MELLOW YELLOW AGAIN AND AGAIN

I have had a yellow spell for quite a while and suprisingly - the mellow yellow trend with shades from neon to canary and mustard is still going strong. I captured myself in the mirror at Indiska in Stockholm last week!

They even planted neon yellow Dahlias in Kungsträdgården in the heart of Stockholm.

Even the Swedish famous "Dalahäst" is now available in yellow @ Illum Bolighus at Hamngatan in Stockholm.

Ikea is concentrating on kids this coming year. This interior is from their latest press show in Stockholm. Yellow rug and details in the bed! More to come about Ikea later on this blog!

This lovely Duck has been put on towels at Ikea this coming season!

More yellow furniture from Illum Bolighus in Stockholm.

Bedspread in sunny colours, more from Illum Bolighus.

One of my favourite Swedish designers working with felt, fabric and rugs are Pia Wallén, this rug she has designed for Asplund in Stockholm!

China with inspiration from the 60-ies at Mio (Swedish Furniture Group) in black and white goes extremely well with yellow!

More from Asplund, hand made porcelaine from Mud.

Danish furniture company Bolia showed this new sofa @ their shop on Götgatan in Stockholm this week.

Yellow in the centre of Stockholm. To make the massive roadworks @ Sergels Torg in central Stockholm bearable for the citizens the benches, flowerpots and flowers were all sunny yellow! Nice and happy!

MATS GUSTAFSON @ MILLESGÅRDEN IN STOCKHOLM

Mats Gustafson is a illustrator and artist specialised in fashion. He is currently exhibiting at Millesgården just outside Stockholm on the island of Lidingö.  His career started in the late 70-ies by drawing ads for HM in the Swedish Daily News. Since then we have seen him working for fashion magazines, big fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Issey Miyake etc. HM has also been a big client. He moved to New York in the 80-ies and experienced how the Aids epidemic reduced the arty New York gay community. He shares his time living with jewelry designer partner in New York and a flat in the south part of central Stockholm.

Fashion, Figures and Faces is the name of the exhibition. A mix of portraits from of family, friends and fashion personalities, homosex studies and fashion drawings at its best! Mats is known for capturing the essence of fashion in a few lines. The person can be you. He says (in an interview shown at the exhibition) that he is the voyeur of fashion and not a collaborator. He started drawing womens clothes at a very early age and coming from an arty family it was not considered strange and he was encouraged. He studied at Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm to become a scenographer but the fashion drawing and illustrator career got in the way and he never worked with scenography.

Yves Saint Laurent in a nutshell.

It looks so simple! From suits to hats.

Portraits of famous fashion people. He is just genius in how he captures the personality in a few lines. To the left, model Linda Evangelista and far right the famous designer Sonia Rykiel.

More simplistic and excellent work from Mats.

Portraits. Mats is unusual these days for only using pencil, watercolours and shadows in his work.

More fashion using blocks of colours and cuttings.

Monochrome drawings.

Nudes, some made for the annual report of Proventus and some during the Aids epidemic in New York.

Nudes made for Proventus.

Male nudes.

The latest work from Mats Gustafson is from the latest collection of Dior 2013. It is amazing how he has managed to draw so simply the skirt with its different layers!

Skirt for Dior 2013.

The exhibition at Millesgården is spaciously hung with lots of room to view.

Bags and labels for HM. The exhibition is nicely put together but lacks some of Mats biography. Even though he has a low profile it is always interesting to know when and where he lived, studied and worked. I happened to have met him during his career. First in Paris in the late 70-ies when I was a young fashion assistant for a Swedish Fashion Magazine and we both were hanging outside the Pret a Porter Shows, hoping to be let in by the door men pitying us! I also met him and interviewed him during an other of his exhibitions in Malmö in the late 80-ies. In spite of having a low profile he loves a party!

Millesgården is situated on the north Island of Lidingö in Stockholm. Get there by tube to Ropsten and bus!

Millesgården with all the work of Carl Milles is open all year round. A wonderful and peaceful outdoor and indoor sculptor park well worth a visit. www.millesgarden.se for opening hours and info.

CHRISTMAS PREVIEW FROM ÅHLÉNS (SWEDEN)

Christmas preview at the biggest department store chain in Sweden Åhléns. We were met by this display at the entrance to their press room. I hope they will use these "parcels" in the stores for Christmas.

A red dress for Christmas or perhaps a sequin skirt in grey?

Why not invest in a red bra for Christmas. Or put it on your wish list from you partner!

Special bedlinen for the winter season. And why not decorate you bedroom (without carpet!) with Christmas Trees branches.

A Christmas in grey, sheepskin and red. And a nice plate/tray in pewter like metal. Traditional with embroidery and typical Swedish Father Christmas "Tomtar".

Father Christmas taking a ride on a red robin. A lovely and humouristic table decoration that makes you think of HC Andersens stories.

More old fashioned and vintage looking decorations. Note the red pie forms and baking accessories in red etc.

China for tea and glögg (mould wine, Swedish way). I have seen similar china at Anthropology in London.

A very classical "singing" candle holder that traditionally comes in brass, now in modern stainless steel look!

Santa Lucia is a very Swedish tradition that are celebrated 13 December by Lucia walking in a procession with candles in her hair and with maides, all singing lovely Christmas Carols. You can enjoy it in London. Check the website of SwedishChurchinLondon for more info!

Moss, a common decoration in Scandinavia during the Christmas Season. Pick your own or buy some false at Åhléns.

Very simple and elegant decorations for the tree by Muji who has shop in shops at Åhléns i Sweden.

White and red, crisp and fresh for a Christmas full of Scandinavian inspiration. The electric chandeliers are now seen all over the world (thanks to Ikea?). Advent candle holders might still be very Scandinavian with at tradition of lighting one new candle every Sunday of Advent and then the whole four for Christmas Eve.

Old fashioned skates and shoes for the girly tree!

Ski lodge inspiration for a secure snowy Christmas!

I love these forest animals for the three. Remind me of Mickey Mouse and Donald Ducks Christmas when they get help from Piff and Puff to dress the tree!

Christmas gnomes Scandinavian way!

Finally we will finish this Christmas Preview with a wine stopper! And of course

INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS FROM FORMEX ETC - PART 2

Welcome to Formex and my second trend spotting. The trends are that there are no trends. A mix of vintage, modern design, folklore, retro and materiel mix. The "trend" is to be as no trendy as possible and listen to your heart. The more eclectic and Bohemian the better. This is what I saw! I will report more from the design week later this week. Watch this space!

Welcome back to Formex. The interior and gift shop in Stockholm, Sweden. One of the exhibitors that had the honour to show themselves in the new big entrance was Mateus, china/porcelain maker, Swedish Design made in Portugal. Unfortunately the Christmas dining table they were asked to create felt like it was done with the left hand and in a haste. Perhaps all the of the energy was put into their 20 year anniversary with a special exhibition and party at NK in town and a big stand at Formex where they asked famous stylists of Sweden to do their take on Mateus. Again, a good idea that ended up quite tame and without spark. I have seen so much better displays by Mateus. Perhaps the expectations was too much for them...

The Stockholm Fair café and restaurant by the entrance had had a face lift with new furniture and interior design. I like the colourway of red, orange, white and clay!

The Swedish Fashion Council called this autumns trend exhibition Cube-ism due to the cubes they chose to use. They gave us four "trends", Maximalism, Formalism, Materialism and Eclecticism. Well, it sorts of take care of everything! Which is very much the trend! As they say in the leaflet, "The sky is the limit". Above, gold, copper, brass, warm coloured metals is widely used in the kitchen, on the dining table and in fabrics!

Romanticism, folklore etc mixed together, "Maximalism"? More from The Swedish Fashion Council.

Blues...from jeans to rag-rugs, tie dye and china. Again, folklore and eclecticism at the same time.

The cubes where stacked high and one could walk round and find new surprises in each cube. I felt like a child visiting a big dolls house! The three big colours was a turquoise blue, orange and white!

Monochrome, black & white, op, always right when it comes to interiors. Lately also very big in fashion!

Powdery pastels and sweet design mixed with naive patterns and cleverly folded paper shades. A type of Formalism! The Swedish Fashion Councils Trends.

Again, naive patterns and afroart in a nice mix! Eclecticism in a modern and fresh way. The Swedish Fashion Councils Trends.

More eclecticism when vintage and flee markets meet there match. The Swedish Fashion Councils Trends.

I love these multifunctional bags/buckets! Hinza, made in Sweden.

Multicoloured. Mix colours to create a more exciting table. From Saga Form.

More colour mixes. An old fashioned kitchen sofa with pastel coloured sheepskins and a huge map! Shephards.

Pastel mix. This "trend" has been going on for a while and takes its inspiration from plastic China, Greece and Mexico and has become very popular in Holland and Denmark. www.rice.dk

Stripes is always right. These from Afroart.

Art as patterns from Nadja Wedin, on trays, fabric etc. Why not make these pattern into big scarves for the Fashion business!

Romantic and nostalgic and colourful. Still going strong!

I love this material and colourmix with plain wood and neoncolours! New!

Retro and vintage is still going strong. New colours are pewter blue and burnt orange!

Old warn out furniture is here to stay, a bit longer. Mix with rag-rugs and flowery patterns.

Lovely colour mix with mild pink, lime, celadon and orange. Stripes, butterflies and birds! Poetic.

The press breakfast was this year served in paper bags with papery decorations.

Natural materials and untreated wood are still going strong! Why not create your own kitchen island with reused planks and sheepskins!

China with patterns that made me feel nostalgic. We had very similar patterns in my home in the early 60-ies. RYM.

Funnels turned vases. Stark design.

Lace as a pattern! I like!

This "new" candle holder was found in a church and taken into production by Växbo Lin. I love all the bright colours!

Black and white china with poetic designs and mixed with a golden type teapots! Månses Design.

Traditional motives in monochrome. Viltra Design Studio.

Muted turquoise in different shades, one of this autumns big colours.

More muted turquoise here mixed with clay! Sophisticated colour mix!