Design duo GamFratesi welcomed visitors to the Stockholm Furniture Fair with a petal-shaped mobile installation that echoed the work of sculptor Alexander Calder. The Danish-Italian pair, who picked up this year's Guest of Honour mantle from Nendo, suspended their fabric florals from the ceiling of the Stockholmsmässan above a lounge area kitted out with their furniture.
Dubbed 'Balance', their serene installation's arrangement was designed to create an equilibrium between life, work and play. 'For us, as for most people, each day is a struggle to find balance in life,' Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi explained. 'The exhibition we have created at the Stockholm Furniture Fair is meant to remind us of that.'
The installation proved a restorative environment for weary fairgoers. It also gave them the chance to admire GamFratesi's recent designs for the likes of Ligne Roset and Gubi, showing us just how sophisticated their body of work is.
Another equally strong collection came courtesy of young Danish/Swedish design company Friends & Founders, launched in 2013. Its Spring 2014 offering extended all the way from furniture down to small accessories, and from indoor to outdoor items, without compromising their finely honed design aesthetic - distinct for its pared-back forms and clean silhouettes. 'Balance' was once again the word that sprung to mind.
Elsewhere at the Stockholm Furniture Fair, monocolour collections seemed to be the order of the day. Swedish brand Scherlin rendered its entire collection in a bright shade of orange to mark its 20th anniversary, while Danish company Montana served up pieces in varying shades of vermillion.
Outside the fairgrounds, things took a surprisingly theatrical turn. Flooring specialist Bolon joined forces with choreographer Alexander Ekman, while Swedish-French studio Färg & Blanche teamed up with the architect Erika Janunger and the choreographer/dancer Oskar Frisk - both to create short films. We were particularly struck by Bolon's 'Silence - The Show(room)', an artful interpretation of the brand's new Silence collection, 'inspired by the tranquil beauty of forests and wide skies Ulricehamn'. The classical music fused with the beating rhythm of the Bolon looms and dancers' footsteps in this strangely hypnotic film. Presented within an installation by Beckmans College of Design, it certainly launched the new collection with a flourish.
'Odette' bar stools by Massproductions
Scherlin celebrated its 20 year anniversary with a collection completely coloured in orange
Italians were represented in force at the Fontana Arte stand with a creative display of 'Blom' lamps by Andreas Engesvik
The Konstfack Collective is made up of four bachelor students from the Interior Architecture and Furniture Design programme at the Swedish school
The participating students collaborated on a collection exploring 'the borderlands between space and furniture in order to broaden our perceptions of what a piece of furniture can be'
Low table by Konstfack Collective
Shelving unit by Konstfack Collective
'Crop' table lamp by Note Design Studio for Örsjö Belysning
Dinner setting at Note Design Studio
Bureau by Efraim Albertsson at Steneby
Cupboard system by Färg & Blanche
'Will' chairs by Lith Lith Lundin at Greenhouse
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture moved away from traditional wood and presented a chair collection all in metal
'Useful Living' by Sanghyeok Lee
'Bowl' table by Ayush Kasliwal for Mater
'Bowl' table by Ayush Kasliwal and 'Dome' lamp by Todd Bracher, both for Mater
Originally launched in 1958 by Børge Mogensen, the 'Spanish' chair was reconfigured by Alfredo Häberli for this year's fair
Cupboard by Swedish storage firm TreCe for Office Life
Bins by TreCe
'Boss' sideboard by Fogia
'Krobo' bench by Fjordfiesta
Chair by Gemla
'Bow' bench by Lisa Hilland for Gemla
By Lassen has expanded its range with a new shelving system
Designer Jens Farger unveiled Design Bar, a restaurant concept in collaboration with chef Tommy Myllmäki
Office desk system by String
'AjOtto' dinnerware by Frama
Gold carpet by Kasthall
'Spin' outdoor bench by Lars Vejen/SHL Design for Hags
'W132' accessories collection by Nendo
'Sine' collection by Erik Olovsson and Kyuhyung Cho
NC Nordic Care showed a dining room set in yellow
'Buzz' table by Espen VOll, Tore Borgersen and Michael Olofsson
New rug collection by BuzziSpace
Colourful shelving by Montana
Another bright injection of colour at the fair by Montana
'Cinema' sofa by Lammhults
Chairs by Blå Station
An array of pastel-hued chairs at Källemo
The Pastel theme continued at Klong, which showed a sideboard with metal detailing
Pendant lamps and new dining chairs by Nikari
Baux, a new acoustic panelling brand, launched this year in partnership with Form Us With Love
A sample of materials by Baux
Vifa - a new audio brand - launched 'Copenhagen', its first wireless loudspeaker
Friends & Founders, a Danish Swedish design company founded in 2013, showed a full collection of products for the home
'Fondue' pendant lamp by Luca Nichetto for David Design
'Sucabaruca' coffee set by Luca Nichetto with Lera Moiseeva for Mjölk
'Sucabaruca' coffee set by Luca Nichetto with Lera Moiseeva for Mjölk
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Stockholm Furniture Fair 2013 -
Stockholm Furniture Fair 2012
