NordicLiving no3 - Geometric, Blue Moods, interviews and more

NORDIC g in Liv ISSUE NO.3

MARCH 2015

Meet the designer: HAVSGLAS SVERIGE

Trend: GEOMETRIC

BLUE MOODS LEATHER LOVE

NORDICDESIGNCOLLECTIVE.COM

design with a story

New year and new opportunities This winter has been really exciting for us, with record breaking Christmas sales and being featured on the Top 100-list of the best sites in Sweden, by magazine InternetWorld, as one of the 10 best e-commerce sites. We are of course very happy and proud! For me, this means that the interest of finding a more meaningful way of shopping is growing. We are so happy to be part of that trend and promise to continue to bring you the best of all of the talented independent designers in the Nordics.

In this issue, follow me to a visit to the designer of Havsglas Sverige. She took me to the beach and we had a long talk about what it means to be your own boss.

Welcome to the third issue of our magazine, and thank you for reading, following and supporting us!!

Maria Richardsson Founder and CEO of Nordic Design Collective Ps. As always, we love to hear your what you think about our work! Tell us through social media or send us an e-mail. We want to hear it all - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Content Geometric

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Meet the designer: Diket Design

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Interview: Meet Havsglas Sverige 10 Trend: Blue Moods A day in the life of: Ejvor

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Meet the designer: Sparv Accessories Trend: Leather Love

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Nordic Living is a magazine created by Nordic Design Collective, all rights reserved. www.nordicdesigncollective.com | info@nordicdesigncollective.com

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Geometr Diamonds, hexagons and harlequin patterns - geometric shapes are a strong trend right now. Add some black, white and light turqouise and you are all set for spring.

Styling and photo: Maria Richardsson

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Top left: Tjutrut Jug by Diket Design.

Above: Chrome Waves, Paper Vase Cover, by Future Days.

Left: Snyderman House Sculpture by Future Days.

Paper

Right: Mossrolf Plate and Pinch Tiles by Diket, Pinstripe Ring and Harlequin Black Necklace by S채gen, Edgy Necklace by Sparv Accessories.

MORE GEOMETRIC at Nordic Design Collective

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Meet the designer:

DIKET DESIGN The oh-so-creative couple David Elg and Lotta Larsby is the creators behind the brand Diket Design, and their story is so fascinating!

Creativity seems to be all around them and nothing is to difficult to try.

Tell us about your background!

Behind the brand Diket Design you will find the creative couple David Elg and Lotta Larsby. We are a pair of cannot-stop-gettingideas-we-have-to-try-people. This summer we moved to the fantastic countryside of the Swedish Småland to be able to build our new company right where our porcelain is printed, at the factory that David’s family started in the 60’s. The story of Diket Design started a couple of years ago when we started a restaurant in Malmö, a 50´s style diner. We loved creating a whole world for our guests and worked hard on the details of the interiors.

We created our own series of porcelain to serve our food on and the pattern “Tokfrans” saw the light of day. In the restaurant we had a small boutique where we sold our designs; the “Tokfrans” pattern soon got new friends on display.

We both have creative backgrounds, David as a photographer, musician and artist; Lotta in creating clothes, pastries, art and interior designs alongside her work with fashion.

Although it was great fun to run the restaurant, our dream to work more with porcelainpatterns and other kinds of designs grew stronger. We sold the restaurant, put most of

our belongings in storage and are now renting a small house in the woods close to the factory, spending our days creating and getting pretty color-stains on all of our clothes from the screen-printing table!

What inspires you to create?

As cliché as it may sound, everything around us. Inspiration comes from the Swedish design heritage that surrounds us, from the urban lifestyle that we still feel a part of. It comes from the music we hear, from a gig with Davids band, from a successful cake that Lotta bakes, from going go-carting with our MC-club, spending time with our friends, on a walk in the woods, on travels. Inspiration comes to us all of the time.

Do you have a dream project?

A dream project would be to get the chance to build swimming pools with our tiles. Imagine swimming in a pool, all covered in our pattern cosmos, with warm crystal-clear water on a beautiful sunny day. Soooo pretty!

DIKET DESIGN

at Nordic Design Collective

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Meet the designer

HAVSGLAS SVERIGE It is a cold day in the end of February, when I get in the car to go and meet the designer behind the brand Havsglas Sverige. Maria Meissner Berg lives with her family just outside of Ystad on the south coast of Sweden, and she just had a smash hit with her new product, the hanging vase called The Catch.

Text and photo: Maria Richardsson

She moved to this area with her husband about 12 years ago, and instantly became fascinated by the ocean, the long beaches and the pieces of glass she found there. “I grew up in Småland, a bit north of here where there is a lot of forest. I completely fell in love with the open spaces and the ocean when we first came here, and we quickly decided to move here” she tells us. “On our walks on the beach I found these small pieces of sea glass, made all smooth and beautiful by the ocean. I started to

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collect them back then but it was only a few years ago that I started to create my jewellery based on them”.

Maria does not have the usual background as a designer. She studied archeology for a couple of years and worked as a teacher up until five years ago. “I loved teaching and working with the kids, but as a teacher I didn’t have any control over my own situation and working conditions. It drove me crazy and finally I just quit my job.

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At the time, I was on maternaty leave with my youngest boy, and I didn’t have a proper plan for what I wanted to do, but I knew that if I didn’t take the leap then, I would never do it”. With no role models in the business world, her view of a business owner was a yuppie man in a suit, but she started to create her own jobs that suited her needs and interests.

“I’ve been working a lot in museums, as a guide and especially with groups of children visiting the museums. As it has been quite small museums, I’ve also worked in the stores and been responsible for building new exhibitions. I really like it, but now I think it is time to focus more on my design business.”

Havsglas (sea glass in Swedish) is now her main focus, and it is important for her to only work with sea glass found by her, on the beaches from southern Sweden and with no other treatment than a good rinse after she picks it. When picking the glass she is also cleaning the beach from trash from the ocean,

and she is supporting the World Wildlife Foundation and their project for cleaner oceans. “The ocean and the traditional fishermen that lives from the ocean is the foundation of my brand” she explains. “Even though not all of my products are picked from the sea, they still have a connection. Like the hanging vase, that is tied by hand in the same way as old fishermen used to tie nets and floats.”

The hanging vase was a smash hit at this years Formex fair, and Maria hasn’t really gotten over the shock yet. “I was really not prepared for all the attention! It was my second year at Formex, but the first time in the Young Designers area and I added the vase just a few days before we went to the fair.” Already during the first day, a lot of journalists, trendsetters and bloggers gave her a lot of attention and praise, and she had so many orders that she is know tying vases more or less around the clock. “I’m doing it all myself,

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Photo: Havsglas Sverige

and by hand. It is very important to me to keep doing that, both to ensure the quality but also to keep my indepence. After all, that is why I started my business, to be in charge of my own time and being able to make all decisions on my own.”

After her recent success, she is very restricted on where her products are on sale. “I’ve been saying no to many different kinds of stores, both retail and online.

I’m really picky, but I love being part of Nordic Design Collective! It is a great setting for my products but it also gives me a network of other designers and business owners that I can ask questions and share my experiences with” Maria explains.

She is not only tying hanging vases at the moment, but also working on follow up products. The first one is a wall decoration made from smaller pieces of sea glass.

“This is such an exciting time for me and my business! I have no idea where this is going to take me, but I look forward to finding out” she says with a big smile.

And so are we! I’m convinced that Maria will continue to develop her business and come up with more great products connected to the ocean. After all, when having an “office at the beach” there is no end to the inspiration.

HAVSGLAS SVERIGE at Nordic Design Collective

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BLUE MOODS The other week a new trend popped up in the swedish blogoshpere, and it all about dark blue walls. Inspired by the discussions, we’ve selected a few products to go with the new blue walls at home.

From top left: Context Poster by Dan Isaac Wallin, RGB Blue Cushion cover by Simon Key Bertman, The Catch Necklace by Havsglas Sverige, Mon Amie bracelet by Sägen, Hexagon Earrings by Och Form, Postman Bag Canvas by Udonly, Estra Deco Blue Alpaca Plaid by Aperie, Dot Teatowel by Camilla Engdahl, Mix Cushion cover by Camilla Edfors, Spegling Poster by Havsglas Sverige, Stella Cushion

by Lina Johansson, Jávri and Ruosta Bracelets by Sara Björne Clothing & Accessories, Shoelaces Blue Winter Pillow by Simon Key Bertman, Little Belief Earrings by Sägen, Level Poster by Dan Isaac Wallin, Lumina Deco Alpaca Knit Pillow by Aperie.

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We asked Sofie and Madeleine from Ejvor to take us behind the scenes for a day in their life, using Instagram.

It was a day with lots of colours, photoshoots and some DIY for the coffee break. To get a better look at their work, visit Ejvor on Nordic Design Collective.

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08.46: Hello hi! To Day is a Ejvorday on this account! Welcome to our place!

09.48: Preparering photoshoot! yeah!

10.56: ...and imagination is more important than knowledge!

12.18: Scetching news!

13.07: More still life pictures in the making...

14.30: Ejvor in yellow and green!

15.29: Fika and DIY

16.54: Time to pack and send some orders.

17.11: Once more in orange and turquoise.

18.57: Last one for today! Thank you for following us.

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Meet the designer:

SPARV ACCESSORIES The right accessories can really add the final touch to your everyday wardrobe, and this was the goal for designer Charlotta Brorsson when she created the brand Sparv Accessories.

Having worked in the fashion industry, she was always on the lookout for the perfect accessory, but when she didn’t find it she decided to create it herself. Now thats drive, passion and entrepreneurship!

Tell us about your background!

I grew up in a creative home in Gothenburg and as a child I was very picky with details, I was never satisfied until the very final detail was perfect. I loved playing with Lego, drawing, sewing and all kind of creative expressions. Later I was educated at Swedish School of Textiles and started to work in fashion industry with purchasing, I was always in the search for the perfect accessory to complete an otherwise basic ”Jeans and T-shirt outfit”. But with no result finding it I decided to start an own accessory brand with a Scandinavian touch of simplicity but still with a bold and graphic look. The idea of Sparv is to easily add that ”extra” whether it is early morning at office or late night in a bar.

What inspires you to create?

I´m inspired by shapes or patterns that appears in the daily life at all kind of places.

It can be from fine art, fancy fashion, cool technology or so on.

Do you have a dreamproject?

My dream is to take Sparv to the next level.

To create an established brand by developing new jewellery collections, exploring new ways of expressions and to continue to expand.

SPARV ACCESSORIES at Nordic Design Collective

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Trend

LEATHER LOVE

From top left: Kano shoulder bag and Benin backpack by Moyi Moyi, Bon bracelet by W+M, Miller Brown leather box, Arthur Natural pencil holder and Garance Camel iPad Clutch by Aperie, Mini Bag Cognac by Udonly, String Grey felt organizer by Skandinavious.

Right: Perla Beige earrings and Grand Beige necklace W+M.

MORE LEATHER LOVE at Nordic Design Collective

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