COVER IMAGE:
SOCIALCLUB, FOGIA
ABOVE IMAGE:
MAX CHAIR, BLÅ STATION
The Guest of Honour was Swedish design studio Front, who created a captivating installation for the fair in collaboration with Moroso, Kvadrat and Moooi carpets. An ode to nature through technology and craftsmanship, the installation pointed to a new energy for Swedish design, one that ties tradition with a forward-thinking, investigative, and nature-based approach.
This was echoed with the fair’s exhibition ‘Now or Never - 1kg CO2e’ curated by Swedish designer Emma Olbers, which showcased the climate impact of materials commonly used
in architecture and furniture design, as well as in the fair’s new platform, Älvsjö Gård, which presented experimental and research-driven design set in one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm.
In this report, we take a closer look at our highlights from the event as well as the themes that pervaded, exploring the rise in bold statement designs and delving into developments in sustainable furniture design. We have also rounded up our top picks from the fair on page 48.
We hope you enjoy reading it!
After three years of postponement, Stockholm Design Fair returned this year with a dedication to Swedish and Scandinavian design. Gathering the industry in their thousands, the fair invited visitors to explore and celebrate creations by the region’s iconic, legacy furniture brands and up-and-coming creatives.
THE FIRST SWEDISH STUDIO TO BE INVITED AS GUEST OF HONOUR TO STOCKHOLM FURNITURE FAIR.
FRONT GUEST OF HONOUR EXHIBITION AT SFF / ARDA
DESIGNED BY FRONT FOR KVADRAT FEBRIK / FRONT AT SFF
In 2004, Front exhibited in Greenhouse, Stockholm Furniture Fair’s exhibition for up-and-coming designers. Today, their designs are in production at industry-leading companies such as Moroso, Moooi, Vitra and Kvadrat, as well as prestigious international galleries such as Friedman Benda Gallery and Galerie Kreo.
Designer duo Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna Lindgren aim to convey a narrative of design processes and materials through their work, exploring the limitless possibilities of design through eclectic approaches, often inspired by an enduring fascination with nature.
This year, Stockholm Furniture Fair saw the studio curate an exhibition of objects with a rich design story behind them, demonstrating the evolution of their work so far. In the entrance hall to the fair, Front created a spellbinding installation displaying their Pebble Rubble collection with Moroso, a modular seating system mimicking rock formations inspired by the Swedish forests the designers grew up in as children.
Taking an investigative approach to their work, Front’s ongoing research into natural forms was the basis of Pebble Rubble, which saw 3D prints of rocks transformed into organic furniture pieces.
IN SWEDISH FURNITURE DESIGNER EMMA OLBERS’ EXHIBITION ‘NOW OR NEVER - 1KG CO2e’, VISITORS WERE PRESENTED WITH THE STARK AND TANGIBLE REALITY OF THE CLIMATE IMPACT OF MATERIALS COMMONLY USED IN FURNITURE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING.
ALL IMAGES:
NOW OR NEVER EXHIBITION AT SFF
CURATED BY EMMA OLBERS
FAIR HIGHLIGHTS
Roughly 40 different materials were displayed side by side in the installation, each with a visual display of the amount of material needed to create 1 kg of CO2ethe carbon dioxide equivalents metric used to understand the climate impact of materials and products.
To calculate the emissions, Olbers used a digital tool which shows the carbon footprint of products based on the emissions created from manufacturing and transport up until the point of sale.
Olbers chose to show both traditional materials and new climate innovative ones, as well as the difference in climate impact between new and recycled furniture.
With an audience of visual thinkers, Olbers’ decision to demonstrate the climate impact of materials and products in this manner was especially effective, allowing viewers to understand how significantly material choices can impact the sustainability performance of furniture and projects.
The brand collaborated with eight architectural students from some of the region’s best architecture schools, exploring future spaces such as offices and cultural institutions using BAUX’s sustainable building materials. The exhibition is set to travel further afield, spreading the word on how designers can create better connections between buildings and people.
They also presented their new sustainable ceiling panels made from wood wool, cement and water. Fully recyclable, the panelling comes in three cuts and a total of twenty colours.
Reputably the most sustainable furniture factory in the world, The Plus is the largest investment in the Norwegian furniture industry for decades and won Vestre two awards at the 2023 Scandinavian Design Awards, including the Sustainability Award of the Year.
The factory has been designed for peak efficiency, with four wings, each dedicated to a stage of the production process and arranged around a central experience hub, forming the ‘+’ shape that gives the building its name.
The building’s roof is covered with natural forest vegetation as well as 900 solar panels, which supply its energy. This, together with the factory’s carefully designed working conditions, accommodation of electric heavy goods vehicles and the management of the surrounding forest, means that energy consumption in The Plus is 90% less than an equivalent factory.
Welcoming visitors all year round to come and explore both the factory and its surrounding fir forest, Vestre hopes the project will serve as a symbol of how the furniture production industry can operate sustainably, showing how ‘people, production, technology, architecture and nature’ can be ‘completely integrated in each other’.
Meanwhile, Vestre’s stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair, designed by Note design studio, expanded on the idea of sustainable stand design, using materials that were not only fully recyclable and durable, but that were also rented: meaning they could be returned to the producer after the fair and sold to the end customer in their present form.
The brand collaborated with eight architectural students from some of the region’s best architecture schools, exploring future spaces such as offices and cultural institutions using BAUX’s sustainable building materials. The exhibition is set to travel further afield, spreading the word on how designers can create better connections between buildings and people.
They also presented their new sustainable ceiling panels made from wood wool, cement and water. Fully recyclable, the panelling comes in three cuts and a total of twenty colours.
In the city, Sven-Harrys konstmuseum invited designers Magnus Elebäck and Chris Martin, founders of furniture company Massproductions, to curate a playful exhibition examining the connection between industry and art while honing in on that mysterious “X-factor” – the element that makes good design great.
Through the exhibition, named ‘Sculptures from the Factory’, Elebäck and Martin wanted to go a step further than simply
displaying design objects, instead revealing the industrial manufacturing processes behind them through a poetic and modern interpretation.
The result was a playful and engaging experience of design and manufacturing which showed the complexity of how designed products are made through industry.
The exhibition explored exactly what makes up ‘good’ design, demonstrating Massproductions’ consistent prioritisation of quality and sustainability. The studio takes a ‘slow’ approach to producing their furniture, ensuring they use the best material in the most energyefficient way possible. The exhibition included their steel Tio Chair, which uses minimal material to create a durable and versatile product, and the Rose Chair, made entirely of wood and without any screws or metal fittings.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ROSE CHAIR COMPONENTS SUSPENDED FROM CEILING / ROSE CHAIR MOLD / CROWN CHAIR INSTALLATION / TIO CHAIR MATERIAL
In 2009 two designers, Magnus Elebäck and Chris Martin sharing a neo-modernist vision of functional, elegant design, decided to break free of contemporary product strategies to create a furniture brand focusing on the interplay between object and context.
To realise their vision, they assumed control of the entire production chain – manufacturing, sales and marketing. The approach paid off, not only in design clarity, but also in distinguished awards, renowned clients and representation in the permanent collection of the Swedish National Museum of Arts. At Stockholm Design Week they collaborated with Sven Harrys konstmuseum presenting the exhibition ‘Sculptures from the Factory’.
Your exhibition for Sven-Harrys konstmuseum during Stockholm Design Week was curated partly to explore the link between ‘industry’ and ‘art’. How do you see the relationship between industry and art evolving in furniture design?
Chris and I believe strongly that great design comes from the cross-breeding industry and art. The “art part” adds long-lasting cultural values and justifies the development of yet another piece of furniture. Today though, we see the link between industry and art disappearing more and more. It seems like furniture producers prefer combining industry and sales or industry and marketing when they develop products. That way of thinking will never generate future design classics.
The exhibition provided visitors with a clear, visual and transparent education on furniture production. How important is it for you to create greater transparency and better understanding of manufacturing as well as design processes?
Customers today are clearly much more concerned about how and where products are made, and rightly so. At Massproductions we’re trying hard to be transparent when it comes to our production. With the exhibition we aim to take the general public behind the scenes and create an understanding of the work and processes that goes into creating everyday objects. And in the long run create another level of appreciation for the object.
For you, what defines that ‘X-Factor’ of great design that you explored through the exhibition?
It’s very hard to put the finger on why some products get forgotten about, and some products turn into design classics. But there’s definitely something to do with that mysterious element. Design is a lot about handling data. To make a good product you need to tick many boxes (function, production, ecology, ethical aspects etc). To make a GREAT product you need to add that extra layer, the ‘X-factor’.
“WE BELIEVE THAT THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN DESIGNER AND PRODUCER IS KEY TO PRODUCING GREAT PRODUCTS.”
You chose to display the products in question in an especially playful and imaginative way. Does this ring true with your own design process?
We did have a lot of fun creating these installations. And yes, I do think they reflect our working process. Chris is obviously a brilliant designer, a true specialist and I’m more of a generalist. We believe that the dialogue between designer and producer is key to producing great products. This was the core idea when starting Massproductions, and we’re staying true to it.
The materials and processes shown in the exhibition spoke to the importance of designing sustainability into products from their conception. How do you - and how can other designers - work to do this?
Sustainability is one of the hygiene factors when developing a product. As a producer you just need to have full control over what you are doing in this area. Knowing the industrial processes and materials is a must when creating sustainable products. And of course, don’t forget the x-factor. A loved and cherished product is the most sustainable product.
IT WAS INSPIRING TO SEE AN HONEST, TRANSPARENT APPROACH BEING TAKEN
ACROSS STOCKHOLM DESIGN WEEK AND FURNITURE FAIR. MULTIPLE BRANDS BROUGHT
‘BEHIND-THE-SCENES’ TO CENTRE STAGE IN THEIR DISPLAYS, CLEARLY PRESENTING PRODUCT CONTENTS, DECLARING CARBON VALUE, AND EVEN PUTTING ON DEMONSTRATIONS SHOWING EXACTLY HOW PIECES WERE MADE.
THE NUDE EDITION, SFF / PATH CHAIR, HUMANSCALE / PATH CHAIR COMPONENTS, HUMANSCALE
Norwegian manufacturer Vestre held a talk on their new factory, dubbed the most sustainable furniture manufacturing facility in the world, and there was a moment of introspection with the fair’s The Nude Edition in partnership with Recoma and Tarkett, exploring a concept for downscaling as a step towards a more sustainable way of designing and building fair stands. Meanwhile, Gärsnäswho are on a mission to be fully circular in their operations by 2030 - invited visitors to discover
their new RONJA chair made from locally felled beech trees, designed to be both stackable and linkable for diverse use.
These displays highlighted that the industry is moving in the right direction, prioritising transparent conversation in order to evolve our understanding of sustainability, setting standards and driving tangible change.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
RONJA CHAIR, GÄRSNÄS / SOFT SERVE LAMP, CRÈME ATELIER / EEL LOUNGE, EKBACKEN STUDIOS X ASTRID TEXTILES
There was also a sense of experimental, research-driven innovation, with manufacturers pushing the boundaries of materials and sustainable production on scale through different processes to create unexpected results. We saw impressive advances in 3D printing in particular, through which brands were able to create sophisticated and elevated aesthetics, while reducing material waste.
The Ekbacken Studios x Astrid Textiles 3D printed Eel lounge chair is one such example made from recycled fishing nets in Portugal, where a portion of whose profits go back to Portuguese fishermen adding social sustainability to the manufacturing process.
Crème Atelier’s nostalgic Soft Serve Lamp, winner of Scandinavian Design Awards 2023 “Detail of the year”, was another example of playful experimentations in 3D printing.
OUR MATERIAL CHOICES WHEN IT COMES TO THE DESIGN OF SPACES AND OBJECTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. AS OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPARABLE EFFECTS OF USING DIFFERENT RAW MATERIALS ON THE PLANET CONTINUES TO DEVELOP, DESIGNERS ARE INCREASINGLY UTILISING RECYCLED AND ‘WASTE’ MATERIALS IN A BID TO CREATE MORE SUSTAINABLE, CIRCULAR-MINDED PRODUCTS.
PLANKTON BY JULIA KOERNER, 3D PRINTED LIGHTS EXHIBTIED IN THE CLOSING THE LOOP EXHIBITION BY THE SOLARIS COMMUNITY / EGGSHELL
TABLE, YELLOWDOT / MOON STOOL, WILD STUDIO
This principle was explored in-depth throughout Stockholm Furniture Fair and across the broader Design Week, as studios and manufacturers investigated what material choices we can start to make now, as an industry, in order to better nurture and protect the planet we share.
The exploration into using ‘unwanted’ waste material and off-cuts was a big focus, with brands adopting a circular approach as their principal means of production. Danish brand Wild Studio showed their furniture collection made from 100% recycled plastic, while NCP Furniture exhibited their environmental chair S-1500: produced by worn out nets, ropes and pipes supplied by local fish farming companies, the chair has one of the lowest carbon footprints on the market.
Finnish designer Riku Taneli Toivonen’s Leppänen dining table made of rotten timber celebrated the natural imperfections and patterns in each unique piece of wood.
The theme of circularity ran through discussions during the event: in a talk organised by Emma Olbers’ as an extension of her exhibition ‘Now or Never’ sustainable design experts discussed ‘The Value of Waste’, delving into the advantages of recycled materials and their accessibility for manufacturers.
The guest exhibition
‘Closing the Loop’ by Solaris Community, in collaboration with Materialbiblioteket, put a spotlight on the vast amount of plastic ending up in oceans every year. The exhibition showcased several projects, from art, lighting, and fashion, highlighting numerous ways waste materials can be reused.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
S-1500 CHAIR, NCP FURNITURE / LEPPÄNEN DINING TABLE, RIKU
TANELI TOIVONEN / KELP CHAIR, INTERSTING TIMES GANG
ONE OF THE MOST EVIDENT AESTHETICS WE NOTICED AT STOCKHOLM THIS YEAR WAS DESIGNS THAT PACK A PUNCH IN TERMS OF SCALE, FORM, COLOUR AND PATTERN. WHETHER THROUGH OVERSIZED PIECES, UNCONVENTIONAL FORMS, OR BOLD COLOURS AND PATTERNS, DESIGNS THAT MAKE A STATEMENT ARE ON THE RISE.
Bolder is better. This theme has been driven by a desire for furniture that is not only functional but also adds character to a space, helping to fuel creativity, encourage collaboration and create a unique spatial experience.
We saw several pieces that not only make a bold statement but also provide ample seating for comfort, relaxation or social interaction. Fogia lent into generous, striking form and colour in their concept store, where they displayed the Socialclub armchair designed with Anna von Schewen in bold red, with adjustable arms that can either fold in to create a cosy area for focus, or fold out, opening up the sitter’s space to the outside world.
Meanwhile, Lammhult showcased the expressive new Bau modular system, by Note, in a vivid orange fabric. The collection can be employed as a solitary easy chair or combined to create a playful variety of seating configurations.
There were bold explorations of texture and pattern in fabrics, too. Kirkby Design’s richly textured Spiral fabric, made of recycled materials, was used in Massproductions’ and SA Möbler’s furniture, while their Gobi bouclé weave was shown on Blå Station’s pieces. Friends & Founders exhibited their furniture in Dedar’s striking Tiger Beat print, one of our favourite patterns from the fair.
Additionally, a highlight for us was NCS’s talk
‘Colour Trends 2024+’, which emphasised the use of chromatic colours and linked the new ‘active’ mindset and desire for change among younger generations with a more boldly colourful future. Watch the full talk here
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: BAU CHAIR, LAMMHULTS / MAX CHAIR, BLÅ STATION / TIGER BEAT, DEDAR
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM
HEM
CHOP TABLE & CHAIR
LAMMHULTS
BAU MODULAR SOFA
WOODNOTES
TWIGGY TABLE
TURN TABLE
LAMMHULTS
CIAO TABLE
ASTRID TEXTILES VITTORIA RECYCLED FABRIC
ABSTRACTA X WALL OF ART ACOUSTIC ART
ABSTRACTA MOON ACOUSTIC PENDANT
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