Design

New designs | January edit 2020

New designs | January edit 2020

As we enter 2020 my inbox is filled with new designs for my January edit. Stockholm furniture fair and design week soon approach so I will be one busy bee noting down all new and exciting designs. To kickoff the year I’ve selected products that have a bold, soft and simple design.

The soft, minimal and simplified theme with nods to Japanese design is trending and has been for sometime. There’s a term going around the design world that is describing Scandinavian design with Japanese influence as ‘Japandi’ and I’m sorry, I can not use it. Just typing that makes me squirm, it feels like a sense of cultural misappropriation. Instead I choose to celebrate that some of these products may be inspired by Japanese design or traditional craftsmanship, which needs to be respected. Thousands of years of craftsmanship is deeply engrained into Japanese culture and it would be extremely sad if we didn’t respect that. And I’m sure many designers feel this way too. Mini rant over, let’s look at the new products.

New designs January edit 2020

Upholstered Arv Chair designed by David Thulstrup for Brdr Krüger | Kink vase designed by Earnest Studio for Muuto | Hashira cluster pendant designed by Norm Architects for Menu | Bevel table by Ferm Living | Kuru collection designed by Philippe Malouin for Iittala | Georg side table designed by Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm for Skagerak

Many of you many know that the ARV chair designed by Studio David Thulstrup was designed for Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. The chair is stunning and originally features the woven seat (my fav), now Brdr Krüger have launched an upholstered seat option. Maintaining the elegance of the chair with a little extra padding.

Sculptural and playful forms as the Kink vase for Muuto combine traditional craftsmanship with refined contemporary designs. Slip cast porcelain, glazed on the inside and contrasting raw porcelain finish on the outside.

Understated luxury is one of many ways to describe the work of Norm Architects. If you read my blog then you know I’m a fan. The Hashira collection is a range of lights inspired by Japanese rice paper lanterns. The name Hashira is a Japanese word for column or pillar. These pillar forms with soft graphic lines create a soft glow and the tactile linen material brings warms and texture. A nordic take on the very beautiful Japanese lantern.

Ferm Living continue to grow their portfolio with bold, contemporary furniture. Their recent product launch for spring 2020 shows them leaning into a sophisticated style. My eye has been drawn to the Bevel table. Made from solid oak it’s also extendable. With it’s bold shape and soft curves I can see this as a new signature piece.

Yet more simple geometric forms to arrive. I welcome the Kuru collection designed by Philippe Malouin for Iittala. These sculptural, handmade bowls come in glass and ceramics. They have a harmonious quality. Perfect for holding keys or displaying personal items. I love them.

As an avid collector of Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm’s designs she has added this new bedside table to the Georg collection for Skagerak. Simple, versatile and perfectly crafted.

This January edit could have been a long post, I will be featuring more designs to come and also on Instagram, don’t forget to follow my insta stories next week for all things happening during Stockholm design week.

H x

2 Comments

  • Reply Abi | These Four Walls blog January 28, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    I totally agree with you about the term ‘Japandi’. I’ve felt really uncomfortable seeing it everywhere too. I love designs which fuse Japanese and Scandinavian influences, but where both are properly respected (and often with designers from both places involved). I don’t think a whole design heritage and culture should be a trend either – in a similar way that I hate seeing things declaring that ‘Scandi’ is over (how can you glibly declare a whole region of the world as being ‘over’??)

  • Reply The Sculptor's Residence by Norm Architects, DUX and Menu - Hannah Trickett February 12, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    […] Hashira lamp by Norm Architects for Menu […]

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