Ritterbands design debut

Ulvedalene by Monica Ritterband

Renowned Danish artist Monica Ritterband will debut this fall as a designer with FDB Møbler. The artist, who has won awards for several of her designs since 1997, has focused on a modern and simple design to create the Ulvedalene (”Wolf Valleys”) furniture series. This line consists of a footstool, a high bench and a low bench, all usable anywhere in your home.

The Ulvedalene series is made of FSC-certified oak and will initially be available in both a black and a natural finish. This versatile furniture fits into the modern home décor and and lends itself to all sorts of everyday activities: Rest your legs on the elegant footstool after a long day; station the low, functional bench in a hallway; draw the high bench up to your dining table for meals. This series emerges from the classic Danish design tradition, with a focus on comfort and simplicity, making it a perfect addition to the FDB Møbler catalog. Even so, thanks to its rounded legs that widen toward the floor, Ulvedalene stands out from the conventional stool and bench.

"At FDB Møbler, we are very proud of the new collaboration with Monica Ritterband,” says FDB Møbler CEO Ole Kiel. “We have no doubt that it will be a great success. Monica's designs point directly to Danish design traditions and fit perfectly with FDB Møbler’s vision. We are crazy about the clean lines, and we love how the natural wood surface tells a story. Together, they create a harmonious expression and a congenial atmosphere. We look forward to introducing the world to Monica's elegant and functional furniture series.”

History, Fairy Tales and Danish Design

Ritterband’s inspiration for this new furniture line traces back to the hilly area from which it takes its name. The Ulvedalene sits in the middle of Dyrehaven, a former hunting grounds used by royalty and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has been used as a backdrop for performances of folk stories by the Royal Danish Theatre. There, in the center of a clearing, stands a unique oak tree believed to be 600–700 years old. The furniture’s rounded legs, widening toward the floor, evoke the calm and stability of that deeply rooted ancient oak, and of course oak also provides Ulvedalene’s raw material. In this way, the modernity of the furniture reaches back into a fairy-tale Danish past.