Eco-sofa

Photos by Pelle Wahlgren

Norrgavel’s www.norrgavel.se latest sofa (soffa 100, available from March) has a good strong presence but is wonderfully comfortable nevertheless. That is it made with 100% natural materials and carries the Nordic Ecolabel which makes it easy on the environment too, www.svanen.nu.

You can buy the cushions seperately, too.

Byarum

Made with 100% recycled aluminium, these beautiful new planters by Byarums Bruk, http://www.byarumsbruk.se/, are designed by the grande dame of Swedish pottery, Signe Persson-Melin www.scandinaviandesign.com/signePerssonMelin/. The poetic photos below, by talented Per Ranung, http://www.ranung.se/, also give you an idea of the current weather up here in Scandyland (see previous post).

The grass is greener

Ok, so this one is not very Scandinavian, I know. But I tell you,living plants (with verdant leaves) is what us Scandies long for at this time of year!

The Brazilian landscaper and artist Roberto Burle Marx, was recently brought to my attention by a good friend of mine who has just come back from Rio.

There is a wonderful exhibition there devoted to the work of Burle Marx that runs through March at the Paço Imperial museum http://www.pacoimperial.com.br/. See article in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/arts/design/21burl.html

Do go see if you have the chance, I know I would love to!

Do you have cable?

Visited the Stockholm Furniture Fair this week and stumbled on a lovely mini-trend which i call "why-hide-the-appliance-cable-away-when-it-looks-this-good ?
Erika Lövqvist has designed these poetic Water Lily lamps and showed the in the the UNG7 exhibition in the Green Room, http://www.ung7.se/

In this next one the cable is, in fact, the appliance.
It is a radiator by Hedvig Af Ekenstam who also participated in UNG7.

This pretty cluster is by the classic Danish company Le Klint but I think the braded cable is gives this light a new dimension www.leklint.com .

The last pic (below) shows colorful lamp cable from www.frinab.se , an electrical company who specialize in unusual and good looking lighting cable. If you want to have your own cable design made up, their the company for you.

Sköna Hem's Trend Predictions 2009

One of my favorite Swedish magazines Sköna Hem has just presented their trend predictions for 2009, see http://www.skonahem.com/inredning/trender/yttringar-i-tiden/. Here are my favorite out of their pics!
Fragility, Look-but-do-not-touch, Harmony

Soft Cubism

Industrial materials, Geometrical shapes, Primary colours

Shades of blue, Patterns inspired by nature, Pretty mixes

Raw, untreated wood, Locally produced goods, No-nonsens pieces

Snug as a bug

Porslinsmattan by MMF AB.

Flossa by MMF AB.

Broadband by CKR. MMF AB

The unstoppable troika Cleasson Koivisto Rune http://www.claesson-koivisto-rune.se/ recently presented new rug designs for Märta Måås-Fjetterström AB, http://www.mmf.se/html_en/index2.htm. The founder of this institution, Märta herself, started her own textile studio in Båstad in 1919. “Her designs are based on native Swedish and Oriental textile traditions combined with a skilled eye for natural forms. Like the great Swedish botanist Linnaeus she studied flowers and leaves in detail, while the occasional horse or sheep also finds its way into her designs, giving a special rhythm to the patterns.”
Above you can see Broadband by Cleasson Koivisto Rune as well as two example of original designs byMärta Måås-Fjetterström.
Curiously, I am inclined to find that the designer Mats Theselius’ recent rug for A-Carpet http://www.a-carpet.se/ (below) is closer to the tradition of Märta Måås-Fjetterström than the more futuristic designs of CKR. What do you think?

Joseph Mallord William Turner

What a magical morning when the view outside the window looks like a Turner.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Was a guest at a truly wonderful tea party this week-end. The host had gone to no end of effort in making mini-cakes and scones, each one prettier than the other. Needless to say, my firm resolution to detox for a month went out the window.



Oh, and notice the matching napkins!

Detox

The beginning of January is generally a time for good intentions. Personally, I always feel like I need a spot of detox.

This can apply to interiors too, I found, when I stumbled on this Swedish paint manufacturing company called Av Jord, http://www.avjord.se/ who make tempera paints for interior use. I know that tempera is generally associated with artist’s paint and classical paintings from the Middle Ages but it is worth rediscovering for its ecofriendly properties, all natural ingredients and beautiful muted sheen.

If you want to be really ambitious you can also use these paints to make stencil patterns. I take my inspiration from the Stockholm Länsmuseum, http://www.lansmuseum.a.se/ where I found this interior picture from an 18th century Swedish peasant house.

Colour samples and foto © Av Jord, photo by Milis Ivarsson

Västerängsstugan, Delsbogården, Skansen. Photo by Mattias Ek