NORDIC g in Liv ISSUE NO.4 | JUNE 2017
Summer time!
Summer is here, and I think we are all looking forward to the upcoming season. Our inspiration for this issue is all about the summer. The warm weather sets the stage for spending time outside, with a coffee break (or “fika� as we call it in Sweden) in the shade or a barbeque dinner with friends in the garden. This is of course also the season for kids, enjoying their summer holiday and spending time at the beach. No issue without introducing you to a few of the designers we work with. This time, we bring you to Stockholm to meet Emele Leijon to hear the story behind her beautiful collection of tableware and more. Thank you for reading, following and supporting us! We wish you happy reading, and a joyful spring.
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 Fika
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Presenting: Fanny Oldenburg Trend: Marine Love
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Meet the designer: E.Leijon 14 Trend: Summer Kids
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Presenting: Alvina Illustration & Design Pastel Posters
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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 FIKA Styling and photo: Maria Richardsson and Louise Andersson.
Spring is here! Bring that lovely feeling indoors with the first flowers of spring and a few budding twigs. Get the best effect by bringing them all together in a collection of vases and glasses. Arbour Harbour Yellow Ring by Sägen, Porcelain Jewellery Dish by Camilla Brøyn, Wine Bottle Pitcher by Återbrukshyttan, “Skog” coffee mug, Traces Mimosa Yellow Linnen Throw, Lövfträd cushion cover by Lövf Design.
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Find all featured products in our online store.
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Presenting
FANNY OLDENBURG Maybe it is her background from movies and television that sparked her interest in capturing dance and moves into still pictures. One of her projects ended up at the Fotografiska museum in Stockholm. Tell us about your background! I use to work as a freelancing tv and film worker at the Swedish Television and also within feature films. Mainly with scenography and props. After about ten years I decided to pursue my dream of working with my own creations and still photos. I am educated at Nordic school of photography, a 3 year education. Previous to that I studied at Stockholm art school. At Nordic school of photography I studied photojournalism and I worked as a press photographer for a few years after I finished my education, but felt drawn to working with stagework. I love to take pictures of dance and also be able to take fictional pictures in the world of movies. A lot of times I had the opportunity to work freely, which resulted in new assignments. Like for example to take closeup pictures of the dancers at Cullbergbaletten and create landscapes of their bodies. I also had to make the pictures harmonise with the music of Kammarensemblen. It turned out to be a fantastic show with dance, music and pictures showed at Fotografiska in Stockholm.
What’s the story behind your brand? Today I mostly work with art photo and cooperate with decorators and interior designers. I also get orders from individuals who wants something new for their home. I make patterns and photoprints on textiles, wallpaper and posters. What inspires you to create? Inspiration for my pictures I find in the beautiful world of dancing. The sea and nature is other elements of great inspiration. I really love being a photographer and work with art. It is challenging my senses in more than one ways. What made you decide to start your own company, and what do you like most about it? To have my own company means many things. One is that I have the freedom to explore and go deeper into different projects. Another is that I like the creative freedom and the flexibility you get.
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Trend
MARINE LOVE Going navy is a classic summer time theme. Inspired by archipelagos and lazy days, we’re going all in on shades of blue.
From top left: Trays Sea Chart by Plurr - from Skargarden with love, tray Archipelago Seagulls by Kuviokioski, small tray Faith Hope Love by Sabina Wroblewski Gustrin, Herring Sandwich Coaster by Plurr from Skargarden with love, poster Sångsvan Cygnus Cygnus by Dan Isaac Wallin, poster Butterfly by Fotograf Helén Karlsson , Blue Tea Cup by E.Leijon, Water Dispenser with tap by Återbrukshyttan, Blue/ Turquoise Big Bowl by E.Leijon, cushion cover Soni Navy by Aderelles. Right: Pendant Lamp Ball Eco Off White, by Lampverket - Madeleine.
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Meet the designer E.LEIJON
“MY CAREER IN SPORTS HELPS MY CREATIVE BUSINESS” Emelie Leijon never planned for a creative business. She has always been very athletic and had a career as a professional golf player when she decided to do something different. That something led to the launch of her brand E.Leijon.
Text and photo: Maria Richardsson
Emelie grew up in the small town of Gislaved in Småland. “Everyone knows anyone there, it is a very small community. I have a three sisters and we all played golf so we were known as the golf sisters, When I moved to Stockholm, I really enjoyed the energy and the anonymity, that I got to start to build a new identity away from the golf” she tells us when we meet in her bright and stylish home in Nacka, just outside of Stockholm.
She moved to Stockholm in 2008 and started art school. “I’ve always been very interested in colour and design, and it was great to be able to explore that. But it was a little bit too arty for me, I wanted to find a way to make a living from it. When I went on to study Graphical Design at Berghs School of Communication, I found an approach to the creative work that suited me better” she tells me. Her final project during her studies laid the foundation for her
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current collection of tableware. “I wanted to do something different, something three dimensional. My boyfriend is in the restaurant business, and that inspired me to create tableware. I found a ceramist in Gothenburg that helped me do the prototypes for my project, and that I applied my patterns to. It was, and still is, the biggest challenge for me, to find partners to produce the ceramics. It is a balance finding someone who is willing to work small scale and have the capacity to expand, but still being able to keep control of the costs�. Emelie has never been doing pottery herself. “No, for me the interest of design goes beyond the material. And I have such respect for the talent and hard work that each craftsman can bring to my project. In general, I believe in finding persons that are better than me in different areas
and have them help me to reach my goal. If I were to learn everything as good as them, I would never be able to continue to develop and grow my company, with new patterns, products and collections”. Her background in sports definitely shows in her drive and determination. You can really tell that she is in this for the long run, and she has a clear vision of where she wants to go. “At the moment, I work from home. I set up a small photo studio to do my patterns, and until just recently I stored most of my stock here as well. Luckily, I’ve just rented a small storage, so now we don’t have to see boxes everywhere” she laughs. “But my goal is definitely to have my own studio and work full time with my own brand. It might take a few years to get there, but I know I’ll make it” she says. “I already have plans and ideas for my next collection, it will be released
in 2018 according to my plans, but before that I will launch a few more pieces to complete the tableware collection”. I leave her home impressed with her gentle and sweet personality, combined with so much drive, determination and professionalism. I’m convinced that her future career will be a very exciting one to follow.
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Trend
SUMMER KIDS For the kids, the summer holiday is all about playing, spending time at the beach - and just maybe have an icecream or two!
From top left: Feltmobile Blue by Sunday Studio No.7, posters Walking On A Thin Line by Majali Design & Illustration, Air Balloon No2 by LO Art Design, Monkey Soft by Cecilia Lood, t-shirt Jackson Pollock Jr by Jollygoodfellow, Crown Mini by Sunday Studio No.7, Plates by Studio Äppel Päppel, Papermals Elephant and Giraffe by Emma Eklund. Left: Bathrobe in ecological and upcycled cotton, by Stormie Poodle.
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Presenting
ALVINA ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN With about ten years of experience from advertising and communication, Alvina finally decided to give her own creativity space to grow. The result is dreamy, quirky, fun – and lovely! Tell us about your background! I have always enjoyed creating, drawing and painting. My dream job when I was little was to become an artist and much of my artistic creativity comes from my mom which when I grew up always had a creative project going on. I am educated at Gävle Art School followed by a degree in Information Design with focus on illustration at Mälardalen University. Over the years I have had a number of art exhibitions with my acrylic paintings. Even though painting is still dear to me, the illustration with ink and watercolor has grown to be what I like to do the most. For the last 10 years I have worked in advertising and communication as a graphic designer, digital designer and illustrator. In order to give room for, and develop my own ideas, I started my company and web shop Alvina Illustration & Design in 2016. What’s the story behind your brand? I love to create artwork with contrasting situations and emotional modes; Dreams and everyday life, humor and melancholy, the small and the big. I would like to live in the floating cities I illustrated, wander around the trees and plants and meet the cute, and perhaps a little bit scared, figures that emerge on the paper as I sketch.
What inspires you to create? I find inspiration everywhere. In people, nature, colors, expressions and feelings. In fairy tales and in everyday situations. Above all, inspiration comes naturally when I sit down and start working on an idea or in the planless sketching with pen and paper. What made you decide to start your own company, and what do you like most about it? An illustration challenge on Instagram 2015 gave me the push I needed to daily set aside time for my own illustration ideas. During the challenge, I developed and refined my own style and also created my first products when peoples interest for my illustrations grew. What I like most about having my own company is to come up with new ideas for my designs, and to be able to decide what to spend my time on. I’m also very happy when people like what I do.
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Trend
PASTEL POSTERS Pastel colours add a lovely softness and warmth to a room, which is just perfect for the summer season. Don’t be afraid to mix styles of illustration and photography, as long as the colours match it will look great on your wall.
From top left: Berry Mint by Details by M, Poppy Love by Matilda Svensson, Copenhagen by Forma Nova, Birds of the Baltics: Ruddy Turnstone by Plurr - From Skargarden With Love, Seal Beach No.1 by Catarina Eden, Lucid Dream II by Dan Isaac Wallin.
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From top left: Evening Glow by Details by M, Flowers Part Two by Fotograf Helén Karlsson, London Map by Owl Streets, Twiggy In Pink by Magdalena Tyboni, Flowers In The Sewers by Caro-lines, Pink Blossom by Catarina Eden, The Clouds 6 by Havsglas Sverige, Sommarregn by Karolina Konst.
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