When Scandinavian sensibilities triggered a tectonic shift in multiple design spheres, we have never seen the world quite the same way again. Demigods, like Arne Jacobsen and Verner Panton, presented an alluring vision where everyday objects transcended the mundane—a chair was no longer just a chair, but a compelling piece of modern art that served a function supremely well. It’s no wonder their works endure beyond their time, their distinct aesthetic traits expressed in the genetic codes of many designs we see today.
Every year, that design philosophy is reaffirmed at the largest gathering of Scandinavian designs from established and emerging talents—the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. The recently concluded 62nd edition brought in 729 exhibitors from 31 countries, led by major participants Sweden and Denmark. Oki Sato, founder of the acclaimed Japanese design studio Nendo, astounded crowds at the main entrance with his all-white ethereal installation of geometrically precise hills and valleys made from laser-cut plastic foam boards and interspersed with some of Nendo’s best works, including the Zabuton chair, which was featured in this column recently. Walking through the aptly named “Snow-Capped Mountains” evoked the illusion of one floating in the clouds.
One of Nendo’s newest designs, the Cape chair, is a collaboration with the Swedish powerhouse Offecct, known for furnishing several office and public spaces around the world, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to the Schiphol Airport in Holland, and the BMW showroom in Belgium. The company does not disappoint with their latest product, the Carry On portable seat fashioned for flexible work solutions in public areas. Fitted with a wooden handle, the stackable barrel-shaped stool is clad in a well-tailored fabric with finely stitched seams. The Netframe sofa and armchair collection, on the other hand, reiterates Offecct’s sustainable stance. Working with design duo Cate and Nelson, the goal was to create a comfortable piece of furniture with minimal time and material usage, and extremely low environmental impact.
Shedding light on a different social issue, the charming Bake Me a Cake lamp is one Nordic company’s noble attempt to keep idle hands and minds occupied. Northern Lighting’s tabletop keeper, made with oak wood and smoke-tinted glass, will be manufactured by the inmates of a Norwegian prison. It also comes with a fascinating tidbit: the name arose from a cartoon storyline where the mother of a prisoner bakes a cake that hides a steel file to aid his escape. As one of the maxims of Scandinavian design goes, “Dough shall not take oneself too seriously.”
Denmark’s Global Zero 4 delivers their own brand of indulgence with another visual stunner from top Danish design studio busk + hertzog. Hannah, a sculptural lounge chair with a swivel base, is a strong follow-up to the Didi chair, a 2012 iF Product Design Award recipient. In eye-popping colors, the moulded foam seat’s smooth elegant shell back, interrupted by an intriguing loophole, gently cocoons the human form. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one sweeps up a few awards of its own.
Other notable designs at the event include Finnish firm Piiroinen’s newest collection, the stackable Amina chairs; and Wilkhahn’s 2012 Red Dot winner, the Graph chair, an ideal companion for the desk-bound executive. Echoing the fluid lines of a sleek automobile and just as luxuriously padded and upholstered, Graph is a German creation engineered to provide a three-dimensional range of motion without any mechanical operation. Look Ma, no hands.
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