Monica Förster
Stockholm, Sweden

“A test bed for new ideas” was the overarching theme of the Stockholm Furniture Fair from February 6 to 10, 2024. The presentation was by no means as prosaic as the title, and in fact it quickly became clear: This ongoing experiment is starting to get playful.

At this year’s Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair the Scandinavians show how much we long for homeliness.

Danish design has a contemporary look to it, despite many of the ideas being over 50 years old. At Copenhagen’s “3daysofdesign” there was much talk of tradition and values, and of updating classics.

In Hamburg, after years of preparation, in 2014 a new platform for presentations and debates relating to design opened in the form of designxport. Currently on show: an exhibition on the gender influence in design and possible alternatives.

Stockholm Design Week revealed that noise reduction can look good and smartphones are also changing our furniture. But just what is behind “New Nordic”?

News from the North? Yes, indeed! Even though the makers of the Stockholm Furniture Fair have completely revised the hall layout we managed to glimpse the hottest innovations – here are the 12 most exciting ones.

In his book “Ett Hem” painter Carl Larsson talks about the way that Swedes used to live about a century back. What has remained of their predilection for adorning their homes? A trip to Stockholm provides some answers.

There is a noticeably large number of women in design in Scandinavia. From Nanna Ditzel to Front Design, female designers have always played an important role in Nordic countries. Does this have something to do with design style? Or is it quite simply a question of equality?