Designer Desire: IRA Denmark

Montage of IRA Denmark metalware designs

Colourful vintage metalware is always a big seller on the H is for Home shop website. Worcesterware and Laurids Lønborg are the two main makers; however, IRA Denmark items are also very sought after.

IRA Denmark is the name of the company which was based in Copenhagen. Four of the main designers were Anita Wangel, Ethel von Horn, Arne Bentsen and Kamma Svensson. I can’t find out much about any of these individuals; there was a 2013 article in Scandinavian Retro magazine (shown at the top of the montage above), but my Swedish language knowledge is practically non-existent!

The only information that I have is that Ethel von Horn was Swedish, Arne Bentsen was Danish and Anita Wangel was Finnish. The eye-catching tins, coasters, bread bins etc were retailed through department stores and mail order across Scandinavia.

Find examples of IRA Denmark metalware on eBay and Etsy.

If you know anything further, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Image credits:
Pinterest | Scandinavian Retro