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!

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!