Scandimood

Handicraft star!

The young design- and sustaiability minded handicraft spehere in Sweden make perfect blend of traditional and contemporary. One of the rising stars is Jennie Adén, who recieved her Barchelor of Fine Art degree at Beckmans College of Design (Stockholm 2018). Her graduation project ”Down to Earth” recieved a lot of positive attention due to the designers exquisite use of natural materials in a contemporary design. Trendy yet useful in the everyday Jennie Adéns objects question traditional production schemes. With her work she bring modes and values of contemporary design and traditional handicraft together. Earlier this year Jennie Adén won the Svenskt Tenn Design Award 2018, and exhibited at the Svenskt Tenn Gallery in september. She’s also the winner of a newly installed prize from Föreningen Svensk Hemslöjd and exhibit this week att Svensk Hemslöjd in Stockholm. Don´t miss out!

4_Jennie_Adén_DownToEarth_foto_Jennie_Adén-500x333 Ticka bowls by Jennie Adén (2018). Granulated polypore and water. Photo copyright Jennie Adén.

Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly, Fab Swedes 2018-10-15

Black Hyacinth by Percy

A long time favourite of mine is the teacup Black Hyacinth by Arthur Percy for Gefle. Percy (1886–1976) presented this pattern in 1956, and it is one of the finest early screen prints on porcelain in Sweden. The cup feels good to handle and is perfect for tea. And… it is a lovley sight with the beautiful grown flowers on the cup, and the sweet bud pattern on the saucer.
Best tea cup ever? If only there´d been a pot too…!

Photo by Anna Kern

Svart Hyacint (Black Hyacinth) by Arthur Percy (1886–1976) for Gefle (later incorporated with Upsala Ekeby). Model: AU-2. In production: 1956–1976. To the right handcrafted ceramic bowls by Jonas Lindholm and glasses by Ingegerd Råman. From a piece by Cia Wedin for Lantliv. Photo copyright Anna Kern.

Eco Aesthetics, Fab Swedes 2018-10-13

Contemporary Classic: Book Cradle

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The Book Cradle by Bruno Mathsson from 1941 is one of the best small, mobile bookshelves ever. Made in solid beech it is still in production by Bruno Mathsson International. As a vintage piece the Book Cradle is rare, and often very expensive. Try Jacksons or Modernity, two of Stockholms best shops for Scandinavian vintage classics. Photo copyright Henrik Sandin.

To Read: Bruno Mathsson from Arena and Bruno Mathsson – Architect and Designer, Yale University Press.

Book Cradle, Bruno Mathsson, Fab Swedes 2018-10-12

Bellhop by Barber Osgerby

Brittish design duo Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby in collaboration with Flos 2017 resulted in Bellhop, a series of handsome wall, floor and pendant lighting. Recently Flos launched a portable and rechargeable version of Bellhop, for indoor or outdoor (porch) use. You charge it by micro-USB-c and it’ll spread a clear light for app. 24 hours. I like the design and understand why using polycarbonate for the shell. PC is a durable plastic and when handled and used properly the risk of leaking toxines is small. But I wonder how this little sweetie is to be recycled, that day in the future when the LED function is worn out?

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Bellhop by Barber & Osgerby for Flos (2018). Photo copyright Flos.

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Bellhop portable by Barber & Osgerby for Flos (2018). Base and dome in coloured PC, diffuser in opaline injection moulded photo-engraved PC, 4-step dimmer function. Comes in colours chocholate, orange, gray and white. Photo copyright Barber & Osgerby.

Architectual moves, Barber & Osgerby, Contemporary Scandi 2018-10-11

The perfect birdhouse

Some small party of individuals, actually the cute Blue Tits of Old Town, are regular visitors to the feeding table outside our studio window. They’re especially active when a change of weather is under way. In the Nordic countries we’re now approaching winter and it is time to put up some new birdhouses!
Swedish farm Bankeberg make very functional and nice birdhouses. Order one! If not for your own garden it’ll make a perfect gift. Place the birdhouse on a secure spot during late Fall, and the wood will have enough time to get perfectly…dirty! That’s what the birds prefer when they nest in early spring. Put some straw or dry grass in the house and it’ll double as a shelter during cold winter nights.
The Bankeberg birdhouses comes for tits, starlings, fly catchers, owls, tree-creepers and bats.

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Talking to me? Blue Tit, photo copyright Damian Waters.

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Standard is a bird house for tits and flycatchers. It is easy to clean due to a front which can be opened. Photo copyright Bankebergs.

Animal Rights, Contemporary Scandi, Environmental friendly, Fab Swedes 2018-10-09

Contemporary classic: Pony by CSA

Access to clean water is essential for all life. In Stockholm we´re lucky to have really good tap-water. But as much as we enjoy it, we also have a tendency to take it for granted.
To celebrate the luxury of having free access to clean, clear, fantastic water I got myself a Pony carafe and can now enjoy the combination of good design and good water.

pony by Carina Seth Anderson
Pony is designed by Carina Seth Andersson for Skruf. Photo copyright Skruf.

Carina Seth Andersson, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Fab Swedes, Friends 2018-10-08

Cosy October

Winter has arrived in the north of Sweden and mountains and woods are covered in snow. In Stockholm Old Town we’re yet in a kind of Indian summer euphoria but wise urbanistas do prepare and update their stock of candles, tea, blankets and Swedish fika. The famous Swedish cinnamon bun was actually celebrated nationwide a few days ago, and we Swedes ate more than 7 million buns! In a few hours…Designers eat buns too, but they also are busy making our everyday beautiful. Here’s some top notch news on the subject of cosiness!

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Tunes candle holder by Monica Förster for Georg Jensen (2018). Mirror polished stainless steel. As usual Monica Förster add a small, almost invisible twist to her design; I love the dubble function of the candle stick foot/tray. Photo copyright Georg Jensen.

Pia Wallen 2018

The Mega Cross Blanket by Pia Wallén (2018). Organic cotton (from certified farms in Peru), woven in Sweden, size 150 x 250 cm. Here the designer has made a playful exaggeration in scale and abstraction of the cross pattern from the original Crux Blanket which Pia Wallén designed in 1991. Photo copyright Pia Wallén.

The Tea Advent Calendar 2018 by NABO design. Contains 24 organic teas including rooibos, black, green, white, red and herbal, for a new tea experience every day from 1st of December until Christmas Eve! Comes with Swedish or English text. Photo coyright NABO.

Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly, Fab Swedes, Georg Jensen, Monica Förster, Pia Wallén, Scandimood 2018-10-07

Erskines Box of Wonders

Ralph Erskines ”Lådan” (The Box) from 1941–1942 is one famous Swedish building! It is also a famous home. With only 20 squaremetres for himself, his wife Ruth and their two small children, Erskine had to invent space-saving furniture; the bed hung in ropes from the cealing, and doubled as a sofa, the working table folded into the bookshelf and so on. Lådan become known for its aesthetics and clever solutions and since long this small house stand as an architectual role model in the collective mind of Swedes longing for a simple (summer) dwelling.

Saturday 6th of October 2018 Lådan is open to the public. If in Stockholm, take the chance to experience an iconic house! An arrangement by ArkDes, The Swedish Center for Architecture and Design. Free entrance. For information on how to get to Lovön, see ArkDes.

Erskines Lådan Lovön

Lådan was originally built in Lissma, south of Stockholm, as a permanent home. It had no electricity, no running water and no wc. The Erskine family lived 4 years in Lådan, before moving closer to town. Lådan was well-built, but the materials did not survive over time and gradually it subsided into nature. In 1989, under supervision by Erskine, Lådan was rebuilt in Lovön, Stockholm. Photos (above and below) of Lådan exterior copyright ArkDes.

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Lådan livingroom

Lådan kitchen

Lådan livingroom and worktable

Lådan interiors. Photo copyright Åke E:son Lindman.

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Erskines Lådan back side

Ralph Erskine at his worktable in Lådan

Black and white images of Ralph Erskine and Lådan. Photo copyright ArkDes Collections.

Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly, Fab Swedes, Scandimood 2018-10-05

Simplistic seating

The classic Scandi wood chair with its sleek and minimalistic look seem to reinvent itself every other year. In 2018 one interesting chair is the Linea Akademia chair by Wesley Walters & Salla Luhtasela for Nikari. It was part of Wesley Walters’ Master’s Thesis at Aalto University, a research of ”The American Shaker style and its characteristics, brought to life anew in a Nordic context”. Handsome!

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Linea Akademia chair by Wesley Walters & Salla Luhtasela (aka Kaksikko) for Nikari (2018). Massive oak treated with wood oil mixture. Photo copyright Chikako Harada.

Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly 2018-09-19

82 %

82 % of the Swedes stands up for democracy and will not tolerate rasism in any form. That was made clear after last weeks elections in Sweden. Let’s inspire the 18 % who did flirt with rasist parties to take a look at the Scandinavian design community. Contemporary Scandi brands stands firm in their openminded, curious and compassionate collaborations with designers from all over the world.

Next Guest of Honor at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair (2019) is studio Neri & Hu from Shanghai, China. This fab duo work with an interdiciplinary take on design; you can see the inspiration from architecture and global trends, often formulated in a poetic style. Among the Scandi Brands representing Neri & Hu are Swedish Bolon and Danish Kvadrat and Fritz Hansen.

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Yanzi Light by Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu for Artemide. Brushed brass, white, black/blown glass, size 40×75,4 cm, height 192 cm, diameter base 40 cm. Diffused LED source. Photo copyright Neri & Hu.

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Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu, aka Neri & Hu design studio. Photo copyright Neri & Hu.

Neri and Hu Neri & Hu have established a retail platform in Shanghai, to offer Chinese consumers products by global designers. Photo copyright Dezeen.

Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics 2018-09-14

Kvadrat goes flooring

Danish Kvadrat is a fab Scandi brand, known and respected for their environmental friendly production and handsome collection of contemporary fabrics. Kvadrat collaborates with designers and artists like Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Olafur Eliasson, Akira Minagawa, Doshi Levien and Patricia Urquiola. New 2018 is a collection of rugs by Hella Jongerius in felted interpretations of art and nature.

F_20095_C0285_FULL_SIZE_LOW Sienna rug by Hella Jongerius for Kvadrat (2018) is inspired by abstract expressionist paintings, such as those of Mark Rothko. 100 % wool, available in standard rug sizes. Photo copyright Kvadrat.

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With its soft, saturated hues and delicate composition Sienna brings to life Hella Jongerius’s exceptional sense for colour through an array of delicate tonal gradations. Photo copyright Kvadrat.
Sienna by Hella Jongerius for Kvadrat
Sienna in production in the handicraft studio in Nepal. To achieve the rug’s captivating watercolour-like expression, dyed flocks of wool are pulled by hand until they are almost transparent. Like paint, they overlap when placed on a dark or light base, gently flowing and diffusing into each other. Photo copyright Studio Hella Jongerius.

Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly, Kvadrat 2018-08-29

A little scruffy around the edges…

Sooner or later all Scandi design items gets a little bit scruffy around the edges. But design of high quality will grew old with charm and dignity. That’s why vintage Scandinavian is still in the loop! Your design pieces definitely’s got a second life and it’ll take a lifetime or more before such a piece is worn out.

österlensommarhus

The classic garden chair in powder coated steel make a perfect companion over years. In this Swedish house a few simple chairs with worn paint adds a laidback feel to the designer table, strict greenery and minimalistic architecture. From a piece by Cia Wedin for ELLE Decoration. Photo copyright Anna Kern.

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In the beginning we’re all pristine! Palissad outdoor series by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Hay. Powder coated steel. Palissad quilted cushion (2018) in water resistant fabric. Photo copyright Hay.

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The classic Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto for Artek was designed in 1933. Some years ago Artek started ”2nd cycle” – a business which take back old furniture, restore them and sell them again. Some of the original stools are left with the original paint, now worn but lovely. Photo copyright Artek.

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Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto for Artek. Solid birch made in Finland. Photo copyright Artek.

Alvar Aalto, Anna Kern, Architectual moves, Contemporary Scandi, Eco Aesthetics, Environmental friendly, Hay, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec 2018-08-26

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