Inside Lars Rank’s Copenhagen Studio: Handmade Danish Christmas Ornaments
Christmas, shaped by hand
In his Copenhagen studio, ceramicist Lars Rank works with porcelain, shaping pieces that balance tradition with a distinctly modern expression. At Christmas, stars, hearts, angels and trees emerge from the same process, drawn by hand in liquid clay and made one at a time.
Drawing with porcelain
Lars creates his Christmas ornaments using liquid porcelain and a freehand drawing technique. The clay is guided in one continuous movement, giving each star, heart, angel and tree its own character.
The process requires confidence and speed. Move too slowly and the line can collapse. The slight variations that remain are part of what makes each piece unmistakably handmade.
Simple, with room for surprise
Lars describes his approach to design as simple, with room for surprise. Clean lines and familiar forms are often interrupted by a small detail or an unexpected proportion.
His ceramic Christmas heart is rooted in the woven paper hearts found throughout Denmark in December, but pared back into something more sculptural. His stars and angels have the same quality: recognisable, but distinctly his own.
Christmas in Copenhagen
When Lars talks about Danish Christmas, he returns to light. Candles in windows, lanterns outside and the glow that makes the darkest months feel warmer.
His ornaments belong naturally to that setting. Hung from a Christmas tree, a winter branch or in a window, they are small objects made to return each December.
