EYE ON TONI COPENHAGEN: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BUILT TO LAST
Emerson Bailey is proud to be the North American partner of TONI Copenhagen, Denmark's oldest manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Rooted in over 100 years of traditional Danish craftsmanship, the manufacturing of each element of design is built to last. Each fixture is hand-assembled and hand-polished of the finest precious metals out of the workshop in Copenhagen, a space brimming with the activity of master artisans. Emerson Bailey sits down with TONI’s Creative Director, Bjarke Vind, to discuss how the team scoured Denmark to find the best polisher in the nation, the transformation of luxury and what that means for the endurance of great design, and the high value of living with a TONI fixture – for life.
E|B: TONI was founded in 1918. That’s a long history! What stories do the brand’s designs tell, to their settings, their consumers, or their users?
BV for TONI: Each element of a setting tells a story. TONI clients care about their environments, and they have a special attention to craftsmanship and detail. The faucet becomes a treasure, a finishing touch that reflects appreciation of quality and of the handmade. These are high-touch fixtures – they carry memories with them. Also, because we work in pure, raw brass (with other surfaces like chrome or nickel), the fixtures patinate. The very idea is that the products maintain the stories of their usage, patinating to each touch. This is the antithesis to plastics and waste – the way our products age throughout time is beautiful, it is sophisticated.
What does your production process look like, in order to make these beautiful hand-crafted fixtures?
Our showroom here in Denmark looks directly onto the half-century old milling machine we use, so there’s that story, too, that travels with the product. It’s made right here, by the most masterful team. Crafted things in general hold a new layer of value. And that plays into the story of consumption, which our clients care about. They are committed to buying products for their homes or projects that will last. By nature, our brand operates as the antithesis to wastefulness. TONI was founded in 1918, in a time and age when things were built to last, and we still design and manufacture from the perspective of being able to be used, repaired, and used again.
This is the same as the power of antiques. As design pieces that were made a long time ago, they have proven their excellence because they were built, originally, to last forever. How do you apply this to contemporary production today?
Our manufacturing processes have endured for over 100 years: we still hand-manufacture, hand-polish, and hand-assemble. This is part of the value of each product, and the legacy of TONI. Overall, our fixtures are touchable, well-structured, durable, and quality. But sometimes, wear does occur. We support our dedication to quality with our TONI Vintage Repair Shop. If anything ever happens to a client’s faucet, for example, we are committed to making it last for them. We take it in, give it some TLC, and we deliver it back to them fully serviced. We are very excited to be able to offer this to our international clients as well.
How does TONI contribute to luxury design?
Luxury, as a whole, has transformed from being posh and lavish, to being conscious – conscious about where things come from, where and how they're produced, and the care put into them. Luxury living is being considered about what you surround yourself with, and what you put into your environments. We are bringing that luxury to life through our collections. We are concerned with the world’s general over-consumption, and what we are producing is not only manufactured responsibly, but it is built to last.
Tell us about the artisans who are working with each product.
On an everyday basis, we assemble everything here in Copenhagen. Our team is comprised of the “best of the best” artisans. We went scouting to find master artisans and craftspeople from all over the country. For example, we met our expert polisher from a village nearby. His training has been passed down through the generations, he is a legacy in his own right, and it is his hands and touch that finish each product. Denmark, for centuries, has also been known for its expert blacksmiths working with brass.
Is every element of TONI fixtures made locally?
Everytime we have to scout for new manufacturers, we ask Denmark first, because of our national identity of high-craftsmanship. Outside Denmark, though, we do also work with artisans in the North of Italy. This is the best place in the world to cast and forge metals. The brass work occurs in a valley by Lake Como, at centuries-old foundries. We then finish, and hand-polish here in Denmark. Everything else is made at home. We are preserving these long Danish traditions, and are able to share them with the world through our collections.
