Every year, the man at the helm of Danish Teak Classics sets off on an adventure across the Atlantic Ocean to Denmark. Steven Swanson searches high and low (and sometimes in attics riddled with holes) for the best modern furniture he can find.

This year, Swanson packed more than 500 finds into a giant container to ship back to Minneapolis. His treasures this time included a “really cool and ingenious industrial lamp” by Swedish inventor, Johan Petter Johansson. Swanson kept one of the lamps for himself (it telescopes out to 10 feet and swivels in any direction), and brought another to his showroom in the Northrup King building.

Follow Swanson’s treasure-hunting adventure below as he details his trip for us.

The Skinny:

Fun Fact: Swanson will go anywhere in Denmark to find furniture, including a place that looked like a set from "the scary part of a Stieg Larsson story."
Danish Teak Classics
1500 Jackson St. NE, Suite 277
Minneapolis, MN 55413
612.362.7870
info@danishteakclassics.com

(Top) We ran across this national training ship in the harbor of a little town while wandering around the outer islands of Denmark. We hoped that this was a sign of more pleasant surprises to come.

(Right) The narrow streets of little Danish towns can be the unlikely harbor of shops and storage spaces containing the collectable items we look for.

Odd spaces filled with stuff, junk and a few good things.

We searched in attics and basements all the while trying not to fall through holes in floors. A great set of teak dining chairs found early on. Another good sign…

A typical (fast) lunch. Pølse (sausage) and apple juice.

More anonymous and beautiful walls. Behind were great treasures.

Many retired farmers collect old stuff. They have barns to use as warehouses and time to look for things.

(Left) A horse lamp at the auction house. I passed on it.

(Top) More treasures at the auction.

(Right) Staging our inventory at our warehouse near Copenhagen. Much is disassembled and consolidated for the impending ocean, rail and truck transport to the U.S.

The container arrives. The first thing we do is lock one of us into it to inspect for light leaks. If light gets in, water can also get in. Infiltrating rain or seawater can be very damaging to the inventory.

A precipitous pile of dining chairs going into the container.

Packing the container is a giant 3D puzzle. My partner Knud and I can work all day and hardly need to say a word to each other. We’ve done this so many times together over the past 25 years that we just know what to do.