This month we start looking forward to fall with Camp Cirrus’s new cozy wool pillow covers and a few of their other patterns bold enough to brighten any season!
We are thrilled to be the premiere and exclusive destination for their new BLAD patterned knits this month.
And we’re happier still to be able to offer a little behind-the scenes sneak peek into the home and inspiration of Cina Kjellsson, one half of the creative couple behind Camp Cirrus.
Cina Kjellsson and Matts Wiberg of Camp Cirrus
Enjoy!
FS: To start, where in Sweden are you based?
CK: In Helsingborg, which is also where I was born. The town is right on the sea and Denmark is only 20 minutes away. I spent 10 years studying and working in Stockholm and Borås but I missed my family, my friends and the sea.
FS: You and Matts are married and have two children so I imagine your studio space is part of family life…?
CK: Yes it’s in the house where we live, which has its advantages and disadvantages. For example I like when work and family life mix but not when our children uses my expensive paint brushes without asking…
CK: The walls and furniture in the work space are all white so as not to distract us, and there are samples, designs and just things for inspiration everywhere. I have a visual to-do list by my desk and the dog Morris is usually in there to keep us company. He’s also white by the way…
FS: On the topic of inspiration, what inspires you?
Everything and nothing – big cities, nature, films, magazines, books, the works of other designers. But also seeing my work being used in other people’s homes.
FS: How does a design come together for you?
CK: It almost always starts with a clear idea of the pattern and color, but of course, sometimes it starts with a special need regarding the product, what I want it to do.
FS: So what first drew you to a career in design?
CK: I was interested in colors and shapes from a very young age. At first I wanted to design buildings but after working in an architect’s office I realized I wanted a more independent job and started thinking about a career as a designer. Since then I’ve worked for a textile mill, a paper products company and done lots of freelance work. With Camp Cirrus, I feel I am doing exactly what I want.
FS: How would you describe your design style?
CK: Colorful, distinct, plain, happy and easy to like!
FS: About your name, where does Camp Cirrus come from?
CK: The first company I started was called Designbyrån Cirrus (the Cirrus Design Agency) and Cirrus was just a play off my name Cina. When we started the new business we wanted it to be linked to the first one so we kept the Cirra bit.
CK: And Camp, that can refer to camping aesthetics – textiles, bright colors and an easy life – as well as to a holiday camp where people come to have a nice time. ”Campa” is also an old Swedish adjective meaning homely. That cirrus clouds come with good weather is a bonus!
FS: I think the textile jars are so clever. How do you imagine them being used?
CK: They are good to keep things organized in the bathroom or the hallway. They also make a nice gift basket filled with cookies, sweets or holding a bottle of wine.
FS: Your RUND pattern has been very popular. What was going through your head when you came up with it?
CK: I wanted to create a pattern that could act as a foundation for the range. And I love dots, and most people do so I went with dots!
CK: It worked out well. The design doesn’t compete with what is on the tray, and it’s a strong visual accent in the kitchen when it’s not in use.
FS: What about the HUS pattern?
CK: I wanted to make something everyone can relate to, and this archetypical house design is something even children draw so it felt like a natural choice for that very reason.
FS: We’re offering a limited number of your new BLAD (leaf) knitted pillows for sale exclusively at From Sthlm. Where would you most like to imagine it being used?
CK: On a cosy couch when snuggling up with a nice cup of tea to read a good book on an autumn evening!
FS: That sounds about perfect to me.
Thank you Cina and Matts for choosing From Sthlm to premiere your new line.
You can find the knit pillows and several of Camp Cirrus’s other designs in the shop while they last this month only!
This month’s featured Lapland bracelets by Anita Grönstedt hold a special place for me.
It was in the early days of getting to know my husband when often a little window would open up in him and surprise me with something about him I hadn’t known before. Even more so, because he came from a place I knew so little about. As I got to know him better, I also got to know Sweden.
unknown photographer, found here.
One night he presented me with a gift – a brown leather bracelet of immaculate craftsmanship… and it came with a story. The band wasn’t just leather, but reindeer leather. The button was actually handmade from reindeer antler. And the beautifully embroidered pattern in shiny pewter and silver thread traced its roots back hundreds – maybe thousands – of years, to the indigenous Nordic people who have inhabited the land of the midnight sun since long before even the Vikings.
photo by Torben Hansen from here.
unknown photographer, found here.
They are the Sami people who live in the far North, at the edge of the Arctic Circle, in a region called Lapland that spans the north of Sweden and Finland, and beyond that into Norway and Russia. They are a colorful and artistic people, whose culture and lifestyles evolved in the nomadic ways of fishermen, fur trappers and reindeer herders. Herding reindeer is so central to preserving the culture that today, they are the only ones legally allowed in Sweden to do it.
photo by www.fromsthlm.com
To me, Lapland bracelets with their natural handmade materials, earthy tones, and intricate patterns represent something real. Something solid. Something a little exciting, but also timeless and beautiful. All qualities I care about very much.
I went on to marry that man… and many years later I still wear my Lapland bracelet every day.
photos from here.
Anita Grönstedt grew up on the edge of Sami territory in the far north of Sweden. Today she runs her company, Grönstedt Design, out of a sunny studio in Boulder, Colorado; but her jewelry keeps her close to her roots. With painstaking attention to detail and quality craftsmanship, she spends 3-10 hours getting each bracelet just right.
We’re honored to have her this month at From Sthlm as our featured designer.
And if you happen to be in Boulder, Colorado this weekend, get out and meet her in person!
Anita will be exhibiting at Open Arts Fest 2011 along with lots of others in Downtown Boulder July 16th & 17th.
Of course you can also skip the crowds (and airline ticket, for most of us) and get Anita’s Lapland bracelets right here in the shop this month only!
It’s not hard to see where Elisabeth’s inspiration springs from if you are familiar with her blog. (and if you’re not, btw, you really should be- it’s counted as one of the Times Online’s 50 world’s best design blogs!)
Looking at Elisabeth’s photographs is to lose yourself in the deep green of Swedish summer, the rich patterns and textures of her home and world, the sweet imaginations of her children, and the timeless comfort that comes from all of her flea market finds.
photos: fine little day
It’s a wonderful place to get lost on a regular basis – I highly recommend it.
But that’s just what I see. Wouldn’t you rather hear it from Elisabeth herself? She tells us in her own words here in our exclusive interview.
FS: Where in Sweden did you grow up?
ED: I grew in a small town called Sandviken, located in the province (landskap) Gästrikland in Sweden.
elisabeth’s summer house. photo: fine little day
FS: How do you describe your design style?
ED: I belive that my style is rather disparate. It’s probably easier for someone else
to say something about that. But plain, dirty and naive maybe?
FS: How about your style at home – is it the same?
ED: It’s messy, mixed. Things all over at the moment. Almost never tidy. A lot of second hand items, books, dirty laundry. I do like our home, but it would be fun and nice to start from scratch again. To move, get everything down and start over. Get it a bit more Feng Shui. It’s not at all now, Feng Shui.
photos: fine little day
FS: What are some of your favorite things to have around you?
ED: My family and the cat.
elisabeth’s son and hiro the cat. photo: fine little day
FS: What do you find inspires you most?
ED: Well, the thing that absolutely inspires me most is to visit fleas and second hand stores. So I guess it would be kind of hard for me to Feng Shui my home. Yes it would be tough for me, really tough.
flea market finds. photo: fine little day
FS: Is there something in particular that you try to accomplish in your designs?
ED: The practial function is not my first or main focus. Decoration and eye candy is.
photo: fine little day
FS: How does a new design idea come together for you? Do you have a clear idea of the design you have in mind when you start or does it just emerge?
ED: I rarely have a clear idea of how things will come out in the end when I’m working with something. I can have glimpses or tones in my head that I try to follow and visualize. But since I work in a spontaneous way things tend to come out very randomly.
FS: How did you come up with Apple Papple?
apple papple. photo: fine little day
ED: I like the fundamental shape of an apple. I had a wish that it would be an apple in the end. It was not easy though. I worked a lot with that poster picture, did more versions of apples than I can count (exaggerating a bit). But the truth is that the last versions in the work folder on my computer don’t have very nice names. I was very mad, angry and frustrated at the end, it did not become what I wanted it to be. Someone else had to decide which version it should be. I still don’t know if it was the right one. But people tend to like him, I’m very greatful for that.
FS: What does his expression say to you? Does the big yellow guy have a story?
see apple papple in homes around the world in elisabeth’s customer gallery. photo: fine little day
ED: The expression, don’t know what to say about that. But I think he’s from Asia, and he’s a nice guy for sure.
FS: How did you come up with the product idea and illustrations for your Mama’s Little Olle tape?
photo: fromsthlm.com
ED: When I did the tape “Mors lilla Olle” I wanted to do something that felt a bit like the romantic picture that some people have of Sweden and its nature. Wanted it to have a Swedish flora and fauna with water lilies, firs, birches and animals that are walking around in our forests. I think it became pretty much what I wanted it to be when I first started. If you look close at it you can see animals like a bear, fox, hedgehog and a couple of ants. It even has a traditional Gärdsgård fence and a little red cottage (even if it is green on the tape).
FS: How about the Splash pillowcase- how did that one happen?
photo: fromsthlm.com
ED: The Splash pillowcase came up primarily from inspiration by a Swedish patchwork book.
inspiration came from a book on swedish patchwork, published by Liljevalchs. photo: fine little day
FS: In the series of illustrations in your postcards, each looks like it’s telling a story… can you let us in on any of their secrets?
ED: The postcards are a potpourri of my picture bank. Would like to leave the stories for the viewer to tell. Maybe someone who reads this can tell a little about what the pictures say them, that would be really interesting to me.
photo: fromsthlm.com
FS: That would be interesting to me too! That’s an invitation to you, yes you readers – please share their thoughts.
What is your biggest challenge right now?
ED: I’ve started running. I’ve been sitting in front of a computer for about 8 years. Now I’m moving again, that’s a big challenge for me.
photo: fine little day
FS: I can relate. So maybe it’s good we wrap this up. Final question – what are you most excited about next?
ED: Oh, wish I could tell you about that but it’s a secret. I can tell you that much that it is something that is going to be launched winter 2011, maybe not until Christmas. That part is not in my hands,the rest is though :)
FS: That’s a long time to keep us in the dark, E! :) But I know it will be well worth waiting for.
Thanks Elisabeth!
Bring the whimsy and charm of Elisabeth’s world into your own home with designs from Fine Little Day in the shop while they last, this month only!
From Anna Engström in Boston last month, to Charlotte Swiden in Australia this month, we continue our journey to get to know independent Swedish designers who have found their own special nook in the world outside Sweden’s borders.
One look at their designs though and it’s clear – other influences may creep in, but their Swedishness is here to stay.
Charlotte Swiden at home with Aussie partner, Clem Stamation. photo: chris polack
In our exclusive interview with designer Charlotte Swiden, we hear how Sweden still inspires, even half a world away. Enjoy!
FS: Where in Sweden did you grow up?
CS: I grew up in Malmö, a small coastal city in the south of Sweden.
FS: Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
CS: I was always determined to become a designer, but it was a long time before I discovered that combining illustration with product design would be my calling.
I’ve always had a passion for illustration but it was usually always separate from my design work. That was until a few years back when I landed a job as Senior Designer for a Swedish stationery design company here in Melbourne. Being set free to have my little sketches developed into complete collections, printed, displayed and sold world wide was a bit of a dream come true. It also inspired me to start my own business doing more of the same with a focus on home wares.
FS: How do you describe your designs?
CS: Swedish, Happy, Colourful.
FS: It’s a long way from Sweden to Australia… how did that happen?
CS: I fell in love with Melbourne on a trip and decided to start a new life here. As a designer I was blown away by everything that was going on here, it was just brewing with talent.
Melburnians seemed to think less about “how, when and why” and more about following their hearts and learning along the way. Beautiful nature and the warmer weather also helped in my decision. I packed up my life in Sweden, sold my belongings, resigned from my job and made the big move to a country where I knew no one.
FS: Do you find that the influences in your work now tend to be more Swedish, or Australian, or both?
CS: I find that the more time I spend living away from Sweden, the stronger my design influences from home are. It’s like when you grow up and realise that you’re actually very much like your parents even if you tried hard not to become like them. Then you start feeling good about it and appreciate who they are and what they stand for. Swedish Design is like my parents – can’t escape my genes. Maybe it’s nostalgia too, a way of re-creating what I grew up with and loved as a child.
FS: Where do you get most inspired?
CS: I think visiting friend’s homes often inspires me for new products and designs. Just to see how they decorate, mixing old and new furniture and materials, their colour combinations, their art pieces etc. Scouting through op-shops and garage sales is another favourite. I also get a lot of inspiration from nature of course – trees, flowers, fruits, and the ocean.
FS: What is your studio like?
CS: My studio is in an old sewing factory which is now shared by a group of creatives. It’s a cosy, happy studio full of vintage furniture and bucket loads of things you can draw, paint or print with. It’s a little rough too, but that’s the way I like it. I can leave my paints out and not be too precious about getting things dirty.
Inside the studio space that Charlotte shares with fellow creative Melissa Pacella. photo: charlotte swiden
CS: The best thing about the space though is where it is and what’s around it. I love the fact that I’m surrounded by other creative minds, then when I step outside I’m in the middle of the buzzing city, and at the same time I can also relax and have my lunch on the sidewalk in the sun.
FS: Does your design style extend to your home as well?
CS: Clem, my partner and I, live in a small apartment in Brunswick. The block was built in the 70s so when we moved in we decided to renovate and decorate to match the era. Colourful, light and happy would best describe our home. Not too different from our own design work really.
Charlotte & Clem’s home mixes Australian and Swedish decor, down to the wooden floors. photo: chris polack
CS: Our style is a mishmash of Australian and Scandinavian design and decoration, most of which is from the 50s to 70s. We love to check out garage sales and markets for bits and pieces to add to our collection.
A shelf in the living room mixes porcelain from Aussie Martin Boyd with bric-a-brac and Blå Eld from Rörstrand in Sweden. photo: chris polack
CS: The apartment is full of stories and history from Clem’s Greek-Australian heritage and my Swedish life. Beautiful materials, well-designed items and brilliant graphics inspire us and fill our home.
Fabrics from Sweden adorn a bedroom marked by color and pattern. photo: chris polack
FS: Do you have any favorite items or collections?
CS: My Nils Strinning bookshelf is very dear to me. My Grandmother, Ragnhild, lived in a house full of 50s Scandinavian furniture. When she passed away no one in the family was interested in keeping any of it and it ended up at the tip.
I begged my mum to put this shelf away for me. So she packed it down and brought it over to Australia in her suitcase. The shelf reminds me of Sweden, the kind of design I love, and of my Grandmother.
A string bookshelf is one of Charlotte’s treasured heirlooms. photo: chris polack
FS: When you’re designing something, how does that design come together for you?
CS: Often it starts with a feeling. I’ll be out walking, see a pattern on the sidewalk, or a colour combination on a house wall, and suddenly I realise that it fits together with another idea I’d had in my head for a while. It’s a piece of a puzzle I wasn’t aware I was looking for.
I draw a lot with no particular direction in mind as well, and I often find that a doodle I made while talking on the phone will develop into a whole range.
FS: What most inspired the tea towel designs we’re featuring this month?
CS: As a kid I loved picking raspberries, goose berries, apples, blackberries, strawberries, or rhubarb in my grandma’s garden, and getting covered in dirt and fruit juice gave me some unforgettable taste memories.
Somehow most of my illustrations seem to be inspired by nature, fruits and the green grass under my feet. Where I grew up and what I love is just what comes out when I draw (even some more Australian fruits sneak in every now and then).
The Pear was just one of those little doodles that kept re-appearing in my sketch book.
FS: What is your biggest challenge now?
CS: I have so many ideas and sketches for new things, but I try to be patient and do one thing at a time. I have a folder of new designs on my desk labeled “future projects”, I’m itching to go in there again. Wish I could just produce them all tomorrow.
The work desk that Charlotte and Clem share. photo: chris polack
FS: What are you most excited about next?
CS: I’m going to Sweden for the summer and I’m very excited about traveling to the countryside, to spend lots of time outdoors, be with my family, and also to see some traditional handicrafts and art being made. My plan is to get very inspired and have a complete new collection ready by the time i get back to Australia!
photo: chris polack
FS: Oh that sounds like a wonderful plan. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thanks Charlotte!
Get Charlotte’s kitchen tea towels inspired by summer days in grandma’s garden – in the shop this month only!
If you’re as big a fan of design blogs as I am (and I’m thinking you just may be), then you’ve probably stumbled across our featured designer, Anna Engström, before – at her blog, red.house design.
I knew I’d found a kindred spirit when I discovered her blog, but then I found out what a talented designer she happens to be too. And now I’m over the moon to finally be able to feature her here.
Usually you can also find Anna at her redhousedesign shop, but for this month only, she’s exclusively ours.
And so is this very special interview with her. Enjoy!
FS: Where in Sweden did you grow up?
AE: My family is from from Gothenburg (Göteborg) in southwest Sweden. We lived in a couple of other places in Sweden too over the years, but Gothenburg has always felt like home.
But what feels even more like home is our summer house. It’s very common for Swedes to have a summer house on the coast. No matter where in the country we lived, the summer months were always spent at our summer house on the Swedish west coast. Today, when my husband and I go home to visit, we go to the summer house, it’s my favorite place in the world!
A collection of pictures Anna keeps on display. photo: anna engström
FS: Where do you live now?
AE: Today, I live in Boston with my husband who is an American (though fluent in Swedish). I moved here 10 yrs ago for school. There are fantastic design schools in Sweden, but somehow I felt I needed a challenge and a new experience so I decided I wanted to go abroad. I chose to do Industrial Design at Wentworth Institute of Technology because they have a great co-op program.
FS: And you decided to stay!
AE: Yes, after some internships in Boston and Gothenburg, and completing my degree, I took a full time job at ELEVEN Design Studio in Boston. That led me to IDEO, where I now work as a Principal Designer focused on research, strategy, brand and product development.
Bright colors of the living room. photo: anna engström
FS: How do you think growing up in Sweden has influenced your perspective on design?
AE: There you have a society where design is not only highly valued, but you are also surrounded by good examples. Being a ‘designer’ isn’t just a profession, it’s a hobby that everyone does! I think that has had a huge influence on me.
Sweden is a stylish country – and it’s not just in fashion. Even the public spaces and transit systems are well designed. There’s a lot of design thinking that goes into everything, and some of that is just in my blood.
Inspiration everywhere. photo: anna engström
FS: And how about your life here in America? Do you ever see those influences creeping in too?
AE: Nature has always inspired me, and New England nature reminds me a lot of Swedish nature. Nature’s own patterns are the most beautiful ones. I went to Harvard’s Museum of Natural History for the first time last fall where they have an amazing botanical collection of beautiful drawings and glass models of flowers. I keep going back there for more inspiration. Charley Harper is a fantastic American artist who I admire a lot and who uses nature as his primary source of inspiration.
A glimpse of Anna’s inspiration board. photo: anna engström
FS: Any other big sources of inspiration?
AE: Colors have always inspired me. My friend Tina keeps reminding me that sometimes just black can be beautiful, but I need color!
So many things inspire me, lots of packaging inspire my patterns, especially Swedish packaging. One of my favorites are the Arla milk packages, and then there’s the baking powder and cacao….. and I love intricate patterns like the Kusmi tea tins.
Swedish food packaging provides good inspiration. photo: anna engström
AE: The list of artists, illustrators and designers who inspire me is endlessly growing, but here are some near the top… Swedish textile and furniture designer Josef Frank is one of my all time favorites. Then there are other Scandinavian designers like Hanna Werning, Sanna Annukka, and Lotta Kuhlhorn. Also Spanish illustrator Fernando Volken Togni.
FS: We have very similar tastes, you and I. : ) How do you describe your design style?
AE: Colorful, playful, purposeful, approachable….. my goal is to add a little bit more fun and playfulness in there. I hope my patterns brighten peoples homes, make people happy when they look at them and connect them with Swedish culture.
Art from some of Anna’s favorites hang alongside her own. photo: anna engström
FS: Speaking of homes, do we see traces of your design style in your own home décor?
AE: Well bright colors would probably be the first thing you would notice if you came over to my house, our dining room is turquoise, our living room fern green and my studio is bright yellow. That’s just to mention a few….in fact every room has it’s own color.
I like the contrast of bright colors, I love mixing styles, textures and patterns. Our living room is a good example of this, where we’re mixing textiles from IKEA, with Josef Frank and Ludvig Svensson textiles.
Anna’s living room. photo: anna engström
AE: Our dining room is a good example of using different textures and styles. I like mixing mid century modern furniture with antiques as well as new furniture. Our dining table is made with old wood from a barn and has so much texture and character which is nicely balanced by the classic yellow Eames shells.
Anna’s dining room. photo: anna engström
FS: How do the designs you create come together for you?
AE: I rarely have a clear idea of what I want to make. I often pick up little bits and pieces of inspiration here and there and then while I’m on the phone or waiting for the bus I start sketching a few things in my sketchbook. The tough part is getting it from the sketchbook into a digital format :) Once I do sit down to start designing it on the computer I generally have an idea of what I want to do, but as I start creating the pieces, the pattern emerges on its own.
Another snippet of Anna’s inspiration board. photo: anna engström
FS: This month we’re featuring a series of prints you’ve done based on traditional “kurbits” patterns. What is kurbits?
AE: Kurbits was a decorative style of painting in the late 19th century originating from the region of Dalarna in Sweden. It was part of a larger folk art style called ‘allmoge ’style that was popular in the 17th-19th century especially within the peasant culture.
Kurbits paintings commonly depicted large flowers and leaves and became popular as paintings on furniture.
AE: Kurbits and allmoge are important to the Swedish cultural heritage – just think about one of our most important icons, the Dalahorse which is distinguished by it’s kurbits painting. Kurbits has had a significant revival in recent years both in Sweden and across the world, and today we see a great variety of modern versions of kurbits.
FS: Besides being based on the kurbits style, is your vertical pattern influenced by anything specific?
AE: The vertical kurbits pattern is very much inspired by vertical paintings of flowers and leaves on cabinets and cupboads. This is one of the most common kurbits paintings.
Anna’s Traditional kurbits, vertical black print. photo: anna engström
FS: How about your square ones that have a different kind of kurbits pattern?
AE: The square format seems to be less common from what I’ve come across in terms of kurbits paintings on furniture. It emerged out of exploring with pieces of kurbits as repeatable patterns.
Anna’s Kurbits square blue print. photo: anna engström
FS: The colors are so beautiful. What was your reference for those?
AE: A lot of the colors are inspired from original kurbits paintings as well. The combination of blue and red was very common. The black contrasted with white, red, green and yellow is inspired by the folk costume for the region of Dalarna. But some of the other color combinations emerged just from playing around with different colors.
Anna’s Kurbits square gray print. photo: anna engström
FS: Where are some of the places where your prints might look their best?
AE: As art they look great framed on your wall, or more casually placed on a shelf or hanging with clips. They’re meant to be everyday patterns, as the kurbits painting on the furniture was in the 19th century. Their symmetry and simple design makes them blend in and become part of your environment but the contrast of the colors make them stand out and hopefully brighten your home.
One day I would love to have my prints on textiles, furniture, tiles and more.
Two of anna’s most popular patterns.
FS: What is your biggest challenge right now?
AE: My biggest challenge is getting all those sketches from my sketchbook into my computer!! I have so many ideas in my sketchbook and even more in my head, it’s just a matter of finding the time to get it all into a pattern design.
FS: And what are you most excited about next?
AE: Right now I’m most excited about being featured on from Sthlm! :) Next, I’m excited about Spring and the release of some new patterns.
Lately, everyone around me is having kids and I’m getting lots of requests for kid’s patterns. I’m very excited about having a lot of fun designing patterns for both kids and their parents!
Fun inspiration in Anna’s studio. photo: anna engström
FS: Anna, we’re thrilled to have you here. We love your kurbits prints and can’t wait to see what you have in store for the kiddo’s!
Thanks Anna!
Anna’s colorful kurbits prints, made to brighten up any room… Get yours in the shop this month only!
Mårten Lindquist was one of the first designers I met when I decided to start From Sthlm two years ago. It was his clever Bubbla notice board that first caught my eye, as a finalist in Swedish retailer DesignTorget’s annual Design of the Year award.
He’s been on my wish list from the start, which makes me extra pleased to bring his latest designs to the US this month.
And we’re lucky to have caught this talented and evolving designer right now. His past in graphic design is what led him into his home accessories brand, Plenty, and now he’s already well on his way to designing furniture.
Enjoy our exclusive interview with Mårten of Plenty Design!
FS: What part of Sweden do you come from?
ML: I grew up in Kumla, in the middle of Sweden. Nowadays I live both in Stockholm and in Hunnebostrand on the Swedish West Coast.
FS: How do you describe your design style?
ML: I think I’m a very idea based designer, both when I work with graphics and when I make product designs. Plenty has a bit more humor and tongue-in-cheek compared to my graphic work.
FS: Half of your work has a youthful feel that seems well-suited to a college dorm room. The other half uses materials with history, that evoke warm fuzzy feelings of grandma’s cottage. Which one is more like your style at home?
ML: Well it’s not really grandma’s cottage, that’s for sure… My home is a combination of flea market bargains, 60’s style furniture, and a kitchen in only black, red and white. The walls are covered with my friends’ paintings and photographs, and lots of graphic posters of course.
FS: What things, places, or people inspire you most?
ML: That is changing a lot but Bauhaus, London and Bob Gill will always be great sources of inspiration for me.
Work of graphic artist Bob Gill, compiled by drawmark blog.
FS: Is there something in particular that you try to accomplish in your designs?
ML: I try to solve problems, which are very often my own problems… If my solutions can help people in their everyday life then I’ve accomplished something.
FS: How does a design come together for you?
ML: Most often I start with trying to define the problem. When I have the problem in one sentence, the solution usually comes by itself.
FS: So what was the thinking then around the bread bags?
ML: I was fed up with the fact that bread in plastic bags became spongy quickly and that bread in paper bags became hard so fast. When I went to my local baker for some advice, he told me to wrap the fresh bread in linen towels instead. When I got back home to do that I realized I had a new product in front of me. All I needed was to find lots and lots of linen towels, thread, and someone to do the stitching (dear Mum). I think the fact that they are all unique and recycled makes them extra special…
FS: “dear Mum”? Do you mean to say…
ML: Yes, my dear Mum does all the stitching on the breadbags and the storage sacks! She retired last year and had some spare time, and she has done an amazing job so far!
FS: How did you come up with the idea for the shopping bag storage sack?
ML: I had so many plastic bags lying around and I wanted a product that would be easy to access and that could fit in with the rest of the kitchen towels. Again the fact that they are all unique and recycled makes them special.
FS: What inspired the birch candle holders?
ML: The birch is very Scandinavian and reminds me of the winter cottage we had when I was a kid.
FS: What are some things you’re most proud of?
ML: I like the poster “Gauge”, which I did just before the Iraq invasion in 2002. In terms of publicity, it’s my “Reminder” doormats.
Mårten’s “Reminder” doormat and “Gauge” graphic.FS: What made you decide to shift your focus to furniture design?
ML: I’ve been doing interior accessories for quite some time and felt an urge to do more sustainable designs. Things that have a longer life. I was also fed up with working in front of a computer screen. Furniture studies are much more “hands on”.
FS: How do you think your previous work will influence your work in the furniture?
ML: I believe that I will always have a bit of the simplicity and quickness from the graphics industry in my furniture designs.
FS: What are you most excited about next?
ML: I’ve done a couple of pieces that a Swedish furniture producer is interested in. Hopefully they will get into production this year. I’ve done a wall clock for DesignTorget too that’s going to be in their shops in the middle of March.
Also, in this part of the world we tend to get excited that we finally can see some daylight for the first time in 3 months…
FS: Congratulations on the new pieces, and you know, you can come visit us in San Francisco anytime!
Thanks Mårten!
Don’t miss Plenty’s hand embroidered and all unique designs for nesting. In the shop this month only!
photo: www.nendo.jp
These “Dancing Squares” lamps by Japanese design firm nendo caught my eye today on Design Milk. I like them a lot.
They reminded me of one of my all-time favorite pendant lamps ever – the Camouflage lamp that Front did for zero.
photo: www.designfront.org
This one’s on the shortlist of lamps I will definitely have in my home somewhere, someday.
photo: HAPPYsthlm
photo: HAPPYsthlm
The beautiful Marka hand-blown glass bowls and silver HAPPYzoo jewelry are just some of the new products this spring from HAPPYsthlm, as featured on Design*Sponge this morning.
Can’t wait to get my hands on some samples, which I should have in another week or so. Shop owners, get in touch! We distribute HAPPYsthlm across the US.
Delightful designs from a favorite Swedish duo… this month only!
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