Danish designer created products for U.S.-based Dansk

Jens Quistgaard, 88, a celebrated Danish industrial designer who created popular designs for the Dansk brand of tableware, died Jan. 4 at his home in Vordingborg, Denmark, the New York Times reported. The cause of death was not announced.

Founded in 1954 by Ted Nierenberg, an American entrepreneur, Dansk was based in Great Neck, N.Y., and became known for making sophisticated European designs that were affordable to American consumers.

That same year, Nierenberg visited a Copenhagen museum and saw some hand-forged flatware made by Quistgaard. Nierenberg found the designer and convinced him that his hand-made creations could be mass-produced.

According to the Times, Quistgaard designed for Dansk from the firm’s inception until the mid- 1980s.

He was known for his fluid lines and for using a variety of materials, including wood, metal, glass, stainless steel and ceramics.

He was best known for his salad bowls and cutting boards of teak, as well as stainless-steel flatware that was an affordable alternative to sterling silver.

Born in Denmark, the largely self-taught Quistgaard got his only formal training from his father, a well-known sculptor.

During World War II, Quistgaard was a member of the Danish underground.