Got abandoned factory. Now builds Vipp tiny prefab & design classics

Twenty years ago, VIPP owner Jette Egelund bought an old pencil factory on Copenhagen’s Islands Brygge for next to nothing — less than the price of an apartment in what was then a rundown part of town — and moved in. Inside, the beginnings of an iconic design brand were almost comically modest. It was a live-work space, though mostly work: her bedroom was a small room tucked in the back, and the rest of the factory became offices devoted to one object — a pedal bin her father had originally designed for her mother’s beauty salon. With little money to spare, she learned metalworking so she could make the early bins herself and save what she could for the next idea. The first product wasn’t a bin at all, but a toilet brush — kept affordable by cutting up an ordinary downspout and turning it into something simple, durable, and strangely elegant. Two decades later, VIPP is known around the world — not just for the pedal bin, but for an expanding universe of products, from homewares and kitchens to architecture, including the VIPP Shelter we visited a decade ago. It was a true live-work setup (heavy on the “work”): her living space was basically a small room tucked in the back, while the rest became headquarters for a dream she was stubborn enough to bet everything on. That dream began with a practical invention made for someone close to home. Jette’s father developed the iconic VIPP pedal bin for her mother’s beauty salon — a clean, hands-free solution that quietly solved a real problem. Jette saw bigger possibilities in that humble object, and she was determined to turn it into a sustainable business. In the beginning, money was tight — so Jette did what entrepreneurs do: she learned new skills and got her hands dirty. She learned metalworking so she could build the bins herself, saving money to keep experimenting and develop new products. The VIPP story is full of that kind of resourceful design thinking: her first product wasn’t even the bin, but a toilet brush, made affordably by cutting up a standard downspout and turning it into something elegant, durable, and functional. Twenty years later, VIPP is a world-renowned company — and it’s no longer just “the bin.” VIPP has grown into a full design universe: homewares, kitchens, interiors, and even homes — including the VIPP Shelter, which we visited about 10 years ago. In this visit, we look back at the early days: the risk, the gritty neighborhood, the factory-turned-studio, and the quiet persistence behind one of Denmark’s most iconic design stories. Watch our video on the VIPP SHELTER: https://youtu.be/LCyN1hxQtdA?si=oubOd3QHRUPEHQ-N On *faircompanies: https://faircompanies.com/videos/got-abandoned-factory-now-builds-vipp-tiny-prefab-design-classics/