Product Description:

The King’s Compass is a bench inspired by Kronborg Castle in Helsingør and by the many layers of architecture, symbolism and history connected to the site.The project began with a visual discovery: the number eight appeared repeatedly throughout Kronborg. It could be seen in the octagonal towers, the eight spikes of the royal crown, the eight arms of the chandelier in the ballroom, and the eight points in the ring on Holger Danske’s shield.

Only later did another connection emerge. Both Goðafoss and Kronborg have eight letters. The first sketches for the work were painted using water from Goðafoss in Iceland and water from the moat surrounding Kronborg. Goðafoss also carries a maritime link to Denmark: the name has been used for two ships built in Denmark that sailed to Iceland. This created a meaningful parallel to Kronborg’s own maritime history. For more than 400 years, ships passing through the Øresund had to pay the Sound Dues, a toll that helped finance the castle and contributed significantly to Denmark’s income.

The bench is structured around the number eight. It is built with eight legs, shaped like small octagonal castle towers, while only six brass-capped feet touch the floor. The seat takes its shape from the silhouette of Kronborg’s windows, and the frame is finished in Kronborg red. When several benches are placed together in the ballroom with their double surfaces facing each other, they create endless figure eights. The seat is made from over-400-year-old oak, mirroring the age of the castle itself, while the legs are made from reclaimed material from Danish furniture production, bringing historical material and contemporary craftsmanship into the same object.

At the centre of the seat lies an 8 cm bronze coin. One side shows eight Kronborg towers arranged around a circular centre, while the other presents the king, the queen, Holger Danske and Hamlet’s skull. Holger Danske’s shield appears on both sides of the coin as a recurring motif. The King’s Compass is therefore both a functional object and a narrative structure, a compass made of architecture, material history, symbolism and maritime memory.