicer were designed in 1965 and show the same concern with ergonomics as the Vias set.

The rounded handle and shoulders allow the devices to be gripped firmly either by threading fingers through the hole or by grasping the whole handle, providing a solution for hands of all sizes. Measuring 7.5cm x 22.5cm, the grater is entirely made from very strong melamine which offers a surprisingly sharp and effective shredding mechanism. Again, these items were produced in a range of bright colours, making them both decorative and functional.

Bjarne Bo's designs have not all been for the kitchen. He has also designed children's money boxes for a savings bank including one (designed jointly with Henrik Mikkelsen) in the form of an elephant (pictured right, with a height of 12.5cm) whose trunk lifts to reveal a coin slot, and in 1972 he was awarded two iF product design awards for ceiling lights he designed for Danish lighting company Fog & Mørup. Staged since 1954, the iF design award is regarded as one of the most important design competitions worldwide, with a jury composed of top international designers, and today attracts over 1,800 entries annually from 30 different countries.

See also

Vintage Bjarne Bo graters and mandolins at classic modern

More classic modern spotlight profiles of designers and manufacturers

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