Cecilie Nordmann just finished her PBA in furniture design at VIA University College in Aarhus. Originally, she’s from Skagen, which is a small coastal town famous for its fishing industry at the very top of Denmark.
— It was actually from my hometown that I got the inspiration of Anker, she days.
Anker is a fire pit based on Sustainable Development Goal number 11; Sustainable cities and communities. The name is the Danish word for anchor which and religiously means hope. The cooking grate makes it possible for children to join the cooking process from start to end. With its height, they are at eye-level with the fire pit, in contrast to a kitchen table, aiming for more social and outdoor activities in green public areas in the cities. With families being the main target group, the goal is to create an inviting space for everyone.
— I wanted to create something that is both functional and sculptural as it is supposed to be placed in public green areas to gather people and make the experience interactive. It’s created to make a cosy fire, where you use the grates for cooking. The top of it, which may look like a hat or the planet Saturn, is functional in the way that it centres the heat and can make the ignition phase easier since it protects from the wind as you can both rotate and tilt the top. It differs from the classic fire pit, which often focuses on functionality, that is typically seen as a plain metal bowl. I do not think it is necessary to rule out aesthetics to make it functional, which is why I tried to combine these two very important qualities. I also wanted to make a fire pit that people think is beautiful.
This winter, Anker has been shown at a couple of design fairs as Nordmann’s PBA project, including Formland in Denmark and Stockholm Furniture Fair.
— I’ve really enjoyed talking to experienced people from the furniture business. At the moment I have a private client for whom I’m trying to find someone to produce Anker in double size and I definitely want to find the right collab to put it into production, she says.