Those Crazy Danes – All roads lead to…my heart?

I’ve told you before that the Danes are a strange mix. Fabulous timeless design. But often a quirky twist. How about these street signs? We’re the only place in Denmark that has them. At first glance they look perfectly normal, very classic…

But if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that the ‘j’ in the word vej (street) doesn’t have a dot over it. It has a little red heart, awww! πŸ˜‰

Wouldn’t you like to live in Sommervej (Summer Street)?

Believe it or not, Lykkevej (Happiness Street) is just around the corner! πŸ˜‰

The streetsigns were designed by the architect Knud V. Engelhardt in 1923. The little red heart was his ‘signature’ – the hearts only appear above the letter ‘j’ in the word ‘vej‘ (street). And almost 90 years later, the signs in our area are still being made the same way. But enough of the quaint street signs he designed…he was also one of Denmark’s first industrial designers. How about these round message boards he designed which are dotted all over our area. I love them! Nice big round top to stop the rain from ruining the posters…

…but notice that the big round foot at the bottom slopes outwards. It’s designed like that for a very good reason. To stop dogs from weeing on it! Tee-hee! Or should that be tee-pee? πŸ˜‰

Did you notice the red heart at the bottom? πŸ˜‰

If you can’t get enough of Engelhardt’s work, you can buy an enamel number sign for your house – your own piece of quirky Danish design! The link to the enamel sign makers is right here.

Have a wonderful Wednesday – remember to walk on the sunny side of the street! πŸ™‚

4 thoughts on “Those Crazy Danes – All roads lead to…my heart?”

  1. Love the <3 's! Does the sloping bottom really stop the dogs? At any rate, the guy was a very thoughtful designer πŸ˜€

  2. They are cute! I dotted my i's with <3's in middle school. πŸ™‚ good memories!

  3. Shame that most people don't even notice those signs… πŸ˜›

    Candace, the sloping sides do indeed stop those naughty dogs!

    xo

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