The New Ordinary

:: all photos by www.fromsthlm.com ::

There was a lot of talk at Formex this year about the “New Ordinary” — ordinary as in unprocessed, simple and natural, traditional, handmade.

It seems you’d have to be hiding under a rock not to see this movement in full swing already. But then, you are reading a design blog.

And now it’s a topic of trade show themes and presentations. That means 1 – it’s officially mainstream, and 2 – we’re not alone. Across northern Europe, the US, and so many other places, we’re all excited about a return to home craft. Kinda neat, don’t you think?

The “new” comes into play as old patterns are updated (for instance by Mrs. Murphy, our featured designer this month!)… simple designs are executed with outstanding craftsmanship… and raw materials take center stage, often in inspired new ways (for instance, the wooly wine cosies of Hetta, seen close-up in the top left picture).

These images are from a special exhibition displayed beautifully by Sweden’s Center for Arts and Crafts where handmade products were accented with paper crafts and nature. Just lovely.

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