#BOTANICAL #FLOWERS #INTERIORS #TABLEWARE #FORMEX

The botanical theme was all around at Formexstockholm last week. Think Carl von Linné, dried flowers and old botanical "Floras" and books. Poetic and lyrical. More soon...

#FORMEX #FÄRG #COLOUR #INREDNING #INTERIORS #KUDDAR #CUSHIONS #MATEUS #NOSTALGIA

Stripes never goes out of fashion. This is the striking ones from Afro Art.

Even though the biggest trends in Scandinavia still is off whites, white, greys and black there are a lot of colours around. This Mediterranean mix of blues and orange/terracotta is always right. Mateus.

Nostalgia with these retro graphic design from Sweden on trays etc. More from Formex and Stockholm tomorrow!

#PERMOBERG #CHEFS AND #BLOGGERS #FORMEX #STOCKHOLM

The "celebrity chef" in Sweden (Masterchef etc) Per Moberg are the "new designer" for Orrefors Kosta Boda, famous Swedish glass blowing company. At Formex (interior-, gift and fashion show/fair in Stockholm running until Sunday) the new designers etc are celebrity chefs and bloggers. Journalists and designers with proper background and education are being ignored...Per himself did ask the question too...at least he gave the credit to the craftsmen i.e. the glass blowers...more about this in the next coming days. Off to more press(blogger?) previews today!

PRE #FORMEX TODAY, INTERIOR TRENDS FROM STOCKHOLM

Today there was a lot going on for the interior press in Stockholm. The morning started with breakfast at Mio (furniture chain) presenting their new catalogue at their flagship store on Sveavägen in central Stockholm. Followed by Beckers, on of the biggest paint producers of Sweden showing off their latest colours, from grey to mauve, to dirty pink and dusky blues...above some decorate flooring and grey black board paint, perfect for the kitchen/dining area.

Gold and brass, a gilded trend is for Christmas...from Ek Pr.

More brass and gold, now mixed with blues and greens at Mio this morning. Velvet gives the right glam feel...

Sage green for Christmas at Tres PR. They also served unusual spiced "glögg" (Swedish mold wine)and colours like grey, black, thunder blues and pink mixed with terracotta. Advanced... more tomorrow...

#SWEDISH #TEXTILES #ÅHLÉNS

Back in Stockholm for a week of Interior Design and fabrics etc. I went to the big department store Åhléns for a bit of a glance and found some new and old fabrics. Above, very typical from Stockholm and with a Scandinavian idiomm from Frösö Handtryck.

The Indian/Swedish company Linum new collection for the autumn in dark grey, brass and turquoise, I like! New is a collection of china...

"Skansen" is a famous national park/museum/zoo and wildlife park overlooking the heart of Stockholm. Åhléns, the department store chain, had named their summer collection after this park. Traditional patterns in a modern way, and of course, the "Dala Horse" as the "front figure".

Åhléns latest fabric collection is by Abigail Borg. I was a bit disappointing since I normally find their collections a bit more vivid and stunning. More to come from Stockholm tomorrow!

#FORMEX #STOCKHOLM COMING UP

Formex, the leading fair when it comes to interior design accessories, beauty and gifts,  starts on Wednesday in Stockholm, Sweden. It has grown to be one of the biggest interior fairs in Scandinavia. This event has encouraged the trade to invite the press etc to their showrooms and other events during this "Stockholm Design Week". Of course I will be there. I remember visiting in the early 1980:s when the showgrounds were in Sollentuna och I was one of the few journalist/stylist to visit. I was at the time the interior editor of Damernas Värld (fashion and lifestyle magazine, now monthly, then weekly) and I was in constant need of new material for my own pages. Now I live in England but still feel the need to stay updated with was happens in my home country and town! Stockholm here I come...Watch this space next week for more from Stockholm.

#SIMRISHAMNSDÖRREN #THESIMRISHAMNDOOR

I was in the lovely summer town of Simrishamn in Skåne, Österlen in the South part of Sweden in early June this year. 

I was fascinated by the lovely doors in the old part of the town and took a lot of photos. This is what I found when I googled "The Simrishamn Door" . 
The journalist Carina Johansson was looking for a door to her house and digged up a bit of history; ((Carina Johansson)

  Den vackert ornamenterade Simrishamnsdörren blev vanlig på 1800-talet i staden men ursprunget är inte helt klar.
– De kan ha kommit in med sjöfarten, det kan ha funnits speciella snickare. Nere i Europa finns det många orter som har en speciell dörr, säger Lena Alebo, museichef på Österlens museum.
I arkitekten Malena Skotes skrift Om Simrishamns dörrar berättas om ornamenten på den typiska Simrishamnsdörren; om romberna som även kallas spätta och flundra, om palmetten som föreställer en förenklad palmkrona och ibland kallas för solen. På nya Simrishamnsdörrar liknar palmetten en blomma.)
Translated (by me);
The beautiful ornate original "Simrishamn Door" became common during the 1900-th century in the town of Simrishamn,  but its origin is not quite clear. 
-It could have been brought in by the sea trade, but there might have been special carpenters that made these doors. In Europe there are many places that have their own special doors, says Lena Alebo, head of the Museum of Österlen. In the booklet by the architect Malena Skotes, "About the doors of Simrishamn", we are told about the ornaments on the typical Simrishamn door, about the rombs that are also called "spätta" or "flundra" (plaice), about the palmett that symbolises a simple palm crown and is sometimes called a sun. On newer doors this palmetts looks more like a flower." 

This is one of the lovely streets in the old town of Simrishamn. Note the medieval church tower at the end.

The street where I found most of the lovely doors to come.

Bare wood with windows...

Matt black in contrast to pink and copper green drainpipe...

Blackish brown in high gloss goes well with the yellow house...

Wooden and mature, elegant and simple...

Red and blue, next door to each oter, similar but different...

Matt sage green with grey plastered walls and modern metallic lanterns, modern and traditionellt at the same time...

Baby blue, nearly what we in Sweden call, "Dala blue". Impressive double door...note the unusual shape of the little windows...

Fresh in white with pink walls and red roses, like Strawberry Icecream!

Dark stained brown with a peachy tone on the walls.

This house makes me think of the ancient town of Visby in Gotland. The Swedish colours yellow and blue in sunbleached shades. Mild and calming...

And finally, a more conventional and nicely ornated version of the Simrishamn door. Olivgreen in combination with ocre, an unbeatable combination...

#BUHRES IN #KIVIK #ÖSTERLEN #SKÅNE #SWEDEN

Buhres in Kivik in the South East of Sweden is a fishmonger, café, restaurant and shop in this picturesque little town in Österlen. A modern interpretation in a beautiful setting by the Baltic Sea. Above, their own sweets looking like stones.

"Silalucka", the herring locker...Outdoor café and restaurant serving mainly herring and fish dishes...

The bar has a decorative wall inspired by herring and overlooking the sea...

More fresh interiors from Buhres...

Of course, a deck for the brave Swedish holiday makers...more from Österlen soon...

#ELLE NEW LOOK? DISAPPOINTING SEPTEMBER ISSUE

I was longing for the new Elle this month, big new AW16 fashion,  and this is what came through my letterbox yesterday. I do not normally write critics but this time I feel like I need to.  It looked really promising, until I started looking into it. First, as always, lots of advertising from the big fashion players, but more than ever. I do not want to pay to look at advertising! I know that that is what these magazines lives on (I was employed at one for eight years) but were has the integrity gone...more about that below...

Lorraine, the editor, writes, as usual, about how fun it is to work at this magazine, how exited they are about the new look, and how hard they have worked on it. A bit too much I would like to say...where does the advertising pages and editorial start and begin, where is the journalistic touch. I might be on the higher age scale of your readers (60+) but I am just as interested in fashion etc as my sons girlfriend who is 19!(Who by the way agrees with me about the poor graphics, to much "space" and small images).  Blogging and watching fashion on the smart phone or on your PC/Mac is with limited space. Smaller than a magazine, so why such small photos? Elle has actually space to show bigger pictures. And what happened to the opening pages of "cut out" pics with trending text and writing which has been the "signature" of Elle???

And what does collective really stand for, anything of interest? I am sorry, after 30 years in the business as a journalist, stylist and graphic designer, I do not get it! I get confused, nothing interests me enough to want to read.  Followed by stories about 20 year old models that are put out to be something in between a story and fashion. Is it a way to avoid having to pay them? Or trying a new way of telling about fashion? And dress them in fantasy priced fashion labels that only the mega rich can afford. These models are not old and experienced enough to have that much to tell ... For me it is just trying to hard. I also happens to know that these days the big brands forces the magazines to only show their label per page/outfit and with the outfit decided by the label itself. That is the"rules" they have. And the magazines lets this happen?!

Another young model etc, 23! Good looking guy and of course it is nice with some fashion porn and mens fashion, but I wanted to know about fashion, upcoming trends, Elles view of it, how they are putting it together. Mix high end brands with high street fashion, be journalistic...

Another young "icon" to be? 20 this time. Can anybody that age (not model or mega rich) buy a jacket by Dolce & Gabbana (no price even published). The nose ring was her own (we hope).

Again, punk fashion? I do not think this girl is older than 14...Here, trying to do street fashion...not sure what to think...would you walk out in socks like that and sandals, yes I wear it at home on a lazy Sunday...

Graphic design is all about making it easy to read and at the same time look good. Small pictures and bad editing...

And on the last page, some sort of last page about somebody in fashion. I do not get it, small, hard to translate into english and not even attractive or fun to watch.

Again, you will need magnifying glasses to see what is on these pages (my sons girlfriends (19) comment!) And she also commented about "empty" the space that could had been used better, for headlines, bigger pictures etc. Elle, I am deeply disappointed in this issue, you can do some much better...