Danish designer Helle Mardahl has turned nostalgic memories and her love for cinematic confections like “Alice in Wonderland” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” into a career of creation. After studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London, she worked in fashion and fine art before finding a unique way to realize her dream of owning a candy shop: glass.
In 2017, she moved to Copenhagen and launched Helle Mardahl Studio, which specializes in glass sculptures, luxury glass tableware, and lighting. The studio’s showroom and workshop are like a crystalized version of Willy Wonka’s wildest dreams, with the toy- and candy-inspired pieces evoking Mardahl’s design philosophy of joy and playfulness as she finds the beauty in contrasts. Her debut collection, Easter, comprises egg-shaped décor objects and glass lamps.
Helle Mardahl’s lighting collection with DWR includes pendants, sconces, and table lamps
Next, she unveiled the Candy tableware collection that cemented her signature style with fruity colors, smooth surfaces, and imperfect forms that evoke individual pieces of candy. Mardahl further expanded her offerings with Bon Bon, which reinterprets toffees and caramels as flamboyant glass sculptures. The series acted as her breakout, setting the stage for more expansive series to come.
One such came from a collaboration with Omar Nobil, creative director at DWR (Design Within Reach) and Mardahl’s one-time peer at Central Saint Martins. “We had followed each other’s work for years, so the conversation around a partnership sparked naturally,” Mardahl explains. She goes on to call it a dream opportunity, as DWR’s clientele will bring Mardahl’s aesthetic to a North American audience for the first time. The collection features an assortment of handcrafted, mouthblown glass objects, created especially for DWR, that reimagine the designer’s candy store use of form and palette through a Nordic minimalist lens, balancing glossy finishes with clear glass and vibrant accents for hints of modernity.
The line comprises vases, candle holders, dishes, and Mardahl’s personal favorites: a pitcher and stirrer that she describes as the perfect pairing for hosting parties and the Shallow bowl, one of which she has filled with fruit on her own counter. A pendant, sconce, and table lamp will launch this year as well. “The intention,” she adds, “was to create pieces that elevate daily rituals and offer small moments of delight.”
The pedestal vase, shown in Coconut
A trio of candle holders from Mardahl’s line for DWR
This article originally appeared in HD’s January 2026 issue.
