REVIEW – STOCKHOLM FURNITURE FAIR 2024
Pragmatic and upbeat

Even the very entrance area of the Stockholm Furniture Fair featured a pavilion made of pink fabric – the “Reading Room” – courtesy of Italian design studio Formafantasma, which was the fair’s guest of honor this year. For Artek, Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi have optimized the company’s supply chain and chosen a new selection of wood that allows for natural characteristics such as knots and insect trails. The tables, benches, and chairs in the pavilion, which were once designed for Artek by Alvar Aalto, are therefore now made of wild birch. Further items of furniture from the range are to follow, with the aim being to create nothing less than a “Forest Collection”. This year, halls A and C were brought to life with other curated spaces offering a real experience and information, like the bars “The Yellow Thread” by Färg & Blanche, “Surface Club” by Lab La Bla, and the “Greenhouse bar” by Stamuli. To bring about the desired interaction with visitors, Lab La Bla made use of a minigolf course, hot dogs, and DJ nights, for example – and yet still managed to convey that their overarching concern is environmental responsibility. Together with Cooloo, they develop material-based solutions for new environmental strategies such as coatings produced from waste. All elements of the installation were recyclable or recycled, including the flooring from Bolon. At the same time, Lithuanian producer Herleven used waste from the local leather, cork, and textile recycling industries to create lounge seating in quite extraordinary shapes: “Wave” looks like it is made of concrete but offers exceptional comfort, is robust, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

New technologies for the use of recycled materials, as well as untreated wood that doesn’t have to be perfect, were two topics that were picked up on by numerous creatives and businesses. When used for chairs, these were often solid, straightforward, and fitted with a sled base – with some models reminiscent of those from our own kindergarten days. Like “Forest” by Frederik Mattson for Form Miljö, the “Bullnose Chair” by Marco Compardo for Hem, the “016 Maasto Dining Chair” by Ronan Bouroullec for Vaarnii, or the “S2 Easy Chair” by Brutwork. For its models, Contemfurniture used scrap wood and furniture from demolition sites to create clear and durable furniture designs. Meanwhile, Bodafors Möbler AB took it to the extreme with an oversized chair model that was enthroned on the surface like a sculpture. Spacious, heavy, and durable: A description that also applies to the “015 Peace Outdoor Lounge Chair and Footstool” by Faye Toogood for Vaarnii made of ThermoWood® pine, which picks up on the shape of a classic garden armchair and, according to the manufacturer, can be considered an “architectural enrichment for the outdoor space”. A great match here is Nick Ross’ series of objects entitled “Primitive Arrangements”, which is inspired by elements of Scandinavian boat building from the Bronze Age, Viking jewelry, and standing stones.

The Ishinomaki Laboratory offered an insight into its collection of wooden furniture, whereby the creative core is to use fewer resources, be it in terms of material or specialist knowledge, while achieving the maximum result. Part of this was the “Studio Wall Lamp” from Taf Studio. The company was founded in 2011 as a public workshop for the community in Isinomaki, which was devastated by a tsunami. A very personal approach was evident in the work of industrial designer Lars Hofsjö: His Lumberyard project emerged in the midst of the peak phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and comprises a wooden furniture collection that he has been continuously expanding ever since. All chairs, stools, and side tables have clear, geometric forms and are made using materials from the local timber yard.

This return to the essentials in uncertain times was taken up by the creatives and translated into furniture with form that creates the impression of a clear and strong lifelong companion. And the approach was no less evident in the work by the young creatives, as, for example, in the “Alm” armchair by Callum Miller, which is basically a tree stump with a seat recess and implied armrests, or the “Makertable” with column-shaped legs and a slender tabletop by Magdalena Jonsson, both of whom are students at Konstfack University. Wojtek Wroz, a student at Lund University, has also designed an oak stool for the “WuW Project” with individual parts that can be flexibly swapped out. The basis for this is a 3D-printed connector made from recycled PET plastic, into which the legs can be fixed. Alexander Morén, Granas-Malin Kristiansson, and Maja Berthin Tingström teamed up with NC Nordic Care to create the “Faba” table made from oak veneer and MDF. The asymmetrical design with rounded corners and a star base is barrier-free.

Anna Herrmann used plant dyes to give “String Design” shelves a new look, and the work earned her the Scholarship of Ung Svensk Form 2024. The Interesting Times Gang – which already garnered attention last year with furniture forms from the 3D printer and uses not only recycled fishing nets but also mycelium, sugar kelp, and orange peel as materials – presented table bases made from Pacific oyster shells and a prototype of the new “infauna” table lamp. Similarly dynamic is the furniture by the reform Design Lab or by Model No., which is 3D-printed from biocomposites. As the basis for the “Esker Chair + Ottoman”, for example, Model No. uses plant waste from agriculture.

Meanwhile, ideas for the future of construction were presented in the special show “Farming Architects” by Jordens Arkitekter, which covered 300 square meters and bridged the gap between current building practices and new, sustainable solutions. The focus here was on the creative process, with sketches, models, and sources of inspiration as well as the interdisciplinary cooperation between architects and scientists. In the materials library, for example, visitors could discover products made of cellular glass from Cellglas Sweden, the EcoCocon straw construction system, and the Cradle to Cradle-certified acoustic panels from Troldtekt. Also worth a look were the new natural coverings for acoustic products from Slalom, such as “Bloom”: Consisting of natural fibers and petals, the aesthetic and the scent of the meadow flowers used remains inherent in the material without the allergens being preserved.

A functioning value chain requires all participants – and having recognized this, Minus Furniture has developed a subscription model for furniture. In order to create carbon-negative wood products, this service ensures that the lifespan of the materials is extended and recycling taken into account from the outset. Tarkett joined forces with Note Design Studio to present a fully circular vinyl floor made of recycled waste materials: the “iQ Loop” collection. To create the products, the company’s global take-back program ReStart collects, analyzes, sorts, and prepares both installation waste and discarded flooring for reuse. The aim of the project is both to strengthen the connection between customers and the company as well as to generate new appreciation for supposed waste.

Alongside wood, furniture made of metal was also very popular, often on castors, like the “Able” chair by Lindau, Borselius & Bernstrand at Bla Station, or the “Tension” trolley by Gustav Winsth for Lammhults. Particular attention has been paid to the details here: The connecting screws of the “Able” are not hidden, but add a decorative element to the shape, while “Tension” boasts smooth-running skate wheels instead of classic swivel castors. With “Plus” by Alexander Lervik, Johanson Design exhibited a chair with a retaining screw head that serves as a graphic symbol. The company’s stand, bathed in alternating warm and cold colors according to a design by Tekla Evelina Severin, was also the setting for the modular sofa series “The Thread” by Färg & Blanche. Its striking edges are the result of an experiment with a carpet overlock machine and give the flat modules a contour reminiscent of Tetris bricks. Essem, meanwhile, filled an entire stand with minimalist hallway furniture and accessories made of steel with a black powder coating.

Getting more out of what already exists and being able to react flexibly to new uses – that’s something Hayworth achieves, among other things, with a textile covering that is made to fit the size of the chair precisely so that there are no scraps. Wästberg focused on the aesthetics of raw aluminum and created the “Raw Collection” by combining ten luminaires from its range that are made either of brushed, hammered, or polished raw aluminum and do not require any further surface treatment or coating. These include the “w151” pendant luminaires with different-sized conical shades by Claesson Koivisto Rune, or the “w162 Dalston S3” pendant luminaires by Sam Hecht & Kim Colin. The “w241-Faro” by David Chipperfield, which can be used both inside and out, was also on display at the company’s entirely silver-grey exhibition stand. The upper disk of the compact luminaire functions as a dimming wheel and a switch. Meanwhile, Oblure presented its “lightbone collection” by Färg & Blanche, which combines oak wood and spherical glass and was inspired by bamboo forests in Japan. Zero presented the “Curve Cluster” pendant light by Front and thus a further development of the “Curve” lighting collection. Consisting of three branches that end in milky glass spheres, the lamp can be integrated both as a solitaire and as an ensemble and can be fitted with lampshades made of lacquered metal or with glass spheres in various sizes. The small “Hito” couch table by Mario Martinez for Karl Andersson & Sönder is multifunctional with its solid wood top. For the unusual base, the designer took inspiration from the tension of stacked playing cards. “Peel” by Joel Karlsson is a folding column table made of veneered MDF, solid wood, and a steel core and is quick to assemble and dismantle.

Among other items, CC Tapis presented the “Telegram Collection” by Formafantasma, which is hand-woven in Tibet. In the excess, which serves for the free form to be cut, words can be woven in. The anonymity of the craftspeople is thus removed to some extent, and the results are unique in every respect. EDSBYN has not only recently gained new management – in Cecilia Sebesta – but has also launched a number of new products: for example the “NEAT” mini-kitchen by Thomas Eriksson, a service trolley with a plug socket, sink, water supply and storage space that can be positioned flexibly. Or the “Reform” shelving system by Claesson Koivisto Rune, which offers a number of possible uses with its open and closed surfaces. It is made from materials left over from the production of various furniture collections by EDSBYN. With “Cup”, Luca Nichetto demonstrates his joy in playful designs – a stool with a metal handle in a number of colors that looks like a coffee cup. The hollow cylinder is made using recycled cardboard and likewise materials left over from production.

In terms of stand construction, there were plenty of airy concepts to be seen at the Stockholm Furniture Fair with some exhibitors doing away with partitions entirely, while others used untreated wood or their own textiles and furniture – like Astrid Textiles or Anki Hneib and Studio Mia Cullin, which used two of the new “Moiré” pavilions created by Mattias Rubin de Lima for Nola to create the structure of a house. For the floor, they chose recycled bricks. The most sustainable exhibition stand was most likely that of pholc: To present its luminaires, the team simply used the wooden transport boxes and neon-orange tension belts. Another clever stand design was that of Gärsnäs, where paper cords served as room dividers. This year, their space was surprisingly cozy thanks to the “Simris” sofa and armchair by Anton Björsing, whose seats and voluminous cushions are close to the ground and surrounded by an oak frame. At Abstracta, too, the seating was low and enclosed: The new “Akunok” acoustic furniture concept with armchair, sofa, and room divider by Maja Ganszyniec improves the background noise while also providing generous seat space and particularly high side walls.

Incorporating the experimental exhibition platform Älvsjö gård at the exhibition site after its premier last year was a win for both sides: Visitors were not taken away from the fair, and the space, which was open on all sides, brought the creatives more attention than the winding rooms of the 16th-century manor house of the same name. With this and the formats “New Ventures”, “Greenhouse”, and “Ung Sveng Form”, the fair thus offered ample space for young creatives, collectible design, and experimental concepts. Plenty of talks and tours were also offered, including by Patricia Urquiola, Bethan Laura Wood, and Emma Olbers.

Beyond the exhibition, it was worthwhile taking a look in the city’s showrooms, such as that of Carl Hansen & Son: Alongside its expansion of the “Embrace Series” to include tables and chairs for outdoors, the longstanding Danish company also showed the “Timbur Outdoor Bench” by Gudmundur Ludviks, among others, whose elements are reduced to a minimum by the skilled cabinetmaker. Furthermore, there was a classic in a new guise waiting to be discovered: the “CH24 Wishbone Chair” by Hans J. Wegner in teak. Monica Förster teamed up with Ogeborg to present the exhibition “I Inherited a Forest” with a collection of printed and hand-tufted carpets and upholstered furniture inspired by her own plot of woodland. In the showroom shared by Materia, Skandiform, and NC Nordic, there was a whole series of innovations to be discovered, such as the hybrid “Palette” chair by Jesper Ståhl for Materia, the “Humlan” side table by Eva Schildt for NC, or the “BEasy” swivel chair by Stefan Borselius and Ruud Ekstrand for Skandiform.

This year, the Scandinavian Design Awards took place in the Musikpalast Musikaliska Kvarteret, built in 1878: The Architecture of the Year Award 2024 went to “The Press House” by Atelier Oslo, while the Furniture of the Year Award was won by the “Bench Ypsilon” by Daniel Rybakken for Vestre, and the Designer of the Year was named as Cecilie Manz. The Interior Designer of the Year Award was presented to Christian and Ruxandra Halleröd, aka Halleroed, and the Interior Product of the Year was named as the “Silo” wine rack by Chris Martin for Massproductions. The Rising Star of the Year was Didi NG Wing Yin. In the Sustainability Award of the Year category, Home-Earth was recognized for its “Doughnut for Urban Development”, an open-source project where all resources can be downloaded for free.

As last year, the only rather vexing element of the event was the politically humorous cabaret. In 2023 the texts were recited only in Swedish, so the international guests couldn’t understand much of the content, although this year’s program demonstrated that it was probably best that way – the speaker listed his supposed failures, one of which was “being a Nazi today and not in Germany in 1944 when being a Nazi was still fun”. Pause. Two questions then arose for me: At a time when democracy is under threat by growing right-wing populism all over Europe, do we really need a remark like this? And why do the Stockholm Furniture Fair and the It Is Media publishing house – which launched the Scandinavian Design Awards only last year to honor the best architecture and the best interior design in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland – choose to accept this damage to their reputation? At least the audience did not remain inert: Numerous guests left the room shortly after the faux pas.

So what now remains of the Stockholm Furniture Fair and Stockholm Design Week? Sweden, too, has not been left unscathed by the challenges of the last few years: “Last year was marked by a complete standstill in the construction industry. And that naturally has an impact on the furniture and interiors industry. We export more than 70 percent of Swedish furniture, but now we are seeing an interruption in the success story – for the first time in years, we have a decline in exports,” says Cecilia Ask Engström, Director of Industrial Development at the Swedish Federation of Wood and Furniture Industry (TMF). On the exhibition floor, there was little evidence of the challenges the industry is currently facing: Despite a smaller exhibition space and the absence of big manufacturer names, there was plenty of valuable inspiration, creative ideas, and a friendly, informal atmosphere. The aim is to create a “new energy” and to activate the concept of the trade show for the future, explained director Hanna Nova Beatrice at the beginning of the event. Given the large number of exciting concepts on display in Stockholm, that shouldn’t be a problem.