A celebration of Nordic design, this year’s Stockholm Creative Edition showcased the Swedish designers and brands working towards a better future
Photography by Erik Djurklou featuring Simon Mattisson’s Granland
Words by Dorothea Gundtoft
As the world continues to focus on sustainable approaches to combat the endless consumption that we’re all guilty of creating, in a luxury market, such as furniture and design, it’s vital that brands incorporate sustainable solutions that minimise negative environmental impacts.
I was delighted to discover that at this year’s Stockholm Creative Edition, which took place from May 18-21, the event showcased leading Swedish brands and design studios that demonstrate the potential for design to do good.
Among the companies participating this year was Swedish startup FORGO, which rethinks packaging solutions for common objects, from sustainable containers for cleaning products to everyday items such as a toothbrush.
Photography courtesy of Stockholm Creative Edition
The brainchild of Swedish design studio Form Us With Love, the company launched its first product, a powder-to-liquid hand wash, at Stockholm Design Week back in February 2021. On a mission to infiltrate bigger, international corporations, it’s one of the companies that I hope can sustain and develop some of their brilliant ideas. FORGO’s solution, “to just add water”, has a significant impact on the world and avoids millions of plastic bottles going from bathrooms to landfill.
Meanwhile, the emerging designers from Stockholm’s Beckmans College of Design surprised me with mature design solutions, and Simon Mattisson, caught my eye in particular. Mattisson works with infested spruce, which bark beetles have increasingly attacked due to global warming, to create his contemporary pieces including his recent Granland series.
‘It will only get worse’, shared Mattisson. ‘There’s no effective way to counter the beetle. It can kill a tree in less than a week, and Sweden is also a large exporter of spruce, so it’s a serious problem’, explained Mattisson. By grinding down wood waste into a particulate form to produce ‘wood powder’ or ‘wood flour’, Mattisson then uses it in a new composite material for 3D printing that is 100% circular and made with 0% waste.
Photography courtesy of Stockholm Creative Edition. Featuring Sincerely Vaggeryd by Simon Mattisson and Tora Kirchmeier
Swedish furniture producer Swedese also showcased a beautifully shaped bench, created by Mattisson and fellow BA Design student Tora Kirchmeier, which gives the visual impression of a wave.
Another new designer, and Ung Svensk Form winner, Gustav Winsth, presented Cross Section in collaboration with Tarkett at the company’s Stockholm showroom designed by Note Design Studio. Comprising a series of objects made from the Tarkett Circular Selection, the materials have been mounted and are shown as cross sections, which inspired the exhibition name.
Tarkett reuses old floors and reintegrates them across the world for businesses as large as IKEA, which on a global scale has a significant impact. ‘For every square metre of vinyl floor that we recycle, the CO2 emissions are reduced by 10 kg,’ says Dag Duberg, Nordic Sustainability Manager at Tarkett.
Photography courtesy of Stockholm Creative Edition. Featuring Tekla Evelina Severin
Adding a pop of colour to the event, designer, colourist and photographer Tekla Evelina Severin, who has previously worked with the likes of Montana and Stilleben Architects, among others, presented an eye-catching tray-like trolley for Bebò Objects, inspired by the stacking process of dim-sum baskets, as well as a rug for Heymat, made of 100% recycled PET Bottles.
Meanwhile, New Contemporary, a gallery-like showcase, displayed an array of exciting new designers. Scandinavian brand Studio Böja, who works with ecological and renewable rattan, displayed simplified stools using splice joints and triangulation. ‘We are committed to making sure that non-toxic chemicals or non-recyclable materials are used in the production of our products’, shared the designers.
Finally, Georgian-born, Stockholm based designer Revaz Berdzenishvili crafts particularly brilliant handmade earthenware lighting, inspired by the moon’s light over Stockholm – a perfect way to end this year’s Stockholm Creative Edition, which continues to shine a spotlight on emerging and established designers alike in Stockholm and beyond.
Read more: ICON meets the industrial designer interrogating the notion of ‘Swedishness’
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