Swedish architectural office Claesson Koivisto Rune’s Villa Widlund foregrounds its constructedness by leaving the joins between its constituting concrete elements exposed; photo Åke E.son Lindman

Head north and you’ll find a thriving design culture where the level of consideration given to the way things look, feel and work isn’t determined by their scale. Be they housing projects, chairs or taps, the Scandinavian approach to design continues to be a more democratic one, driven in no small part by the number of Nordic architects who design beyond buildings. Architonic’s Simon Keane-Cowell takes a comprehensive look at contemporary Nordic architects who cross design boundaries.

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‘DECEMBER’ chair by Jasper Morrison and Wataru Kumano for Nikari; photo by Chikako Harada

The latest as well as the last of the 12 designs from Nikari’s year-long project DESIGNS FOR NATURE, which brought together some of world’s most renowned designers or design studios, who, each month, created a wooden product, this pared-down, minimalist chair was developed in a collaborative process between the famed English product and furniture designer Jasper Morrison and Tokyo-based Wataru Kumano. Made of ash and natural wood oil mixture, here’s what the creators of ‘DECEMBER’ say about its design: ‘”We talked about the pleasure in making things and the idea of a chair that could be bought in a box and built at home. Considering Nikari’s skill in wood work, we worked up the idea of a chair which could be made by following easy instructions…’ (more…)

‘Leaf’ lamp by Broberg & Ridderstråle for Muuto

The Stockholm-based design duo Broberg & Ridderstråle have collaborated with the Danish furniture brand Muuto on this collection of neat and simple lamps called ‘Leaf’. Incorporating energy-efficient LED technology, the minimalist, organically-shaped light is available in two sizes and a range of soft pastel hues. (more…)

‘Pal’ stool by Hallgeir Homstvedt for One Nordic Furniture Company

Inspired by his childhood fascination with skateboards, the Oslo-based furniture designer Hallgeir Homstvedt has realised this easy to assemble, pared-down stool for the recently-launched Scandinavian design brand, One Nordic Furniture Company. Called ‘Pal’, the simple, flat-packable stool is made of lacquered ash and it is produced in Sweden. Watch the video about ‘Pal’ below… (more…)

‘Six Legs’ table with ‘Kora’ chairs: ‘The quality of materials and craftsmanship is really high, so I imagine that people will own them for many years’

If the Slow Design movement were looking for a poster boy, Ask Emil Skovgaard would undoubtedly be on the shortlist. Treading a fine and virtuosic line between design, craft and art, the Copenhagen-based creative’s work is, among other things, an expression of pure material joy and a comment on the, often compromised, value of fast-paced production. Architonic talks to the Skovgaard about his patient approach. (by Simon Keane-Cowell)

read Simon Keane-Cowell’s interview with Ask Emil Skovgaard in full on Architonic

‘The No.1′ wristwatch by Form Us With Love for TID

The Stockholm-based design studio Form Us With Love have collaborated with a recently-launched small Swedish design brand TID on its first product – a wristwatch. Aptly named ‘The No.1′, the minimalist, monochrome timepiece is made of stainless steel and encompasses a Japanese-made quartz clockwork fastened onto a simple woven nylon strap. (more…)

‘Tati’ coat rack by Broberg & Ridderstråle for Asplund

A new addition to the reduced yet playful, award-winning ‘Tati’ range, this simple steel, brass-and-marble coat rack has been put into production by the Swedish manufacturer Asplund earlier this year. Designed by the Stockholm-based design duo Broberg & Ridderstråle, the hanger has already been awarded the prestigious ‘Furniture of the Year’ title by the Swedish design magazine Sköna Hem and it is a part of a ‘Tati’ collection of furniture and home accessory pieces which include several side/coffee table designs and a floor and wall mirrors. The coat rack is available in two different sizes and variety of vibrant colours such as; anthracite, white, violet, olive, nougat, deep blue and orange. (more…)

‘Station’ table/lamp by Angell Wyller Aarseth

Three young Norwegian designers and university friends: Simen Aarseth, Christoffer Angell and Øyvind Wyller have developed this minimalist, uniformly-black table-cum-lamp called ‘Station.’ As a modular system, ‘Station’ can be adjusted to be used at different heights – as a coffee table or a working desk which is individually illuminated by a conveniently-located light source. (more…)