NORDIC g in Liv ISSUE NO.4 | MAY 2016
Summer happiness
Summer time is party time. The calendar is filling up with graduations, weddings and simple picnics in the park, and we’re all about enjoying the warm season and spending as much time as possible outside. In this issue, we’re indulging in summer parties in every way possible. We packed the bicycle bag for a luxurious picnic in the park and we’re giving you our best ideas for gifts for both students and wedding couples, as well a guide to the best party jewellery for the season. Watercolour painting is growing into a big trend, and we met up with designer Matilda Svensson to share her story and her amazing watercolour art. As this wasn’t enough, we added more stories from our designers - as usual. Welcome, we hope you will enjoy this issue. 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 Summer Parties
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Gift Guide: To the happy couple
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Gift Guide: Graduation Gifts Presenting: Airpixels
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Meet the designer: Matilda Svensson 16 Trend: Watercolour Passion
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Trend: Summer Party Bling
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Presenting: Lilooks
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A day in the life of: Magdalena Tyboni
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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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SUMMER PARTIES Styling and photo: Maria Richardsson & Frida Bengtsson
Summer is here and what better than getting together in the park for a lovely summer party? Pack your basket with a blanket, something to drink and some fruit, kick back and enjoy a lovely day in the park!
Tray Islands by Adelina Lirius, Wine Bottle Tumblers by Återbrukshyttan, Pako Bicycle bag by Form A Nomad Design Studio, vases Consilium and Glasilium by Eva Levin, cuttingboard Romb by Anette Jakobsson Form, cushions Kägla and Tagg by Anette Jakobsson Form, Memo Coral by Lina Johansson, Björk by Magdalena Tyboni, wool blanket Ruter Coral by Lina Johansson, Lily Bowl in oak and white by BE Design.
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Gift Guide
TO THE HAPPY COUPLE Spring and summer is high season for weddings and other celebrations. Find personal and thoughtful gifts for the happy couple from our designers.
From top left: Guest Book Poster by I Love Design, #1 Adventure Is Waiting poster by Away from the city, Together poster by Fröken Form, cutting board Romb by Anette Jakobsson Form, tray Nyköping 1892 by Elin Wesslund, Lily bowl by BEDesign, Wine Bottle tumber set and pitcher by Återbrukshyttan, Kattviksstaken candle holder, Handmade Custom Couple Stamp by Tian Gan. Right: Gro wool blanket by Lina Johansson.
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Gift Guide
GRADUATION GIFTS Students of all ages are graduating from school this spring. The perfect gift could be a piece of beautiful jewellery, a practical bag or a poster with wise words to accompany them on their journey through life.
From top left: She Finally Decided poster by A Grape Design, Mazetti necklace by Sägen, Dark Grey poster by Wargstedt, Manifesto by Nordic Design Collective, My Daily Adventure notebook by Yndlingsting, The Postman Bag by By Bremmer, Random Crap tote bag by A Grape Design, Card With Fringes necklace by Celine Strömbäck, Minimal Cuff Wide Gold by KGH Accessories, Kinnekulle cufflinks by Lena och Fredrik, silver och guldsmide, Mini Notebooks by Jollygoodfellow. Left: Lilac poster by Matilda Svensson.
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Presenting
AIRPIXELS The photography by Airpixels are just amazing. They offer a new perspective of the beautiful Swedish nature, and you can get lost looking at them, finding new details all the time. Tell us about your background. I am Tobias, A visual creator born and raised in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Ever since I was a kid I have been genuinely interested in Film and Photo art. I started of as young just editing pictures to create a crazy effect on my pictures. With time I started to develop my interest for film. I started shooting more frequently and added more and more time to the editing table. With time I wanted to progress in my learning. I started to become more and more interested in Graphic design and Typography in general. So I started studying Digital Arts at Blekinge Institute of Technology where I could practice everything from Graphic design to filming and photography. At School I found out that the thing I really wanna continue doing is to shoot film and to shoot photos. So thats where I am now. Trying to excel and become a better photographer. I enjoy spending a lot of time in nature and there is where most of my photos are taken. I like to explore and I am very curious in finding new places and see whats around the next corner/tree/rock you name it. My photography is helping me to find myself and i don’t know what i would do without it. What’s the story behind your brand? The story about my products & brand is quite simple. Ever since I was a kid i had this vision of seeing things from a birds perspective. But since I never have been a wealthy person
that option has never become reality. In order for me to get above things i would have to rent a helicopter and that is just something my budget wouldn’t allow me to do. When I got the chance to become a aerial photographer I took it. I am now exploring the things I wanted to see as a kid and getting on top of the visions I had in my early days. Airpixels wasn’t meant to become something huge. It was something I wanted to do for myself. But after starting off I realized people liked my work and I got more and more attention on the internet. What inspires you to create? What inspires me the most in the making is probably nature itself. I think nature is a very inspiring place to just be in. So when i’m out on a shoot i’m trying to take it all in. I never see the downsides with being out shooting I rather see the possibilities and feels kinda blessed for the time I get to spend in the beautiful Swedish nature. If it’s one thing photography has taught me it is that Sweden is beautiful.
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Meet the designer MATILDA SVENSSON
“CREATIVITY IS ESSENTIAL TO ME” Matilda Svensson is a creative designer, always on the move with new ideas and projects. Her watercolour art is only part of what she does, but a wonderful creative outlet for her. Text and photo: Maria Richardsson
“I have always been doing different kind of creative projects. I grew up on a farm, we had horses and lots of other animals, and we were always outside playing and creating stuff. Our playhouse was the most ambitious project ever, with different rooms that we refurnished and painted more or less all the time. We even did our own garden outside
it!” Matilda tells us. “And I’ve always been drawing and painting. I even wrote and illustrated my first books as a small kid, so it is no surprise that I’m working as a creative now”. But it was not as clear as you might think. Matilda did really well in school and during high school she was studying IT and languages. “I wasn’t
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sure I was going to work in the creative field from the start, but when it was time for college I thought about studying architecture. I ended up in the Design programme at Linnaeus University in Växjö, and I really liked it. We got to try a lot of different areas within the design area, and I fell for graphic design from the start. During the programme, we did a lot of practical projects and discussed them a lot, I learned a lot from those discussions. There was also a big focus on sustainability, which is really important for me. It is not all about the materials, but also about making timeless classics, that can last for generations” she says. The interest of sustainability is also very obvious when visiting Matilda in her home in the south of Sweden. A lot of the furniture is retro - and with a lot of colour! “Yes, I love colour!” Matilda says.
“I know that a lot of customer like my black and white work, but I’m always most happy when I get to work with colour. I also think it is important to find your own style and focus on that, and not just follow trends. When I try to do something I think other people will like, it somehow always ends up being my worst selling motif, so I think people really can tell when you’re doing something you like and are proud of.” she says. Another source of inspiration is old books. She has several old floras in her bookshelves, and browsing through them always give her new ideas for paintings. She is also crazy about magazines, and loves just pouring a cup of coffee and looking through different kind of magazines. “Luckily, my part time job as an designer is with a publishing house, so I can get a lot of magazines from the office”
she says and laughs. Having a part time job is the perfect combination for Matilda. She likes working with other people as well as being on her own. “In this way I get to do both of it, it is just perfect” she says. “I’m sometimes a bit restless and want things to happen fast, and in my own company I can do that. In bigger companies, things tend to take a bit longer... Also, as I really love do to the whole concept for an idea, it is perfect to have my own collection of products as well. Then I can do everything from the product, the marketing material and the packaging design! The quality is also very important to me, I’m very picky with details in my prints and the printing house I work with have learned this the hard way” Matilda tells us. Working from home can sometimes be a bit lonely and many designers confess that it is easy to get lost in time doing
something they love. Matilda agrees that she also tends to get too focused from time to time, but her charming dog Elvis keeps her company and remind her to take regular breaks. “It is so wonderful to have someone beside me during the days and to make me take walks every now and then!� It is always very inspiring to meet talented and ambitious designers like Matilda Svensson. Her talent is obvious and I’m sure we will see a lot more exciting products and projects from her in the future.
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Trend
WATERCOLOUR PASSION
From top left: White Poppy and Winther Flowers by Toril BĂŚkmark, Black Eye by Lotta Larsdotter, Lady In Black by Magdalena Tyboni, Marie by Anna Grundberg, Mannequin 2.0 by Lotta Larsdotter, Silledill by Matilda Svensson, The Right Whale by Angelica Sollander, Windfall by Matilda Svensson, Watercolour Leaf by Bjerregarden, The French Bulldog by Angelica Sollander, September by Lina Johansson, Perfume and Sadness by Lotta Larsdotter, The Lounge Chair by Magdalena Tyboni, All You Need Is Love And Coffee and Today I Wear The Smile by Folkelind Form.
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The softness of watercolours is a growing trend and a perfect way to bring in that light summer feeling to your home.
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Gift Guide
SUMMER PARTY BLING Look your best at this summers parties! Our jewellery designers has something for every occassion and for this collection we got inspired by summer greens in combinations with metals, leather and porcelain.
From top left: Deluxe earrings by Langaeble Sthlm, Garnet Leathernecklace Multi Brown by Camilla Mustikka, Princess Louise necklace by Langaeble Sthlm, Top V Green Tourmaline Diamond Ring by Lilooks, Desert Evolution earcuff by Qvist Jewellery, Why necklace by Saga Melina, Berså Triple bracelet by Sägen, Glass Cube With Beads ring by Celine Strömbäck, Peridot Petit Triangle ring by Lilooks, Golden Bronze Facet earrings by Anna Siivonen, Aki studs by Opium Jewelry, The Cone ring by Paula Hagerskans, Ring With Cross by Maro Design. Left: Geometric bracelet and Dressy necklace by Sparv Accessories.
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Presenting
LILOOKS After studying science to be an engineer, the designer behind Lilooks decided to change her life around. Instead of technology and science, she turned to design and jewellery.
Tell us about your background! My name is Rui Li, originally from China, and came to Sweden 6 years ago. After studied Master programme of Industrial Ecology in Chalmers and worked for 2 years in that area, I decided to change my life path and pursue my dream as a jewellery designer and entrepreneur. What’s the story behind your brand? Though I have a science and technical background, my passion of creating jewellery started to grow since I began to collect natural crystals and gemstones about 7, 8 years ago. And I always enjoy creation and have a lot of ideas going on in my head. In 2011, I luckily got a chance to sell on HDK’s Christmas Market by sharing a table with my friend. I spent one month at night and weekends to hand-make some simple jewellery with silver wire and the gemstones I have collected. And it turned out surprisingly I sold most of them! That became a turning point in my life because since then there is a voice always in my heart saying that: I want to do what I really enjoy doing and where my passion is – Jewellery! I came up with my brand name LILOOKS long time ago but it wasn’t until last year I got the
time to make my dream come true and started my own company. What inspires you to create? I want to create timeless jewel pieces with a modern uniqueness that easy to wear and will be loved by my customers every day. And I want my jewellery to last a long time or even as eternal pieces by using precious metals and genuine gemstones. As I have a big interest in gemstones, I want to introduce these beauties to people’s life by designing easy-to-wear and reasonable-priced jewellery with them. I hope my customers can really feel the naturally formed colours of gemstones, the flash and fire from them and the imperfections in them, all those together give natural gemstones so many characters, uniqueness and soul. It is a whole different experience from owning some artificial-coloured glass or lab-generated “perfect gems”. I also want to bring more of these natural colours into Nordic minimalist dressing-code.
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A day in the life of
MAGDALENA TYBONI Every Thursday, one of our designers are in charge of our Instagram. One of them is the artist Magdalena Tyboni, who brought us along behind the scenes. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
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08.17: Goodmorning! My name is Magdalena. First thing I do is coffee, next: driving my 3 childen to school and daycare.
08.59: This is a part of my studio and where I work. My workplace is connected to our house in Skellefteå.
10.28: The day starts with handling new orders, I really Love that part of my job!
11.54: Lunchbreak. Now I’m going to the postoffice with todays post. When I’m back I will show you some of my news.
13.26: Painting on linen in the afternoon, its time to be creative! This is what I’m doing this week.
14.30: Pillows and postcards.
15.28: I Love to Paint and draw fictional art, but I also do custum illustrations and portraits.
16.15: Time to go (the long way) home. I have made 4 new pillowcases and it went surprisingly well without any mistakes.
Check out the work of Magdalena Tyboni in our store!
19.02: Thanks for today, its has been a pleasure to share my day with you.
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