DESIGN FOR LIFE設計美好生活

THIS MONTH’S COVER

shows an artificial wooden island created by Danish designers Studio Fokstrot. It’s 215 square feet and called CPH- Ø1 (‘Ø’ being the Danish word for ‘island’); and it’s the first of many the designers hope will be moored in the waters off Copenhagen to bring ‘life and activity back to the former industrial harbourside’.

This month we celebrate Cathay Pacific’s new route to the Danish capital. We found the Ø hard to resist as a symbol of Danishness and Copenhagenism. First, it’s a beautiful and very Danish piece of design: simple, clever and, behind it, a subtle, half- concealed Nordic smile. (It’s the same with the copy of Jorgen Hovelskov’s Harp Chair in my office: a bridge and a musical instrument referenced in one supremely elegant and witty piece of furniture).

Second, it’s functional and useful. The designers tell us the island has already been used for barbecues, stargazing, winter bathing and fishing. Third, it’s free and open to all. You can well imagine the Ø moored by some five star resort or luxury marina: but that’s not the Danish way. And last, the image captures the texture and light of the country: as Cathay’s half- Danish head of content said, a little tearily, ‘the dark water is crisp and clean and very Nordic-feeling.’

In our feature (page 34) we’ve sought to find out more about that very soughtafter thing: the Danish way of living, in the company of a Copenhagen resident. Denmark consistently comes top or near the top of the polls of global happiness and well-being. That either suggests they are very good at responding to surveys or they have got this lifestyle thing cracked. The only way to know for sure is to visit.

Mark Jones Editorial director

本月封面是一座由丹麥Studio Fokstrot設計事務所負責設計的人工小島，全島以木材建成。小島的面積有215平方呎，名為CPH- Ø1，「Ø」是丹麥語「島嶼」的意思。這是首個繫泊於哥本哈根港口水域的人工小島，設計師期望未來會推出多個類似的人工小島，用來令「昔日港口一帶的工業區回復熱鬧與繁榮」。

國泰航空本月慶祝開通前往丹麥首都哥本哈根的新航線。我們認為以Ø小島來象 徵丹麥文化與哥本哈根式生活，實在合適不過。首先，這是一件散發丹麥風格的美麗設計：簡潔、精巧，以及在其中巧妙地藏著一個若隱若現的北歐式微笑。這就跟我辦公室內那張由Jorgen Hovelskov設計的豎琴椅複製品一樣，將橋樑與樂器的形狀共冶一爐，以高明的設計製造出一件極度典雅的家具。

其次，這個小島亦具備實用功能。設計師告訴我們，小島曾被人用作燒烤、觀星、冬泳及釣魚等活動。第三，這是免費供所有人使用的。不妨想像Ø小島繫泊於某個五星級度假村或豪華遊艇會內，不過丹麥人不會這樣做。最後，這幅圖片也捕捉了這個國家的質感與光線；國泰航空的內容主管擁有一半的丹麥血統，當他見到這張圖時，聲音帶點哽咽說：「那深色的海水清新而潔淨，給人非常北歐的感覺。」

大家都渴望過丹麥式的生活，我們邀來一位哥本哈根的居民，在34頁的專題文章內對這種生活方式作進一步探討。丹麥經常在全球幸福快樂指數排行榜上名列前茅，甚至高踞榜首。這種情況說明丹麥人可能是精於回應調查的高手，或是深通生活之道的達人。想了解箇中底蘊，唯有親自去一看究竟。