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| It has been a sad February for the UK. A Brexit that should not have happened has happened. Disaster is a mild way of putting it.We are still not quite sure what is going to happen next. Boris thinks it will be a quick and smooth operation. Who is he kidding. It will be a long (years) and painful procedure and I doubt (mark my words) that leaving is the option. Never mind. In mid January I visited Stockholm (my hometown by the way) and Formex (interior- and gift fair of which I am the agent for in the UK. A nice and stimulating fair for interior workers. Like a lot of fairs these days, they are suffering from decreasing amount of exhibitors and visitors. All due to, the increasing Internet shopping, global warming and recycling trends, and the change in the way we shop. But as long as the fairs themselves and their exhibitors and visitors still have something to win from it, they will go on existing. Anyway, the trend forecast bureau Carlin (Paris) was invited to show how they see the future of shopping. They mixed islands of shopping with socialising (bit tables with growing decorations and where you could charge your phone or computer, work on your own or be with others. The colours, yellow and blue, they did not pick them for being the Swedish colours, funny enough. To me it looked like they just done a pop-up shop for Ikea! |
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| Ceannis, bag- and interior accessories, work out of Hong Kong. Pink dumplings (sweet) was served with pink champagne at their press preview. Pink a big colour for them this spring...surprisingly a lot of pink around and mostly paired with yellow, orange and red! |
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| More pink, AfroArt, designed in Sweden but made in Africa and Asia. Afroart collaborates with local artisans to highlight the craftsmanship of the developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are masters of stripes! From cushions to runners and baskets. |
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| Efva Attling is a model, turned singer turned silversmith who puts her fingers in a lot of different areas. Now she has worked together with furniture company Crea, the H-colletion (Efva grew up in Högdalen, suburbia of Stockholm)and created a collection of sideboards, coffee tables, dining tables etc. She is everywhere! |
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| The "H" collection in cooperation with Efva Attling by Crea. |
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| Danish Stelton had freshened up their classical thermos in new spring colours. Very 1980s! |
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| More pastels. In the 1990s I did a story about designed kitchen electrical utensils like mixers, kettles and toasters etc and funny enough just the other day (buying myself a new kettle) I was thinking about this story and why there are hardly any coloured pieces like this on the market today. And here they are! A limited edition for this spring by Danish RigTig. I love it! |
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| Mixer, RigTig. |
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| Kettle, RigTig. |
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| ...and my favourite colour, yellow, as a typical Danish flat toaster! RigTig. |
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| Lovely talented designer Vanja Djanaieff is celebrating her long career with an exhibition from 9 May at Marabouparken in Sweden. Her with her latest work, blankets by Klippan. |
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| The shopping part of Carlins future shopping experience at the entrance hall at Formex. Ikea, look this way! |
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| And finally, beautiful Christmas stars by Watt&Veke a design collaboration with the former owner Monika Lindström. I want all of them! More from Formex and Swedish design soon... |
