Articles
Carrying the Vision Forward: A New Chapter for Aviendo
arrow_backTo the overview29 June 2026 | Aviendo (Aviendo Design ApS)
Some stories never grow old. They are passed down from grandparents to parents, from parents to children, creating memories, sparking imagination, and connecting generations.
That simple idea was what inspired Anders and Jo to found Aviendo.
After spending their entire careers in the shipping industry, they made an unexpected decision later in life. They chose to leave behind a successful career to build something with a different kind of purpose—something that could bring people together through storytelling, craftsmanship, and timeless design.
Inspired by the world's most beloved fairy tales, they began creating wooden figures where the story was just as important as the design itself. Their vision was to combine Scandinavian aesthetics with narratives that could be shared across generations—objects that were more than decoration, but invitations to tell stories, create meaningful moments, and preserve traditions.
In 2024, we, Mikkel Kruse Nielsen and William Sillemann, took over Aviendo as part of a generational transition.
For us, this was never about changing Aviendo. It was about carrying its vision forward.
We share Anders and Jo's belief that great design should have purpose. That products should be crafted to stand the test of time—not only in quality, but also in expression. And that the most treasured objects in a home are often those that hold a story.
Today, we continue to build on that foundation by collaborating with talented Danish designers to create new figures and collections. Every piece is carefully considered, balancing simplicity, craftsmanship, and timeless Scandinavian design with the stories that inspired them.
We believe design can do more than simply decorate a home. It can create connections—between people, between generations, and between the stories of the past and the memories we create today.
That is the vision we are proud to carry forward—one story, one figure, and one generation at a time.
This article is written by:
Aviendo (Aviendo Design ApS)
While wooden figures have long been part of Denmark's design heritage, we felt there was room for something different: a more contemporary, design-led interpretation created for modern interiors and offered at an accessible price point.
Our journey began at the graduation exhibition of the Royal Danish Academy in 2013, where we met some of Denmark's most promising emerging designers. The first collaboration became The Ugly Duckling and established the philosophy that continues to guide Aviendo today: wooden objects reduced to their essence, crafted to last, and designed to reward a second l
