A new year means tons of new design impressions, starting with the design-oriented fair Formex.
One of the main attractions of the Formex fair, which takes place between January 18 and 21, is the Young Designers expo, made up of 21 up and coming young designers. The roster for 2017 of Formex’s recurring set of young guns represents disciplines such as glassblowing, industrial design and the border between art and functionality.
Among the participants is Kristine Lynum Bjekrem, from Norway. Her showcased work is inspired by the firm, authoritative yet extremely delicate process involved in the glassblowing process. The conceptions of Stockholm-based designer duo Qian Jiang and Boaz Katz are a melee of their personalities and their cultures, and are heavily inspired by synthetic materials, as well as the compromises involved in mass production. Also contributing is creative studio Butler/Lindgård. Their works spans over a wide range of disciplines and materials, but inspiration is always drawn from textile, colour and tactility.
Formex, Jan 18-21. Stockholmsmässan
3 x Formex Young Guns
Mutant
Out of the 21 young, unestablished designers and brands showcasing their fresh work at Formex (as part of a platform called Young Designers and mentioned above), we’ve selected the three we believe are the ones to watch. Swedish studio Mutant specialises in designing and manufacturing aesthetically pleasing stuffed animals. Their slightly whimsical stingrays, frogs, swans, anteaters and sparrows are at the intersection between toys and interior objects, and are manufactured in Sweden using organic cotton and reindeer leather from Norrland.
studiomutant.se
Kristine Lynum Bjerkem
Norwegian native Kristine Lynum Bjerkem, who is a licensed interior architect as well as a glass blower, now resides in Vitaby in the south of Sweden. She has worked with the novel idea of identifying as many areas of usage as possible to a particular glass shape.
The piece – Dom – doubles as a vase, a jar, a bowl, a pendant light and a table light. When purchasing Dom, customers are encouraged to select the colour and assemble the piece themselves, creating an individualised piece and an encounter between designer and user.
Lykalia K
Lykalia K, founded by Linköping-based Kristina Larsson, is a brand that specialises in interior fittings, handcrafted in wood. The products are given extra pizzazz through gilded details. Our favourite, Blomst, a hexagon-shaped vase in either oak, birch or alder is treated to hold water. There’s a 23.75 carat golden strip that runs from the vase’s centre to its edge. Larsson, who has a bachelor from Linköping University, is inspired by geometry in the building and merging of different shapes, creating intriguing pieces that beckon the beholder to touch and examine it more closely.
lykaliak.se
Words: Micha van Dinther & Magnus Wittbier
