I read yesterday that Helen Nierenberg, the founder of Dansk--along with her husband Ted--the company that helped bring Scandinavian mid century design to the US (along with most prominently, Marimekko) had died. Danish designer Jens Quistgaard was the driving force behind the now iconic glazed ovenware and wood tableware and flatware that put them on the table of most up-to-the-minute American consumers. My mother was one of them. I have a 20 piece set of Dansk, it is the pride of my kitchen closets. As someone who loves to cook, I often still reach for the Dansk, not so much to do the actual cooking (I'm always afraid I'll ruin something) but for display punch, there's nothing like it. When I finally got to Denmark to report a story for Huffpost I was overwhelmed by the Danish design ethic, but most importantly, the wonderful people, and artists who continue to thrive in this remarkable county. Last week's series on the Fantastic Women at the Louisiana Museum was just one of many original and important contributions of this very independent, dynamic cradle of art and design.