Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2015
From ladder lamps to vases with protective chambers, our picks from this year’s design bonanza
This year’s Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair welcomed a healthy number of strong collections from young international designers in its Greenhouse area but also many in its Design Mart. From thoughtful ladder-style lighting and single-flower vases (complete with a protective chamber) to spectacular textiles, here are some of the designs that stood out most.
Instantly pleasing on the eye was the “Naturally Collection” by Lisbon-based designer Alexandra Gonçalves. Balancing strong wood structures and slabs of white lacquered metal sheets on fragile-looking frames in black stainless steel, Gonçalves’ work explores the beauty of degradation in nature—plants stripped of their leaves and seeds at the end of their lives.
Also in the Greenhouse was Toronto’s M-S-D-S Studio, whose well-sculpted collection was a standout for many. Their “Annular Pendant” light utilized various methods of standardized metal fabrication to create an innovative LED pendant lamp in sandy tones. The duo also showed the decorative “Ladder Lamp,” a lust-worthy daybed and A-frame chair, designed to be as attractive stacked as it is in use.
On the textiles front, Ida Näslund‘s prints—inspired by the nature surrounding forgotten houses on Sweden’s west coast—are aesthetically poetic. Swirling greens and blues made for strong painterly large-format prints by the young designer, each pattern named after the address that brought its inspiration.
Over at Design Mart, Minjia Wang enthralled with her tiny porcelain vases, decanters and family of little jugs in candy colors and tactile soft finishes. Her handmade “Muumo” pitchers were especially attractive, named after the Finnish word for “grandma.”
New York-based Mier Luo‘s cabbage leaf bowls felt so good in the hand they were almost hard to put down—and are certainly eye-catching. With a strong focus on the bonds between design and art rooted in an awareness of nature, Luo’s homeware collection is as thoughtful as it is beautiful.
Cristina Celestino’s Attico label was another fine study in cross-discipline design. Introducing a new project called “Olfattorio,” she uses a borosilicate glass (blown with the “lume” technique) to create a vase in which a single flower is held within a protective chamber that effectively amplifies its scent.
Images courtesy of respective designers
