Furniture from Massproductions among heady design work.

The Furniture and Northern Light fairs in Stockholm included some choice Nordic design work, with 750 exhibitors from 21 countries displaying furniture, lighting and textiles for home and public environments.

"This year's fairs were fully booked, with a high level of interest. Figures show that the combined Stockholm Furniture and Northern Light fairs were the biggest meeting place for Nordic design; 70% of the foreign exhibitors originated from Denmark, Finland and Norway," said Cecilia Nyberg, the Event Manager for Sales and Exhibition Management with the events' organiser.

The fairs were part of Stockholm Design Week, which had over 50 different events at various venues around the Swedish capital.

One of the prime trends at this year's furniture fair was a bold commitment to colour, for both furniture itself as well as textiles.

A number of classic furniture pieces were presented in a new form. Among them was the famous Lamino Chair, designed in 1956 by architect Yngve Ekström (1913-1988); this time it was on display in white lacquer, complemented by white leather by furniture company, Swedese.

Opal design from Hans Wegner.

The Tree space divider.

Lightning company, Pandul, had its world premiere with a lamp series called Opal, originally designed in the 1970's by Danish architect Hans Wegner (1914-2007).

Lots of new fabrics appeared; cotton with different additives enhanced a novel appearance or improved resistance to wear and tear, spills and fire.

Striking design work

At the stand for Finnish interior designer Martela, stood The Tree - a striking looking piece from Finnish designer, Eero Aarnio. Almost a work of art, The Tree is intended as a decorative space divider. Made from light permeable and recyclable polyethylene and enhanced with LED lighting, it aims to bring a warming glow to the long, dark Nordic winter.

Italian furniture producer, Tacchini, showed an original table called Kimono, the latest creation from Swedish product designer, Monica Förster. Composed of a painted polyurethane base, which resembles a folded kimono, and a frosted glass top, this occasional table is homage to an oriental home and lifestyle.

Alexander with artful shades.

Swedish glass designer, Esmé Alexander, exhibited sharp coloured lampshades, on which she had let wet paint explore the surface of the shade to create an artful result, seemingly unique for every lamp. The Cooperation lamp is aimed at "igniting conversation" and was showcased by Inno/Avarte/Herman Miller.

Finnish furniture specialist Mobel had its Chief Designer, Jouko Järvisalo, present his armchair, KOLO. Moulded out of a single wooden sheet, its armrest forms a surface from which the seat and backrest extend to create the seating posture.

This year's Guest of Honour was Dutch designer, Ineke Hans. Her work was very much central to the furniture event. At the entrance she created a "relaxation lounge", which compromised both indoor and outdoor elements. Both were furnished with Hans' signature objects.

Design and recycling initiative

The 2009 Design Bar was formed by design group Collective Camp Site. The six young designers who make up the Collective said their aim was to highlight meaningful design and recycling.

Entrance a "relaxation lounge".

Designer Ineke Hans, Guest of Honour.

All the furniture used in the Design Bar has been gathered based on the needs of humanitarian aid organisation Red Cross, to which all the Design Bar furniture will be donated after the fair.

To create a consistent idiom throughout the Design Bar, the Collective Camp Site used red as the single colour.

Design Bar by Collective Camp Site.

Kimono table from Tacchini.

"Red has many beautiful shades, and we worked with a great variety," explained Camp Member, Johanna Asshoff. "When the fair is taking place in February, it is cold and grey in Stockholm, and we wanted to create a warm and pleasant ambience inside the Design Bar."

During the fair, which closed on 8 February, there were also open meetings with various prominent speakers. One of these was trend analyst Li Edelkoort, whose talk was entitled The Farm of the Future. The international network organiser, Architonics, also arranged talks with Swiss architectural firm, Gramazio & Kohler.

Greenhouse was one of the most interesting sections at the Stockholm Furniture Fair, presenting a jury-selected gathering of work by students at international design schools and by independent designers. The exhibition also aimed to stimulate meetings between the furniture industry and future designers. The interest in a 2009 Greenhouse section was greater than ever, with a record number of applicants.

Design studio Cate&Nelson Design, consisting of product designers Cate Högdahl of Sweden and Nelson Ruiz-Acal of Spain, presented an original yet distinctive looking table lamp, Mr Twister.

Mr Twister and Designer Cate Högdahl.

"The lampshade is divided into three separate parts that can be independently swivelled around depending on where you prefer to spread the light," said Högdahl. "When dosed the narrow openings between the sections let chinks of light pass through the shade, which gives a pleasant decorative effect."

Students at Lund University Industrial Design Program showed projects based on sustainable development. It wasn't just aimed at the human species: Elina Westman created The Butterfly Hotel, essentially a feeding station for butterflies that changes to a shelter during the winter.

"Butterflies play an important role in pollinating all sorts of plants and are part of a fragile eco-system. Today, many Swedish butterfly species face the risk of extinction, due to human activities that affect the environment," said Westman.

Best of both worlds: designer Jonas Wagell with lamps that are also bowls.

Recycling was another major issue. Nicole Hartmann, Janina Keller, Thomas Moser, Matilda Norgård and Andreas Tobiasson, students at Lund University Industrial Design Program, tackled waste within the food industry, creating a milk-bottle in aluminium.

"As a material, aluminium is 100% recyclable. It is also hygienic and does not break as easily as glass," said Keller. "The bottles, which are dipped in a white colour to signify milk, can be returned to the stores when empty, for cleaning and refilling," she explained.

from special correspondent Willeam Vendel, Stockholm

Images courtesy of:
Willeam Vendel
Pandul
Stockholm International Fairs
Tacchini