The Design Index

Copenhagen, Denmark

GUBI is a Danish design company based in Copenhagen, renowned for its blend of traditional Scandinavian design and innovative contemporary aesthetics, established in 1967 by Gubi and Lisbeth Olsen and now led by their son Jacob Gubi Olsen as owner and creative director. Under Jacob's watch, GUBI added a global focus to its Copenhagen roots, with a cosmopolitan array of furniture, lighting and interior objects, championing both 20th century icons and a new wave of design studios including GamFratesi, Space Copenhagen and OeO Studio. GUBI is one of the biggest Danish design successes in modern times, with furniture in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

GUBI sees itself as a company of treasure hunters who create the style icons of tomorrow through curiosity, courage and intuition, inspired by forgotten design pieces of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with each reissued creation combining the past and the future. This philosophy has produced one of the most distinctive and internationally recognised furniture and lighting collections in Danish design history, spanning rescued mid-century icons, contemporary collaborations and entirely new design voices brought together under a single coherent brand world.
The collection covers furniture, lighting and interior objects for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, offices and hospitality environments. Among the most celebrated pieces, the Bestlite lamp, a Bauhaus design by Robert Dudley Best from 1930, the Gräshoppa lamp by Greta Magnusson Grossman, the Pacha chair by Pierre Paulin, the Beetle chair and the Bat chair represent the archival side of the collection, pieces that were ahead of their time, forgotten for decades, and restored by GUBI to the prominence they always deserved. The Cobra lamp, the Multi Lite pendant and the Masculo lounge chair complete a heroic roll call of rescued twentieth century design.
Alongside the archival programme, GUBI's contemporary collaborations have produced some of the most talked-about furniture and lighting designs of the past decade. Space Copenhagen has created a succession of widely lauded designs including the Stay and Wonder collections of lounge furniture, the Moon table family, the Private Collection of storage and display furniture, and the Gravity, Unbound and Howard lighting ranges. GamFratesi, OeO Studio and other leading contemporary studios complete a designer roster that gives the GUBI collection both historical depth and genuine contemporary relevance in equal measure.
The Private Collection by Space Copenhagen forms the most comprehensive line of storage and display furniture in the GUBI collection, enabling bespoke curations of personal narratives through an exercise in clean lines, symmetry and tonal restraint, calm and composed but undeniably generous in its expression.
The brand operates a flagship showroom in Copenhagen, maintains an international retailer and dealer network, and offers residential and contract trade programmes for designers, architects and hospitality operators.
- Permanent collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
- One of the most internationally recognised Danish design brands in contemporary production.
- Consistent editorial presence across global design and architecture publications.
- Active international showroom and dealer network.