on 22–25 september, one of the world’s most important exhibitions of scandinavian design, 100% norway, returns to the london design festival for its 13th edition, curated by max fraser. 100% norway is organized by doga, ministry of foreign affairs and the norwegian embassy in london.
above> styles by kråkvik & d’orazio / photo by siren lauvdal
‘Norwegian Presence in Milan’ was one of the highlights of Ventura Lambrate this year – and not only because it was good place to shelter from the unexpected rain! A collaboration between Klubben (The Norwegian Designers’ Union), Norwegian Crafts and Norwegian Icons, the exhibition showed the best of Norwegian craft and design in a suitably Scandi space color-coded with paint from Jotun, a company established in Sandefjord, Norway in 1926.
above> Dual by Oslo National Academy of the Arts graduate Runa Klock caught my eye because of its bold color and slender lines. The stool features a footrest at different heights on either side so both tall and short people will feel comfortable sitting on it. The optional cushion is upholstered in Kvadrat’s new two-colored wool textile Rime.
above> Bjørn van den Berg’s angular Platter Tray Series is reminiscent of folded paper. It was in fact inspired by overlapping plates at a dinner party served on a tiny table. Bjørn felt this “landscape of trays” in the center of the table created intimacy and a nice atmosphere, so he wanted to replicate it in this collection. The trays’ differing heights ensure they overlap one another comfortably.
above> Bergan-based design studio Morten & Jonas presented Treet, a small lounge table with a playful tabletop comprising three solid oak trays in different colors and proportions, supported by a coated metal frame.
above> Textile and ceramics designer Margit Seland’s Tuthanka collection combines white and colored porcelain – sanded on the outside and glazed inside – with a yellow spool from a hardware stool as a lid. Margrit studied textile and ceramics in Norway and the Netherlands and is now based in Amsterdam.
above> Kristine Five Melvær’s Mikkel blankets are currently prototypes made by Norwegian manufacturer Røros Tweed. They combine Kristine’s industrial design training with her graphic design background, and inspirations from the Bauhaus movement with the Norwegian wool tradition. The blankets come in four colorways and seemed particularly appealing as the temperature in Milan started to drop!
above> Lolly, by Oslo-based design duo Gridy, is a solid oak stackable stool with legs inspired by wooden popsicle sticks. Its flat seat means it doubles up as a side table. Girdy aims for “simple and honest products that are user-friendly and have a Nordic feel,” and judging by this product, they’re doing pretty well.
above> Bottoms Up by Ingrid Aspen is a playful and colorful collection of multifunctional drinking glasses inspired by the Italian lifestyle, but executed with typical Scandinavian simplicity. By eliminating the stem of a traditional wine glass, Ingrid has been able to incorporate another ‘upside down’ glass for a nightcap after the wine is finished.
above> Kristine Bjaadal’s Hegne is a hand-turned wooden vessel with a ceramic lid. Kirstine wants her to work to make people notice the hidden beauty in the everyday – to turn daily routines into rituals to appreciate. Hegne can be used to contain something functional, a personal memento or be purely decorative. “A container can be empty, but still contain the idea of keeping something, preserving something, taking care of something,” she says.
above> I loved Flip it! by Furniture, product and spacial designer Marte Frøystad – a little cluster of mix and match circular, semi-circular and semi-oval tables on slender metal legs with reversible tabletops – each side is covered with a different colored linoleum. “The classic round table is cut, separated and stretched in varying levels – creating a set of sharp tables in various heights, serving different needs, paired or intersected,” said the designer.
above> The trend for warm metallic finishes was still very much in evidence at this year’s fair, and Siv Lier’s Spring – a wooden and brass tray for storing keys, coin and mail in the hallway, or pens, paper and desktop accessories in the office, was the perfect example. “The wood gives a down-to-earth feeling, and is spiced up with fresh colors,” said Siv. “The brass makes a shiny contrast, adding a bit of glamour into your life.”
Scandinavian design might be having its moment in the sun, but the Norwegians have sometimes struggled to find their own identity – this show certainly put them on the map, and in the most happening quarter of Milan, the design capital of the world.
Wright holds multiple modern and contemporary design auctions and post war and contemporary art auctions each season. Currently, Wright is accepting consignments for:
Scandinavian Design 14 November 2013
Consignment Deadline: 12 September 2013
Important Design 12 December 2013
Consignment Deadline: 10 October 2013
New items post weekly! If you have items you would like to consign with Wright, please contact our specialists at consign@wright20.com or 312 563 0020.
Dog sledding. Hanging out at the Oslo Opera House. Eating, drinking and sharing stories around a giant fire in a teepee. For a group of izzy+ sales representatives, it’s just another day at the office.
izzy+, the people-centric Michigan furniture design group that lives by the ethos “Better Together,” formed an alliance with Norwegian company HAG back in 2004. Ever since, izzy+’s staff have been making regular trips across the pond to HAG’s HQ in Oslo and main plant in the village of Roros to learn about Scandinavian culture.
HAG’s design philosophy, which reflects some of the central principles of Norwegian life, is focused on the importance of balance, movement, and a deep respect for the environment. izzy+ employees say being able to visit their sister company at its headquarters provided a unique perspective on their design process. “At HAG they have a very holistic approach to everything—the environment, corporate responsibility, ergonomics, design—it’s all there in every chair,” says Laura Connell, whose based in the Chicago izzy+ showroom. “It was great to see it all in action, both in how they work and how they live.”
Rune Akselberg, Vice President of Sales and Market Development and a Norway native, says the juxtaposition of the working environment with the natural beauty of the Norwegian landscape makes a huge impact. “When you see the elk and the reindeer drinking from the stream right outside the HAG plant, you understand that everything is connected,” he said.
an izzy+ / HAG collaboration: HAG Capisco Puls seating, pictured with Dewey 6-Top tables
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auction > 16 may 2013 | noon CST
Wright Auction Houses launches their Scandinavian Design Auction—showcasing pieces by Alvar Aalto, Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, and Poul Kjaerholm. Known for its elegance and seamless integration of material and form, Nordic furniture was instrumental in launching the modern design movement of the twentieth century, and remains among the most sought-after modern furniture today. The lot includes several of Jacobsen’s Egg and Swan chairs, as well as an Aalto Paimio lounge chair.
Wright says, of the collection: “Designs issuing from Scandinavia in the 20th century shifted the paradigm of modernism towards a fundamentally human ethos which has been, and remains, a standard for function, quality and beauty.”
A highlight of the sale is a collection of Swedish carpets from Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, the studio that commissioned Barbro Nilsson and Marianne Richter. A graphic, yellow wool carpet by Richter will likely carry the auction’s highest price tag; it’s estimated to go for $30,000-40,000. Peruse the lot at your leisure at [ wright ]
ph 4/3 table lamp | poul henningsen | louis poulsen | 1927
falurutan carpet | barbro nillson | märta måås-fjetterström | 1952
veckla vessels | stig lindberg | gustavsberg | 1951
pk 9 chairs | pool kjaerholm | e. kold christensen | 1960
desk | bodil kjaer | desk | e. pederson and sons | c. 1960
>1 ph 4/3 table lamp | poul henningsen | louis poulsen | 1927
>2 desk | bodil kjaer | desk | e. pederson and sons | c. 1960
>3 falurutan carpet | barbro nillson | märta måås-fjetterström | 1952
>4 veckla vessels | stig lindberg | gustavsberg |1951
>5 pk 9 chairs | pool kjaerholm | e. kold christensen | 1960
>6 lounge chair | peter karph | christensen & larsen | c. 1966
>7 model 162 dining table | borge møgensen | søborg møbelfabrik | 1953
>8 model K10-11 floor lamp| tapio wirkkala | idman |1958
>9 l-leg desk with return | alvar aalto | artek | 1933
>10 carpet | marianne richter | märta måås-fjetterström | c. 1950
>11 model 3217 sevener chair | arnie jacobsen | fritz hansen | 1955
>12 model A331 beehive ceiling lamp | alvar aalto | valaistustyö ky | 1953
[ scandinavian design ] includes nearly 250 works of exceptional design. Each item will be featured in our award-winning, full-color auction catalog as well as presented in our online preview at [ View lots ] | 1440 West Hubbard Street Chicago | 312 563 0020 [ wright auction ]
auction > 16 may 2013 | noon CST
egg chair and ottoman by arne jacobsen | click > enlarge
Wright’s Scandinavian Design auction features 231 lots of the preeminent modern designs of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The sale includes works by favorite designers of the region including Hans Wegner, Poul Kjaerholm, Josef Frank, Ole Wanscher and Alvar Aalto to name only a few.
acorn silverware service by johan rohde
carpet by marianne richter
monumental sconces by paavo tynell
12 chairs by hans wegner
Sale highlights include a pair of monumental sconces by Paavo Tynell, an Egg chair and ottoman by Arne Jacobsen and Acorn silverware (service for twelve) by Johan Rohde. A selection of hand-woven carpets produced by Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, table lamps and sconces by Poul Henningsen and vases by Wilhelm Kåge and Axel Salto also stand out within the sale.
All lots can be viewed online at [ View lots ] or in person at Wright, 1440 West Hubbard Street, Chicago, IL 60642. For additional information about the sale, please contact 312.563.0020. [ wright auction ] [ auction begins 17 may 2012 | noon cst ]
At first glance the most amazing part of the Nzela table by Kayiwa, a Scandinavian design studio, might be its eye-popping Piet Mondrian-inspired color blocking, or it might be the fact that each person seated at the table gets their own private triangle of leg room, but in fact the most incredible feature is the assembly. The Nzela, which you can buy online, arrives at your doorstep fresh from Scandinavia in a big flat package. The long birch plywood rectangular components fit together like puzzle pieces by the slits cut midway through – another example of deceptive simplicity, something Scandinavia seems to have mastered. Of course, good design comes at a price and able DIY-ers might want to try their hand at making their own version of the Nzela before they fork over $17,400.
designer: kayiwa
no one has made good design affordable and available to the masses like ikea.
I dare you to find a starter apartment or starter home without at least one piece of Malm, Lack or Expedit. The designs are ubiquitous; Some even frequent the auction circuit, like the 1994 Verner Panton Vilbert chair (pictured).
But what about the design team? Who are they and how do they do it? And while we’re on the subject, how did Ingvar Kamprad found a weapon of mass production like Ikea at age 17? Answering these questions, it turns out, is no easy task. It took Scandinavian design authority Staffan Bengtsson 450 pages to do it in Ikea, The Book, available online at Sweden Book Shop. Can you think of anything more appropriate to adorn your Klubbo coffee table?
a show of about thirty designs for buildings, furniture, lighting, clothing and other disciplines opened on thursday at scandinavia house in new york. 29 Oct 2010 – 9 Mar 2011.
above: helen & hard ( norway ) 2010 shanghai expo finnish pavilion “power by nature”
Called Nordic Models + Common Ground: Art and Design Unfolded, the exhibition was organized by Norsk Form—the Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway– in collaboration with The American-Scandinavian Foundation, which is celebrating its centennial.
The exhibition was designed and curated by the architecture firm Snøhetta in collaboration with Situ Studio.
The show is hosted by Scandinavia House on Park Avenue in Manhattan, practically in the shadow of Grand Central Station, which is a sometimes overlooked refuge for arts and culture from the Nordic countries. (Nordic seems to be the term used to include the Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden together with Iceland.) With a lively restaurant and a shop including designs from the area, Scandinavia House also hosts shows and speeches, films and concerts.
The firm Snøhetta is based in Oslo and New York and is known for its designs for the Alexandria Library in Egypt and the Museum Pavilion of the New York World Trade Center site.
Craig Dykers, one of the principles of Snøhetta, was on hand at the opening. He explained the “unfolding” aspect of the title, showing how each of the pieces of display furniture had been created from a single standard piece of plywood, sliced on angles and hinged. “It’s a living hinge,” he said, pointing out how it turned in either direction. The blonde, bare plywood evokes familiar memories of Scandinavian design, notably Alvar Aalto.
“We wanted to arrange it,” Dykers explained, “so that wherever you stand in the gallery you can look around and see an echoing idea.” So hanging lamps pick up on hanging clothing and carbon fiber chairs by Mathias Bengtsson suggest building designs. Wry ceiling lamps called Uggi, by Fanney Antonsdottir and Dogg Gudmundsdottir of Iceland, use the dried bodies of cod fish for their shades.
above: mathias bengtsson ( denmark ) spun chair 2002 – lighter than macbook air
above: fanney antonsdóttir and dögg guđmundsdóttir ( iceland ) dried codfish 2001
The fish not only make a little joke about the region but, as deployed, pick up on the fish-scale-like shingles used to cover the Shanghai expo pavilion by JKMM of Finland. The shingles are made of recycled bottles and other plastic; a sample of them are displayed on the wall beside a huge images of the spherical pavilion.
above: jkmm Architects (finland ) 2010 shanghai expo finnish pavilion “kirnu”
The show emphasizes the egalitarian qualities shared by the area’s cultures, Dykers said, and there is also a kind of democracy of parts at work in many of the designs. Repeated elements work together in a city shelter structure, a dress, a chair—even in a necklace called Butterfly Disguise II by Liv Blavarp of Norway, of disc like forms of maple, wenge, ebony and reindeer horn.
above: liv blåvarp ( norway ) butterfly disguise II, necklace 2009
above: helen & hard ( norway ) 2010 shanghai expo finnish pavilion “power by nature”
above: daniel rybakken ( norway ) night shot of daylight entrance 2010
“The show is the first in a series of programs marking the ASF’s centennial,” said the Foundation’s president Edward Gallagher.
Resources:
american-scandinavian foundation
scandinavia house
scandinavia house facebook
jkmm architects
mathias bengtsson
gudrun lilja gunnlaugsdóttir
helen & hard
daniel rybakken
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