Highlights From Stockholm Design Week & Furniture Fair 2020.

You know what they say – nothing like travelling across multiple time zones, swapping hot summer for cold winter and long days for looooong Scandinavian nights, all with a little 4-month-old baby in tow. Actually, wait – nobody ever says nor recommends doing that (duh!), but that’s exactly what Nick and I did earlier this month. But like I always say, never let a bit of pain stand in the way of greatness. And while I continue to suffer some sort of extended jet-lag from hell, let’s look at some highlights from one of the most important events in the Nordic design calendar.

Scandinavia’s high standards of craftsmanship and design were once again the hero of Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020. While the fair itself cannot rival Milan, Cologne or Paris in scale, what it lacks in size it makes up for in the quality of presentation and products on offer. In fact, its curated nature and manageable size are a bit of a drawcard when compared to other mammoth events. This year, Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien of Doshi Levien were the guests of honour at the fair. The London-based design duo created an impressively beautiful plywood pavilion at the entrance, with many of their products and prototypes displayed within the vaulted interior. Fredrik Paulsen’s fun fair-inspired Design Bar transported the visitors to another place that acted as an antidote to Stockholm’s bleak winter days. Reminiscent of promenades in French Riviera, bars on the Balearic Islands, casinos in Las Vegas and amusements parks in Coney Island, this was probably the most joyous fair gathering space and restaurant I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.

Outside the fair, countless venues around the city were transformed into beautifully curated shows forming part of Stockholm Design Week. One of the highlights was The Archive, bringing together five Scandinavian and Japanese brands within the magnificent rooms of the former Swedish State Archive. Ummm, wowzer! At Bukowskis Auction House, Note staged the brilliant “Adjectives” exhibition, which brought together rare art & design objects across a series of installations vailed with textiles from Kvadrat and animated with lighting from Vibia. Super cooltown.

Ok, that’s enough for now. Let’s get amongst it with some of our favourites from Stockholm 2020.

Related: Highlights From Our Visit To Stockholm Design Week & Furniture Fair 2019.

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien of Doshi Levien were the guests of honour at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020. The London-based design duo created an impressively beautiful plywood pavilion at the entrance, with many of their products and prototypes displayed within the vaulted interior. Photography by Jonas Lindstrom.

Fredrik Paulsen’s fun fair-inspired Design Bar transported the visitors to another place that acted as an antidote to Stockholm’s bleak winter days. Reminiscent of promenades in French Riviera, bars on the Balearic Islands, casinos in Las Vegas and amusements parks in Coney Island, this was probably the most joyous fair gathering space and restaurant I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Photography by Jonas Lindstrom.

With long-standing collaborator Ogeborg, Note explored ‘the theory of material’ in colour-coordinated, elevated textile world-encompassing walls and floors carpeted in contrasting hues of brown and blue. Images courtesy of Ogeborg.

Designed by Snarkitecture, maze-inspired Bolon stand was a crowd favourite at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020. Images courtesy of Bolon.

Following a successful series of exhibitions with international floor-covering brand Tarkett, Note marked the launch of Tarkett’s new bio-based IQ Natural surface materials by creating Natural Bond – a phoenix sculpture made from recycled wood parquet. As with Formations in Milan 2019, the stand can be dismantled for exhibitions elsewhere or returned to the production cycle for reuse. Photography by Jonas Lindstrom.

Artek stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020 championed The Bouroullecs’ all-new Rope Chair which pairs marine-grade rope with a steel-tube frame, encouraging dynamic and adaptable ways of sitting. Can’t say I’m too sure about this one, but I didn’t have the time to sit on it, so will reserve my judgement on the subject until further notice. Photography by Marten Ryner.

Supersolid Collection by Note Design Studio for Fogia at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020.

Supersoft Sofa & Supersolid Collection by Note Design Studio for Fogia at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020.

Lounge chair prototype by Note Design Studio for Labofa at Stockholm Design Week 2020.

Can Ilse Crawford do anything wrong? Aparently not. Her W203 Ilumina light for Wästberg was one of my personal faves this year (and that’s before I ever knew she designed it – just, FYI).

David Thulstrup’s side table colleciton for Mobel Copenhagen creates a contrast of solid materials and surfaces — the lower table is in glazed ceramic, with an overlapping higher one made from matte powder-coated steel.

The New Wave carpet collection by Seche Studio for Ege Carpets features a series of soft patterns reminiscent of the sea, made from recycled fishing nets and ocean plastic. Another fave from the fair.

Ummm, can we please talk about hot whiteboards? You heard that right. These timber franed numbers designed by Christian Hallerod for Lintex Sweden made my heart skip a beat. It’s love!

Lewis Power’s Material Property was young British designer’s international debut at Greenhouse. He picked up this year’s rising star award with a small but beautiful collection of four objects made from cast iron, borosilicate glass, and aluminium.

One of the highlights from Stockholm Design Week 2020 was The Archive, which brought together five Danish and Japanese brands within the magnificent rooms of the Old National Archive building at Riddarfjärden in central Stockholm. Ummm, wowzer! Keep scrolling and I’ll meet you down at the last image with more info. K, bye.

The Archive was curated by ex magazine editor Hanna Nova Beatrice, and styled by Annaleena Leino. Danish lighting manufacturer Le Klint and contemporary furniture brand Friends & Founders showcased their wares alongside Japanese furniture producer Ariake and the ceramics label 2016/ from the porcelain-producing town of Arita.

In the beautiful setting of Stockholm’s most prestigious auction house for fine art and design, Note presented Bukowskis Adjectives, a collaborative exhibition with Vibia, Kvadrat and Mutina.

A spatial exploration of the intersection and contrast between colour, materiality, object and light, Adjectives filled the gallery space with art pieces from the participating brands, each representing a different material quality. Light and colour come from Vibia, softness and tactility from Kvadrat’s textiles, and hardness and solidity from surface designer Mutina.

Menu and Dux joined forces with Norm Architects to create The Sculptor’s Residence, an exclusive atelier installation that transformed a period apartment into the eclectic home of an artisan collector. Photography by Monica Steffensen.

Curated by Norm Architects, four different rooms served as an exhibition space for Menu and Dux designs. Tactile sculptures by British object-maker Nicholas Shurey, functional ceramic objects by Sofia Tufvasson and Atelier Armand, limestone and marble podiums by Östersjösten and dolomite plaster plinths by St. Leo stood alongside furniture, lighting and interior accessories to transform the space with bold, geometric forms, natural materials and sleek, Modernist lines that perfectly offset the classical details of the building. Photography by Monica Steffensen.

Another project curated by Hanna Nova Beatrice, Ted Space was housed in a modest private apartment in central Stockholm acting as a dialogue between friends and objects, each one handpicked for the show. Set design and styling was by Kråkvik & D’Orazio and furniture and objects by A part, Frama, Lotta Agaton, Matti Carlson, Folkform and Anton Alvarez, among others.

“Imperfections” exhibition at the Wetterling Gallery launched The Bouroullec’s new pieces for Iittala. The French design dup were commissioned by the famed Finnish glass maker to design a series of vases and stylized glass flowers in delicate colours.

Ruutu Ceramics by The Bouroullecs for Iittala.

Famna 2020 sofa and ottoman by design duo TAF – Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom – for Svenskt Tenn, a playful design with a strong focus on craftsmanship and sustainability.

Each Famna 2020 sofa and ottoman is manufactured by OH Sjögrens in Tranås, Sweden, which makes all of Svenskt Tenn’s upholstered furniture. As with all the furniture in the range, the making of Famna 2020 is the high-end “haute couture” of the furniture world, with every single piece made by hand.

Although not technically forming part of Stockholm Design Week 2020, Breathing Colour by Hella Jongerius at the National Museum was one of the week’s highlights.

This inspiring exhibition explored the complex relationship between objects, light and colour, the way only Ms Jongerius knows how. We are not worthy! More photos here.

[All images courtesy of designers & brands.]