Let us pick up where we left off on our little journey through Tage Andersen’s 50-year-long career.

Tage Andersen had a shop at Kongens Nytorv for ten years. Space was tight, but the address was prestigious, overlooking the Royal Danish Theatre and Nyhavn. Knowing what we do today about Tage’s ability to work on a grand scale, it can be hard to imagine his vision truly unfolding in those relatively small premises.

Even so, Tage still speaks of his time at Kongens Nytorv with great warmth—and with a certain sense of ownership over the square itself. When the Metro was built some years ago, the beautiful old trees were removed. Kongens Nytorv was later reopened with new planting, but Tage still refers to the outcome as "The Scandal at Kongens Nytorv". The new trees have not been trained and shaped like the old ones, which certainly does not please him. To Tage, such things are not mere details. Form, proportions, and the overall whole matter.

It was also during the years at Kongens Nytorv that Mogens, who is now Tage’s husband, began working for him. Mogens arrived in Copenhagen from Esbjerg in 1985 as a newly qualified florist. His caring master knew of Tage’s work and was convinced it would be the right place for Mogens; she was the one who helped open the door to Tage Andersen’s world.

Mogens can still vividly describe how almost intimidating it was to look at the shop from the outside. The voluminous curtains in the windows, the artistic compositions, the poetry, and the imagination—it was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. And certainly not in West Jutland.

After ten years, the premises at Kongens Nytorv finally became too small, and Tage established himself in Ny Adelgade, where we still find him today. What makes the move interesting is not just that Tage gained more space. Looking closely at the photos in his books from those years, you can actually trace an aesthetic evolution. The displays changed character. Potted plants and trees began to play a more central role as one of Tage’s signature elements, while the floral compositions grew more opulent and avant-garde. A greater wildness entered his style.

It is almost as if the move from Kongens Nytorv also marked a shift away from the neat, intricate artistry rooted in his background as a pastry chef, and towards a freer, rawer, and more expressive artistic outlet.

In her book Man må godt være en krukke, Elisabeth Saugmann describes how, at the time, his colleague Erik Bering could be viewed as "The Beatles", while Tage Andersen was "The Rolling Stones". It is an amusing image, but a remarkably accurate one. It captures something essential about the artist Tage was becoming: less polished, more rebellious, and driven to forge his own distinct path.

There was plenty to keep Tage Andersen busy during those years. Beyond running the shop, he created exhibitions, interior designs, and stage sets—and, not least, traditions.

Christmas in particular became an event that customers travelled from afar to experience. Every year, the shop was transformed into an enchanting wonderland of beautiful displays, unique arrangements, and imaginative handmade creations crafted from natural materials with the dedicated help of skilled artisans.

It was no longer simply a shop you visited to buy flowers. You stepped straight into Tage Andersen’s world.

Perhaps that is precisely what happened during the first years in Ny Adelgade: Tage Andersen transitioned from creating beautiful objects to creating an entire universe around himself. A universe with its own aesthetic rules, its own traditions, and its very own perspective on nature. It did not go unnoticed. Early on, people even began talking about a distinct "Tage Andersen style".

The shop had grown larger. But so had the ambition.