In the Beginning — The First Decade of d line In 1971, d line‘s first lever first, the U-shape, Ø14 mm, was manufactured. It was followed by the L-shape which firmly established the d line ethos of stalwart, minimalistic design. The overriding characteristic of these first two levers has been maintained on d line products ever since: the bent sections on all metal tubes maintain the radius of the even sections. This ensures a well-balanced visual impression. Holscher’s work with ironmongery began in the early 1960’s when he was the supervising architect on St. Catherine’s College in Oxford and associated with Arne Jacobsen. Holscher remembers ‘thumbing through stacks of brochures to add bits and pieces together to make a scheme of ironmongery.’ As there were no coordinated series of ironmongery in the 60’s, it was a most opportune offer Holscher got on his return to Denmark. When Holscher’s architectural plan for a university in Odense won a Scandinavian competition in 1966, Carl F asked him to develop a series of high quality fittings in stainless steel for the project. Holscher still clearly remembers ‘the day when Rolf Petersen—the proprietor of Carl F—came to my office and explained that a company had offered him a ‘formula’ by means of which steel tubes could be bent very precisely. I agreed to do the design’. In 1975 Holscher’s d line programme won the first in a series of international design prizes: The Danish Industrial Design Prize (The ID Prize). Establishing the Brand — d line from 1978 - 1995 d line’s first international recognition came in ’82 with Germany’s Die Gute Industrieform Award—a distinction to be followed by a host of other European design prizes. The branding of d line was the result of a meticulous, organic process culminating in 1987 when d line was awarded The Danish Industrial Graphic Prize for its highly original graphic expression. Surrounding its product line with a consistent visual ethos since 1981, d line set the standard with the first catalogue’s white print on a deep black background. Text was scarce and product photos rustic rather than artistic. A series of display boards—each being a combination of image, text and product samples originally composed for an exhibition—ended up forming an essential part of d line‘s graphic image. In ’78, an export department was established to keep up with the increasing international demand, and a number of distributors were appointed in the following years. In ‘93 d line™ international as became an independent member of the Carl F Group. Toward a New Millennium — The Radical Expansion of d line The second part of the 90’s was a time of radical expansion, in terms of both product range and organisation. An award-winning cup-dispenser was introduced in 1996. Two years after, it was integrated into a brand new product group, the sanitary panels. A system which soon became very popular with both users and architects under the name d line Washroom. When d line launched two additional product groups in ‘99—the wardrobe and handrail systems—the definitive step from traditional ironmongery to interior architecture was taken. And with the updated company profile came a new international structure: In 2000, d line’s first subsidiary company opened in Bombay, India, while d line’s regional office in the UK was transformed into a subsidiary company, d line uk ltd. Britain was also chosen as the main seat for d line Signs, the sixth and most recent product group. d line‘s present structure with four regional offices and three subsidiary companies became reality in 2000. In the same year, d line seized full control over its production site in Kalundborg, Denmark. For all of the expansion, however, d line remained true to its traditional design idiom; a quality which earned the company The ID Classics Prize in 1999. The Total Solution — A Philosophy of Unity Materializes With the launch of the award-winning washroom panels, d line Wardrobe, Handrail, and Signs in rapid succession (1998-2000), it seemed natural to divide the vast product portfolio into six distinct groups. Under the concept of a Total Solution d line was able to emphasize the comprehensive character of its hardware package. For d line and Holscher the Total Solution was an architectural philosophy materializing: 3000 ironmongery items united by a single design concept. With its product portfolio more complete than ever d line committed itself to the advancement of young creative communities. The tangible result of this enterprise became the ar+d Award for Emerging Architecture. Developed in 1999 in cooperation with the London-based Architectural Review, the ar+d Award is a competition for architects and designers under the age of 45. The ar+d Award has gained such popularity that it now stands unparalleled as the world’s leading competition for young talents. In the ar+d Award 2003 more than 700 entries from 57 countries contended with one another.