Something prestigious
It all started because we wanted to do something different. An impulse to move deeper into the brand’s essence. Not doing what others are doing, but paving our own way.
“Sparking curiosity”, which is our company mantra. But the original story doesn’t begin with a strategy. It was more a coincidence, and then it becomes a story about following intuition.
Prestige is our curated selection of exclusive, high-end textiles from the renowned international brands Élitis, Lelièvre, Issé, Rubelli, Kieffer and Zimmer + Rohde. The collection is created to inspire playful creativity by a diverse selection of delicate fabrics, rich in texture, detail and character, almost like haute couture, but for interiors. A way of bringing something distinctly prestigious into daily life.
On an inspirational trip to Paris, our Chief Commercial Officer and Co-CEO Iben Wistrup Schwaner came across a series of textiles that caught her attention. Not because she was searching for anything in particular, but because they were rich in texture, depth and expression. They resonated in a way that felt immediate. She felt inspired, even enthusiastic, and couldn’t do anything other than bring samples back to the office. Not with any eye of purpose. Just because.
Back in the Copenhagen office, the textiles were placed on the moodboard. At first, it was just that. Something to look at, to talk around, to be curious about and feel inspired by. But as planning for 3daysofdesign took shape, they slowly moved from the moodboard into taking a central role in the exhibition “I AM”. Creating unexpected combinations, by mixing textures and patterns. Not to make a final statement, but more as an experiment. It felt bold and playful, other core elements of our brand’s essence.
And something clearly happened. There was immediate excitement and positive feedback from the visitors and customers. It was very clear, what had started as a story about falling in love with something and being bold enough to follow it, had become a feeling shared by many others.
The exhibition called “Human states of being”, was an intuitively driven planning process, meant as an exploration into how much the body picks up on before the brain does.
That same intuitive approach continues to define how we are working in our expression today. Decisions are made through feeling an immediate sense of recognition or attraction, tuning into internal responses and often it’s an immediate “wow” moment that becomes the starting point. Not looking at trends or what others are doing, but meeting the feeling that appears internally. To us, it’s clear we are becoming even more courageous and less hesitant not holding back or downplaying things, truly living the brand DNA. Though experimenting with fabrics is a new direction for us, being bold and open-minded has always been part of the NORR11 DNA. The furniture is known for its sculptural and playful character, pieces that divide opinion and invite response. Some might even describe them as intentionally opinionated.
The Prestige collection has been expanded, refined, and tested, and now includes 24 different textiles, primarily from France, but also from Italy and Germany. With the introduction, we are offering something entirely different for our customers, but certainly not for the sake of ease.The launch adds a new level of complexity to the supply chain, with higher price points and often longer lead times. This makes the launch of Prestige a very conscious decision, not driven by convenience, but rather in spite of it.
“There is a clear intention to be able to offer something more glamorous, more distinctive, because it brings a different energy and allows our customers to dream and play more”, says Iben Wistrup Schwaner.
