Bonderup & Thorup

Torsten Thorup (born 1944) and Claus Bonderup (born 1943) both graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts' School of Architecture in 1969 and subsequently both went to work at Danish architect, Henning Larsen's studio. Together Bonderup and Thorup came up with what was to become one of the best selling Danish light designs of all time, the Semi pendant. Reacting against the cosy design era that was dominating Denmark at the time, Bonderup and Thorup wanted to create something that incorporated sharp, clean lines and geometric form. Their design was submitted for a competition at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture and won first prize. The two architects continued to work together for the majority of their careers, designing watches and in-store displays for Georg Jensen, the Arktikum museum in Finland and the harbour area in Elsinore, where they designed everything, from urban planning to the ticket offices.