100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway was another highlight of London Design Festival – I’m a sucker for Scandinavian design! Now in its ninth year, it has been going almost as long as the festival itself. And it’s now in a shiny new venue, Dray Walk Gallery, just around the corner from Tent. The light-filled space was designed by “two of the most innovative and capable young Norwegian designers in London” (according to curator Henrietta Thompson) Amy Hunting and Oscar Narud. It was the perfect backdrop for some of LDF’s best Scandinavian design.
Caroline Olsson‘s Turn Lights were inspired by workbenches in Norwegian wood workshops and are made from made of birch and hand blown glass. The tightening mechanism controls the brightness of the light.
Jann Frost, one half of design duo Frost Produkt, said: “The James table is simple and intuitive, easing the transition between indoor and outdoor environments.”
Lars Beller Fjetland designed Re-turned, a series of little wooden birds, to provide a use for leftover wood. They are made by newly established Italian producer Discipline.
Kristine Five Melvaer’s Light Jars are designed to: “illuminate beloved trinkets and objects.” You can put whatever you like in them, making them really easy to customise and make your own.
Peter Opsvik’s garden chair, originally designed in 1985 for Norwegian airports and waiting rooms, makes sitting down a lot more complicated but a lot more fun.
And finally, my favorite pieces: the Benkt sofa and blanket by first time exhibitors at 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Norway, Victoria Günzler and Sara Wright Polmar. The Benkt bench is inspired by Scandinavian kitchen benches and the Benkt blanket pattern is inspired by the geometric lines of the bench’s the cushions. I love the color combination.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- out and about :: london design festival in pictures (part four)
- out and about :: designersblock
- out and about :: designjunction
- out and about :: brompton design district
