Current Reads by Creative Professionals
What fuels creativity? For the friends of Fredericia, literature is a place for reflection, immersion and new ideas. We asked seven inspiring creative professionals to share the books that have shaped their thinking, shifted their perspectives, or simply stayed with them.
Fanny Christoffersen Gallerist at Galleri Tom Christoffersen
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
Since this book was published in 2008, the story of the tragically lovesick Kemal has stayed with me. The idea of loving someone so deeply that you devote your entire life to them has lingered in my mind ever since I first read the book 17 years ago. The novel shares its name with a museum in Istanbul, created in parallel with the book — and, unsurprisingly, it is also my favourite museum. Every single object in that museum carries traces of Kemal’s attempt to preserve the fleeting moment of happiness that Füsun represents to him.
Bridges of Dreams by Henrik Nordbrandt
Henrik Nordbrandt is without question my favourite poet — with remarkable simplicity, he manages to strike where it hurts the most. In Bridges of Dreams, you’ll find what I consider the greatest poem ever written. It’s called Lies, and it captures the aching reality of loving someone you can no longer reach.
The Glass Essay and The Beauty of the Husband by Anne Carson
Carson is a recent discovery of mine, but I’ve already decided to read everything she’s ever written. Her books The Glass Essay and The Beauty of the Husband contain all the painful truths about love that I find so compelling. She weaves classical Greek and Latin literature throughout her writing, forming a beautiful thread that ties the texts together. In The Glass Essay, she brings in one of my other literary heroes: Emily Brontë. Through Brontë, Carson paints a raw portrait of what it feels like when a heart breaks into a thousand pieces.
Christian Vennerstrøm Architect and founder of Bahraini-Danish
Everyday Matters - Contemporary Approaches to Architecture by Vanessa Grossman & Ciro Miguel
Everyday Matters is a small book with big essays about the challenges of the everyday. Several of the essays still resonate with me, even though I haven’t read it for years. If you are drawn to the everyday as well as grand transformations, then Everyday Matters is a must read.
Material Gesture by Studio Anne Holtrop
This book is a reflection on Studio Anne Holtrop’s tenure as professor at ETH Zurich. It stands as a beautifully monument of an extraordinary achievement — rethinking construction from the ground up through materials and thereby reimagining what our world can look like. Anyone who has ever attempted to do things differently knows just how difficult it truly is. Holtrop has succeeded in this pursuit, and the book reveals just how endlessly fascinating — and endlessly beautiful — the world of materials can be.
In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki
In 2024, In Praise of the Shadows it was released in Danish, in a remarkably elegant translation by Mette Holm — a version that deserves praise for both its language and its visual design. The book offers a rather bizarre yet entertaining exploration of the phenomena of light and shadow through the lens of objects and architecture — though the narrator’s voice can be intensely personal in its interpretation of universal truths. It reminds us that an obsession with things is not merely capitalist materialism, but that objects and architecture can also reveal the poetic nature of existence.
Simay Demirel Book Curator at @whereiwouldlikeltoread and @wiwltr___reads
Martha Graham Sixteen Dances in Photographs by Barbara Morgan
This is one of my favourite books ever sourced. It was the first rare book that I have sourced, which then became the one that got the most interest during my displays and lead to very inspiring conversations. It not only showcases the modern dance choreographer Martha Graham’s incredible and delicate work but also shows the artistic collaboration between her and Isamu Noguchi, with his incredible set designs.
Issey Miyake Meets Lucie Rie by Miyake Design Studio
Another excellent publication showcasing in this catalogue the most precious contemporary ceramic works of Lucie Rie.
Jan Groover Photography Book by MOMA
A surprise rare find from a recent trip, Jan Groover’s photography booked published by the The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Tender imagery displaying some of the most soothing still life photographs of the artist.
Turkish Pottery by Victoria & Albert Museum
This booklet from the Victoria & Albert Museum with images of pitchers, bowls and plates painted in classical Iznik ceramic motifs and colours.
Pistils by Robert Mapplethorpe
And lastly, the ever so delicate, and to me the most beautiful flower photography book. Hard to pick a favourite shot inside.
Rhys Kearns Art Director at Norse Projects
Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver
Carver says more with less - better than anyone. There’s a casualness to the way he writes; it’s plainspoken and conversational, but the emotional weight underneath it all can be a gut punch. His characters feel real without trying too hard to tell you they are. If I could write like anyone, it would probably be him.
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
Orwell before Orwell. Before 1984, he was just a broke writer in Paris and London. The way he describes working as a dishwasher in grim hotel kitchens, dealing with sketchy landlords and endless hustles - you feel like you’re right there, stuck in it too. This book is a reminder that being lost doesn’t mean you’re done.
South and West by Joan Didion
I borrowed South and West for a ferry ride in Canada years ago, and that was it for me and Didion. The book is a kind of travelogue where she drifts through the American South in the ’70s. Reading her witty, sharp and nuanced observations, you feel like you’re eavesdropping on something private. The South always felt like this strange, interesting, foreign planet, and while I still haven’t been down there yet, this book got me close.
Lærke Ryom Furniture Designer and co-owner of Ukurant
Shaken Mirror by Søren Ulrik Thomsen
Shaken Mirror was the very first poetry collection I ever bought, and I believe I’ve read some of the poems more than a hundred times. I return to the twenty-five lines of the poem “In the Fading Daylight of a Late November Day,” again and again. Each time, I find that the same words reveal something new — as if my mood and life experiences infuse the lines with fresh meaning. Søren Ulrik Thomsen has a way of writing poetry that evokes a longing for what was, what is, and what is yet to come — and it enchants me every single time.
Assemblage 6: Unlearning by Faye Toogood
Faye Toogood’s Assemblage 6: Unlearning stands, for me, as a powerful testament to the importance of daring to experiment as a designer. The book celebrates spontaneous, intuitive model-making as a central method for creating something truly new and unexpected. Sitting on the bookshelf in my own atelier, it’s a constant reminder that the best ideas often emerge when you let go of control and let your hands lead the way instead of your head.
Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst
Waist Deep is the most recent book I’ve read. The story is both light, playful, and seductively summery, yet it also carries a seriousness – revolving around universal themes such as identity, love, and friendship. It’s not a thriller or a suspense novel, but rather a gentle and honest snapshot of seven people’s lives, inviting the reader into the dynamics and relationships of a group of friends in their thirties. The book cherishes the subtle nuances of everyday life and the moods that arise between people. At its core, it’s a story about courage — the courage to stand by who you are, what you believe, who you love, and the courage to let other people into your life.
Karin Carlander Art Weaver and Textile Designer
Mark Rothko 1903-1970 (World of Art) by Diane Waldman
Mark Rothko is an artist who has inspired me throughout my professional life. This book is filled with beautiful reproductions of his work — a book I return to often, always seeing it with new eyes, and each time it gives me a fresh experience.
Thread Ripper by Amalie Smith
A delicate, imaginative, and intelligent book that places my beloved craft of weaving within a context that embraces the intellectual, the analog, and the digital. It is both poetic and deeply thoughtful — a work that elevates textile art into a wider cultural conversation.
Hamnet by Maggie O ‘ Farrell
This is the story of William Shakespeare’s only son — a child whose fate has long been forgotten, yet who lives on in one of the most famous plays ever written. It’s also a profound work on grief, mourning, and love within a family suddenly confronted with the unbearable. A beautiful and thought-provoking novel.
Stine Kirkegaard Founder and Chef of Easy Peacy
Osvald the Monkey by Egon Mathiesen
I became a mother in November 2024 to a baby daughter. She doesn't understand the book yet, but she calms down in the evenings when Theodor, my partner, or I read it to her. I think it’s beautifully illustrated, and the message about community is conveyed in the loveliest way.
Our Kitchen in Provence by Arne Fusager & Birthe Sandager
My forever favourite cookbook. I grew up with it in my mother’s kitchen. The recipes come from classic French country cooking. The book was published in 1996 and has been a major source of inspiration for Easy Peacy. Graphically it's incredibly aesthetic, while also inspiring a desire to cook at home. I love their respect for ingredients. They understand that a pasta pesto isn’t a “boring” dish—it’s one that, to achieve perfection, requires real experience in the kitchen. It also illustrates how kitchens transcend borders. I know they still run a cooking school in France, but unfortunately, they’ve just put their property up for sale. So, if you want to experience the charm of the French countryside combined with deep knowledge about food and wine, now is the time.
Selected Dining Spots in Rome by Helge Kamp
This little guidebook, published in 2012, led me to one of the best meals I’ve ever had. It was at Trattoria der Pallaro, where we paid €25 per person for a fixed menu, half a bottle of wine, water, and coffee. The book recommends eateries and hidden gems serving authentic Roman cuisine, in a city filled with tourist traps. However, before traveling, I’d suggest checking whether the places still exist.
Keep exploring
Through a series of narratives, we explore inspiring spaces, delve into architectural history topics, explore the essence of good design, and celebrate the cultivation of unique atmospheres.
Michael Bjørn Nellemann: The Last Maximalist
We caught up with Michael Bjørn Nellemann among the shelves of his private library for a conversation about literature, architecture and Danish design.
Mogens Koch's bookcases
Designed to meet practical needs in his own home, the iconic 1928 bookcase system is a modular masterpiece.
A Living Archive
Since his father’s passing in 1992, Mogens Svend Koch has dedicated himself to preserving and sharing the legacy of his father, Mogens Koch.
Maria Bruun at the Bruno Mathsson Residency
Bruun spent the summer in Mathsson's iconic 1955 house in Värnamo, immersing herself in his archive and the region's rich furniture heritage.
A tribute to 1960s vision and craftsmanship
Inspired by Andalusian villages, Konventum is a Scandinavian architectural gem infused with Spanish and Japanese influences.
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