As you walk into the main hall at the Stockholm furniture fair you are instantly overwhelmed by the scale of the furniture manufacturing industry in Scandinavia. This is not because of the size of the hall or the number of products on show but the fact that most of the companies and the designers there are Swedish or Scandinavian, something which other trade fairs of the same scale cannot compete with. For a nation of only 9 million there is a sense that Sweden punch above their weight when it comes to the mass production of designed goods, whether it’s the flat packed furnishings of IKEA to the fashion market leaders H&M,  Sweden knows how to sell design.

Many of the big producers were showing new products by high profile local designers such as Offecct’s new Oasis collection which contains pieces by Front, Claesson Koivisto Rune and Monica Förster as well as new work from Italian designer Luca Nichetto, someone who was very well received by the Swedes during this year’s show. Other new products on show were the various new lamps for Zero who this year had collaborated with designers such as TAF, Front, Jonas Forsman and a strange collaboration with Karim Rashid, something which in my option really didn’t tie into the rest of Zero’s minimal collection. Other highlights were Inga Sempe’s new work for Gärsnäs, Jonas Wagell’s ceramic collection for Danish brand Muuto and the new HAY collection which had one of my personal highlights and surprises in Scholten & Baijings new textile collection which included graphic bedcovers, kitchen towels and dishcloths. Not something I would usually find exciting.

Next to the main hall is the infamous Greenhouse section which showcases the Scandinavian schools and the recent graduates. This is seen as a great place to see emerging trends and to spot new studios before they make it big. As usual the quality of work there was very high and there were even signs of some highly conceptual craft objects, something which is usually confined to the Dutch or London graduation shows.  This year’s show was curated by Jens Fager, someone who was a past success at the Greenhouse when he showcased his Grovhugget Anno 2008 as a Konstfack graduate.  The room was set out like circus this year with large stripy tents and a circus ring like space in the center which contained the curated ‘Ung’ exhibition which happens bi-annually, showcasing the best young designers based in Sweden. This seemed like an amazing platform for upcoming designers as there was a lot of focus on the event and after the fair the exhibition will travel the whole world giving these designers an amazing chance to get noticed on a global market as well as marketing the whole thing to show a strong and exciting emerging Swedish design scene. Something Scotland could learn from in terms of National marketing. In fact it makes me proud to think that there was actually something similar for Highland graduates during the ‘New Highland Graduates’ exhibition which I was lucky enough to be part of in 2009. How great would it be to see the whole country try out something similar and tour it across Europe or worldwide?

In the main entrance to the fair stood a seating installation which was designed by this year’s guest of honour Arik Levy. In this space people were offered a chance to relax after all the walking in the halls and take time out to listen to the lectures which were taking place just next to it. Some of these included guest talks, one of which seemed very much like a design version of Letterman with all the intro music and the host chatting to his co-host who sat behind him playing a piano. Some talks were a bit more formal with discussions on future trends and what a designer’s role will be in the future. One of the more thought provoking discussions was a look at what the meeting place of the future will be and how will it affect the way we work and communicate professionally.

Outside the main fair there were also many great satellite exhibitions and openings. One of the most talked about this year was the launch of Form Us With Love’s new collection which included many industry collaborations including exterior lighting and seating, a new interior lamp and a modular sound absorbing concept. The opening for this year’s collection (Form Us With Friends) was once again the place to be with many well-known designers and industry celebrities being spotted at the event. Another talked about show was the ‘20 Designers at Biologiska’ which contained objects by young and established designers shown amongst the diorama at the National Biological gallery. In this show curious objects stood among stuffed animals and dried plants inside the vitrines of the museum creating an interesting environment to show work which was extremely refreshing.

On a personal note one of my favourite events was the launch of Fronts new ‘Front Page’ magazine stand for Italian manufacturer Kartell, a project which I had worked on with them whilst living in Stockholm. It was great to see the final piece in production and it will be interesting to see how well it sells.

After a week of openings, events, talks and parties it can be hard to see past the superficial side of the industry as the designers are placed on pedestals for the week and design fans flock in their hundreds to see what they consider just to be ‘cool’ stuff. From my point of view what impressed me the most was really the amount of support the creators receive within the country and the interest the general public have in well designed and well made goods. Many events in town even made the peak news show’s which is unheard of in the UK.  If Scotland wants to learn how to become a more creative and more importantly a supportive country for creative industries they should have a look at what they are doing over the other side of the North Sea.

Nick Ross, February 2011
Web: www.nckrss.com