Interview: Maria Holmer Dahlgren

Posted by Tiffany on March 10th, 2010    2 Comments »

My goodness, is it possible that you’re all as infatuated with Maria’s colorful designs as we are?

With so much wonderful feedback, we decided to go back to Maria to find out a little more about her inspiration in general and the items we’re featuring this month in particular.

Here’s what she had to say…

Maria working away… on a very cold winter day!

FS: We’ve gotten a glimpse into your fantastic studio already. What are some of your favorite things about it?

Maria: My studio is an old shop with high ceilings and a huge beautiful front window. It´s situated in the centre of Stockholm, at Kungsgatan. So it’s close to everything, I have everything in walking distance (I live in an apartment just across the street). And that’s important for me as a designer. To get out, to meet people and see trends… to get input!

Maria’s big window on the world

FS: How would you describe your design style?

Maria: I’m striving for graphic harmony and simpicity using geometric shapes. And I give letters character in the same way.

FS: How does a design come together for you?

Maria: Every design starts with lots of study and collecting. Then comes the huge process of reduction. I seldom know at the beginning how the design will look in the end. It’s a journey that makes designing so exiting!

I also think it’s very important to have the time to let the design mature, to let it rest, to come back after some time and then reduce even more……then suddenly it takes on its own distinctive character.

One of Maria’s most recent additions… the London tray

FS: I know the details are as important to you as the overall impression. What will we find if we look closely at the Stockholm tray?

Maria: I always try to build up levels of impressions…

Some people know Stockholm very well and they’ll of course understand the sublime details. For instance, The “T” in Stockholm is also the shape of a well-known restaurant named Gondolen. So to do a “portrait” of a city you must know it well. It should feel like it was done by someone who lives there.

My favorite part in the design is the five skyscrapers “Hötorgsskraporna” built in the fifties and sixties. But in real life my favorite part of Stockholm is the waterside of course. Stockholm is a Northern Venice.

Maria has made the “T” in the shape of a popular Stockholm restaurant called Gondolen… easy to recognize for a Stockholm local.

FS: Another one near and dear to you I know is the Kingdom of Sweden kitchen towel. What do we see there?

Maria: I thought a could do a portrait of Sweden but it’s hopeless since there is just too much to show. So it ended up with three perspectives, nature, culture and design… more like a poster, but on a towel. I often frame my tea towels. It looks great on kitchen walls!

There are many different symbols in the pattern. In the back you can see the midnight sun over the old “fjällen” (mountains) with snow on the tops. Lots of water in lakes and rivers. And nature with endless wild woods. Two birds in love are enjoying a meal shaped like a heart… the smaller red bird has a royal crown and it’s easy to think about the upcoming royal wedding in Sweden.

Famous Swedish botanist Carl von Linné is represented by his favorite flower and little red cottage.

A small fragile flower named “Linnaea borealis” is there too. It was Carl von Linné’s favorite flower. And the red little cottage was one of his houses in Råshult.

A line with small berries stands for the Swedish “Allemansrätt” – the law in Sweden that gives everyone the right to stay and enjoy the wild nature in Sweden, including picking berries, flowers and mushrooms.

Lastly, the big tree is a favorite motif. It’s a symbol of grand nature but also a symbol for life itself and generations all common rooted.

Maria’s dishcloths sit comfortably with nature. They’re made of trees after all, and will help things grow when you’re done with them.

FS: Speaking of nature, one of the items we’re featuring this month, the dishcloth sponges, are new to us in the US. But they were developed with nature in mind – and what a great everyday palette for good design! What role do they play in Swedish households?

Maria: This kind of dishcloth is sold all over the world today, but it was invented in 1949 by engineer Curt Lindqvist in Sweden.

It absorbs up to 15 times its own weight and
is made of natural cellulose and cotton fiber, which makes it naturally compostable.

Every household in Sweden uses it every day. It’s easy to wash and it’s very environmentally friendly.

FS: Lastly, you’ve given us a more abstract but every bit as striking pattern with the “Coffee in Bed” tray. Can you tell us about that?

Close up of Maria’s Coffee-in-bed tray with its old fashioned patchwork pattern.

“Kaffe-på-sängen-brickan”, or the “Coffee-in-bed tray”, is a small reminder of how nice it is to treat someone you love, spoil your friend with a nice cup of coffee on a tray in bed. It’s such a nice way to wake up. And perhaps there is a croissant there as well…

The design and shapes are like an old-fashioned patchworked bedspread. I always cut out pieces of my husband’s old worn but much-loved shirts and pieces of my children’s old clothes. One day I will put every piece together into a lifelong memory bedspread….

It’s all part of the same message I like to send out. Enjoy life, every minute! And spoil your near and dear! Give and get!

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For more images of these items, visit Maria’s featured designer page and our overview piece on her here!

:: all photos © www.fromsthlm.com ::

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