With 3 Days of Design just a few weeks away, many Nordic design companies are unveiling the new designs they’re going to showcase at the Copenhagen-based festival. Here is Nordic Watchlist’s selection of the best launches and reissues to look out for right now.
Sagaform’s Billi range
Swedish design company Sagaform has been serving up cool, affordable household design since the mid 90s. Its glass carafe with a wooden ball stopper has become somewhat of a recent classic. The company is now pushing forward with its sustainability goals and has just launched the Billi range, made from 100% recycled plastic. Called rPET, the plastic is made from used plastic bottles that are crushed, melted and moulded into Sagaform’s unique designs. The range includes glasses in different models, bowls, a wine cooler/ice bucket and a carafe for water or wine.
The Nordsø Series from OneCollection
Danish furniture manufacturer OneCollection – known for the House of Finn Juhl – has just relaunched a series of modernist and brutalist furniture created by the renowned architectural studio Friis & Moltke. The Nordsø Series was designed in 1976 and consists of benches – with and without backrests – and long tables crafted from solid Nordic pine. Additionally, the minimalist Nørgaard Chair is being relaunched in stained and painted beech with a seat woven in cord. The chair was designed in 1979, also by Friis & Moltke.
Wästberg’s w163 Lampyre table light
Malmö-based lighting company Wästberg has just launched w163 Lampyre table lamp, designed by French designer Inga Sempé. Taking its name from the French word for glow-worm, the w163 Lampyre is made entirely from mouth-blown opal glass and emits a soft, soothing white light. It has a dimmer function, but even as its brightest, it’s easy and pleasurable to look at. Wästberg describes its shape as “glowing and phantom-like”. We’ll leave you to judge that one!
&Tradition reissues the AX chair
Danish design company &Tradition has reissued the mid-century the AX chair. Designed by Hvidt & Mølgaard in 1950, it is one of the early examples of laminated veneer furniture, using plywood that could be shaped in 3D. The design duo had already made a name for themselves with the success of their Portex range from 1944, a light-weight series of -packed, wooden and veneer furniture specially designed for international export. It was an approach that fulfilled a growing post-war need to produce affordable furniture for the masses. One of the most striking features of the AX chair, is the continuous curve of the armrest, which appears to merge into the frame and is mirrored in the curve that starts from the back and extends to the front of the seat.
A special edition of Hans Wegner’s China Chair
And to another very important Danish chair, this time the China Chair by Hans Wegner. Honouring the fact this chair has now been in production for 80 years, Fritz Hansen has just released a special edition of the China Chair in oiled European cherry with a Pure leather seat cushion. Wegner was early in his career when he designed the first of four versions of the China Chair on a commission from Fritz Hansen to create affordable furniture that could be produced when materials were scarce. Each chair is numbered and only 80 will be produced. The press release didn’t disclose the price, so it’s fairly safe to assume that it won’t be cheap.
A new version of Verner Panton’s Flowerpot
And we have another very welcome release &Tradition – a new smaller version of Verner Panton’s classic Flowerpot pendant lamp. Designed in 1968, the lamp is an enduring minimalist classic, but is also playful and intended to trigger emotions. Measuring 16 cm in diameter, the lamp comes in all 14 colourways and is intended to work in clusters and chandeliers. The Flowerpot series now consists of eight different models in four sizes, ranging from table lamps to wall lamps, portables and pendants.
Vipp’s Art Collaboration
Some readers of Nordic Watchlist will no doubt have a Vipp waste bin in their collection. The design goes back to 1939 when the company formed in Randers, Denmark and it has become a staple in Nordic design shops around Europe. Vipp has recently partnered with Italian artist Alice Ronchi who has designed a series of six curved steel magnets in the shapes of seaweeds, that cover the largest of the Vipp pedal bins. “By adding tailormade, carefully created magnets, I wanted people to interact with the bin, making it an equal protagonist of the home, not just something you put in the corner”, says Alice. The special edition of the bin is available at vipp.com.
Arne Jacobsen’s Swan Chair
And the special editions are coming thick and fast this month. Fritz Hansen has just released a limited edition of Arne Jacobsen’s Swan chair, which is upholstered in a new woollen textile from Kvadrat. The fabric combines colours in a mathematic weave that subtly shifts appearance in changing light. Piping in aniline leather adds a finishing touch that accentuates the chair’s signature curves. The Swan chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the lobby and lounge areas of the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (now the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen). The special edition chair is available until the end of December this year.
Blå Station’s Bimbo stool
Swedish design company Blå Station celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. It launched in 1994 with the Bimbo stool, designed by Peter Brandt. The stackable stool is made ofcompression moulded wood, featuring a cut out hole as a handle, making it easy to move around. Bimbo is designed to be multi-purpose: a seat, a foot stool and also a step for when you can’t quite reach. The iconic stool is available in a range of different colours.
The Faneeri Folding Chair for Nikari
And finally, we end this month with a visit to Finland. Nikari has just released the very beautiful Faneeri Folding Chair, designed by Jonas Forsman. Made from oak, Faneeri is crafted to combine comfortable seating with flat storage. The backrest is made from thin cross laminated veneers connecting the front and back legs. Unfolding the chair creates a naturally curved backrest; fold it back, and it becomes flat. This construction enhances strength and comfort, eliminating the need for stretchers between the legs.
