PUTTING PERSONALITY ON A PEDESTAL
Pedestal x STUDIO 9
Function doesn’t have to be anonymous – not in the home, and not in retail
Danish design brand Pedestal has changed the way a television can live in a room.
Not hidden.
Not mounted away.
But treated as a design object with
character, colour, and presence.
So, when Pedestal asked STUDIO 9 to develop a new shop-in-shop concept, the starting point was not simply how to display the products. It was a bigger question:
What if the same thinking could extend beyond the product
– into the way Pedestal appears in retail?
Together, we have translated Pedestal’s approach to design into physical spaces, objects, and retail experiences. Taking the same thinking that gives functional products personality – and applying it to everything around them.
“You often go into a brief with a clear idea of what you want and what your brand represents. The most interesting thing about working with STUDIO 9 was seeing our own design language interpreted through a different lens. They took qualities we associate with PEDESTAL – industrial, Scandinavian, and functional – and explored them in ways we hadn’t imagined.”
– Lukas Andreas Holgersen, Head of Product & Design, Pedestal
More than a store concept
The brief included everything from floor podiums for TV stands and counter displays to sculptural elements, signage, a screen for the customisation tool, carpet, and lighting.
But none of these elements should feel like placeholders.
Each piece needed to serve a clear purpose while bringing its own character to the space. The result is not one fixed store concept, but a flexible system of elements that can adapt to different retailers, spaces, and product needs.
Choosing the unexpected
Our designer, Clara Mahler, developed three distinct directions for how the Pedestal identity could translate into retail.
The first explored an industrial expression, with exposed steel and open construction.
The second followed a more familiar Scandinavian direction, defined by white oak and a softer material language.
The third took a bolder approach, introducing rounded edges, strong forms, and soft colour.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Pedestal chose the final direction – the one that pushed the brand’s visual identity the furthest.
Rather than repeating an existing expression, it opened up a new one.
Pedestal’s design language could move beyond the products themselves and begin defining the environment around them. Functional retail elements could become objects with personality as well.
“STUDIO 9 brought hands-on retail experience to the process, helping us navigate what works in practice and what to consider when taking a design into a store. We’ve had a great response from the first retailer to introduce the new elements. They really add something to the space and help elevate the products.”
– Lukas Andreas Holgersen, Head of Product & Design, Pedestal
Getting time back for the brand
The collaboration builds on an existing production partnership – and a shared setup behind the scenes.
STUDIO 9 and Nine United China are part of a family business and work as one extended team. STUDIO 9 leads the creative development, while Nine United China’s sourcing team manages production for the elements made in China.
Because the same sourcing team already handles the production of Pedestal’s own products, the collaboration can now extend naturally into the retail elements around them.
“Having the production connected allows us to work across both sides – matching colours and quality, coordinating suppliers, and consolidating freight into fewer deliveries.
– Anders Ellegaard, Head of Divisions, Retail & Interior, NINE UNITED CHINA
For Pedestal, this means fewer separate buying flows and more time to focus on their core strengths.
“It allows us to focus on the product and the brand, knowing we have a partner who understands our design language and can take it all the way from an idea to production and delivery.”
– Lukas Andreas Holgersen, Head of Product & Design, Pedestal
Confident enough to explore
What made this project work was Pedestal’s willingness to let the brief move beyond the expected.
The Pedestal team came with a strong point of view, but also with the confidence to see that point of view translated differently. For us, that is what makes a collaboration interesting:
A clear identity, a shared ambition, and enough curiosity to keep developing the idea together.
Thank you to Pedestal for trusting us and for an inspiring collaboration.
