The best of Scandinavian design on show at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2014 bubbled with energy and breathed optimism. The products, marked by a refined design, confirm Maison &Objet (Paris) trends: natural materials, light and dusty colors and grey. As usual, great emphasis on acoustics.
The “structural novelties” of the Fair – including morphing of the Design Bar into a top-class restaurant created by designer Jens Fager and chef Tommy Myllymäki– met with success. Another successful innovation was the Design Talks seminar series under the theme “Moving Forward”.
New Furniture
The In a nutshell, minimalism, essential shapes, wood and felt are the basic features; new products in the sectors of acoustics and seating systems (especially for office and contract) that feature new hybrid and multi-functional typologies, really “Moving Forward”.
The big Scandinavian companies, including the brands of Kinnarps Group Materia e Skandiform, are at their best. Designer Luca Nichetto is still the shining star, always surprising in his original projects.
(scoop: Nichetto will design the installation of the Kinnarps area at La Pelota in Milan during the next Fuori Salone on April 8th/13th).
Color trends.
The undying black and white with a marked use of grey, monochrome or combined with several shades, livened up with dusty colors (especially yellow and blue) or “softened” with wooden details (De La Espada Elysia e Materia Frame).
Materials trends.
By tradition, the soul of Scandinavian design (the so called New Nordic, too) is especially in wood – in its purest look, most of all in the pale types of wood – but it can also be changed by using technologies that lend an an unusual image to wood (Dent Wood by Blå Station). Wood, felt and other Natural materials (marble, cork, terracotta, rubber) become elements for new products (Material Pendant Nevvvorks o Unfold di Muuto) and re-design in furniture an lighting sectors (Lampe Gras new copper editition).
Acoustic comfort.
Acoustic comfort still is a source of inspiration for the creativity of designers, who conceive new sound absorbing panel systems (Ginkgo by Blå Station, Notes by Offect) and chairs or workstations completed with the function of acoustic comfort (Focus by Offect and Frame by Materia).
GamFratesi Guest of Honour 2014.
Danish functional arts and crafts tradition meets Italian conceptual approach at GamFratesi, Guest of Honour 2014 Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. They has chosen to call their lounge at the entrance hall “Balance”. Primarily with textile objects they create an installation to remind us of man’s search for balance.
Text by Gabriele Masi.
Captions
1,2, Skandiform (Kinnarps Group), Deli chair, design Thomas Pedersen “The organic form of the human body is an important source of inspiration” says Thomas.
3, Materia (Kinnarps Group), Frame, design Ola Giertz “When imagination and reality cross paths, an interesting design process occurs which often involves identifying new solutions with a simple and graphical expression.” says Ola.
4, Materia (Kinnarps Group), Le Mur System, meeting configuration with table, design Wivian Eidsaunet, Marie Oscarsson – Murman Architects.
5, Offect, Focus, design Tengbom, workstation box with sound insulation performance.
6, Kinnarps, Esencia Chair, design Daniel Figueroa “It is a major challenge to design a chair that is still comfortable even after long periods of sitting. It is all about functionality and ergonomics but also identifying the emotional character a chair must play in a room,” says Daniel.
7, Swedese, Manga, massive oak chair and foam, design GamFratesi.
8, Lema, Cloud, collection of cushions with removable covers, design Francesco Rota.
9, Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi di GamFratesi, Guest of Honour 2014 Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.
10, Blå Station, Ginkgo, Sound-absorbing acoustic panel in hot-pressed, 100% polyester, form felt in four colours, design Stone Designs.
11, Offect, Notes, a new kind of sound panel not to be fixed on the wall and made by recyclable felt made of garbage from tupholstery; design Luca Nichetto “In Venice, where the designer is from, a common way of drying your damp clothes is by throwing them over any available cable that you find hanging between houses. When the kids play football on the street, the clothes hanging over the lines muffles the sound of the bouncing football and screaming kids” says Luca.
12, De La Espada, Elysia, design Luca Nichetto “The project takes its name both from the concept of balancing skilfully handcrafted wood with complementary materials at a ratio of 50/50, and from the idea of designing a collection that creates a whole environment in the spirit of the great architects of the 1950’s” says Luca.
13, Blå Station, Dent chair, manufactured using standard veneer (not 3D veneer). In a coloured finish or in clear lacquered ash, walnut, oak, design O4i “Is it possible to create a 3D shape using a normal veneer? The inspiration for DENT doesn’t come from a crumpled piece of paper but it’s the easiest way of explaining the theory in practical terms” says O4i.
14, Nevvvorks, Material Pendant Lamp, design Noergaard & Kechayas. A simple shape is used in different materials (pine, marble, oak , cork, terracotta) and a new and interesting expression appears.
15, David Design, Fondue, glass and metal suspension lamp, design Luca Nichetto “The inspiration comes from the observation of pot bellied traditional fondue cauldrons, which were kept suspended above a heat source for the cheese to slowly melt” explains Luca.
16, Muuto, Unfold Lamp, by sylicon dusty red color, design Form Us With Love “The industry lamp is a classic and sought after design that we are excited to provide a new perspective on. The soft silicone rubber enables the lamp to be folded into a neat package by a slight push on the top.”designers explain.
17, Lampe Gras. The French Bernard-Albin Gras designed the iconic Lampe Gras in 1922. The latest additions are the new cobber versions, which comes with a full copper shade or in a black shade with cobber on the inside or snowy white with cobber on the inside.
