You don't need to be a nicotine addict to love the snus pillows!

Photo: Wikipedia

I never liked tobacco. Of course, I tried when I was younger and needed to look cool. But I never enjoyed it,  I can't even be a social smoker. This can be annoying sometimes when you work in an office and all your colleagues go outside for a cigarette break! In Sweden, with the snus, it's less of a problem, you just stick it under your lip and voilà, no smoke, you need to find another excuse to leave your chair! I tried that too when I arrived in Sweden. I was curious as you see it everywhere. But no, not for me either, I find it quite disgusting to be honest.

Even though I'll never be a nicotine addict, I love the snus portion pillows! I love the humor but also the color (goes with everything in the house), the texture and the size (35cm X 75cm). Designed in Finland by Denz & Son, they're currently sold out on their website, but you can also find them here.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Photos: Denz & Son

Saarinen in Marrakech

Photo: Nordiska Style

Spotted today in the Gueliz neighborhood in Marrakech: a café with Eero Saarinen's Tulip chairs and tables! 

Scandinavian modernist jewelry

Photo: Nordiska Style

I found this pewter necklace a few days ago in a second-hand store. It's swedish, and it's signed Rune Tennesmed. Designed in the late 60's or 70's. I love the orange glass beads! It's always fun to find a piece that catches your eye, signed or not, without having any idea who the designer might be. Then you make some research and you end up going to bed at 2 am because you can't stop reading about your new interest!
I don't know why, but I never really took the time to read about scandinavian modernist jewelry. Those clean lines, geometric shapes and organic designs inspired by nature (melting icicles, volcanic lava, rocks, moss, etc.)... I just can't get enough!

First stop, Finland:

Photo via Purist Pro

Earrings, Pentti Sarpaneva

Photo: Ruby Lane

Moss flower pendant necklace, Hannu Ikonen

Photo: Didier Antiques

Silver Moon pendant necklace, Tapio Wirkkala

...Sweden:

Photo: Grasilver

Armring, Bengt Hallberg

Photo: Tradera

Bronze necklace, KE Palmberg Alton

Photo: M. Schon

Silver bracelet, Claes Giertta

... Denmark:

Photo: Grasilver

Armring, Astrid Fog for Georg Jensen

Photo: Grasilver

Silver necklace, Anton Michelsen

Photo: Grasilver

Silver neckring, Bent Gabrielsen

...And Norway:

Photo: Utopia

Silver necklace, Bjorn Sigurd Ostern for David-Andersen

Photo: Lush Life Antiques

Silver ring, Anna Greta Eker

Some of the pieces shown above are rare and expensive (but oh so gorgeous!). To start a collection, I'd suggest to go for bronze or pewter, Ebay, Etsy or Tradera are great places to find vintage scandinavian jewelry. And if you're ready to invest in a silver statement piece, you can visit this wonderful store. 

That one is also amazing, and both websites are fantastic sources of information if you want to know more about the designers.

Erik Bruun: Great graphic design made in Finland

I love graphic design, and I'm a huge fan of Erik Bruun's work. Bruun (b. 1926) is a prolific Finnish graphic designer who has designed brand guidelines, logotypes, books, postcards, stamps and even Finnish banknotes. But the designer is best known for his commercial posters from the 50's and 60's, and many of them are now classics. His most famous design is definitely the stylized orange slice, from his project for Jaffa, a soft drink produced in Finland and Sweden.

Check out his website for more great, colourful mid-century graphics and illustrations that reflects the man's love for the beautiful Finnish nature.

You can also buy first edition vintage posters, the stock is not going to last forever so if you like them, you should not wait to long! I was thinking ordering this one:

Photos: Erik Bruun

70's Finnish Summer Dress

So here's another find from the thrift-store! I don't usually wear dresses with crazy patterns like that, but  I really like the 70's look of it, and I can easily imagine myself wearing my maxi dress with clogs in 1973, picking berries in the finnish countryside! Sometimes, in my imagination (it normally happens between July and August), I live in a Marimekko catalogue. And it does look a bit like a Marimekko design, but the tag reads " Kaisu Heikkilä Oy, Made in Finland". I'm very pleased to have another lovely vintage dress to add to my closet!

Photos: Nordiska Style

Summer, bright colors and vintage dress

Here's a lovely vintage dress from the 60's I found at the second hand store. I love that pattern! And the bright colors! And the bakelite buttons! And the two large pockets! The label reads "Rudholms Made in Sweden", and I can't wait to wear it after months of black, rust and grey outfits! Not sure I'm going to wear it with my Marimekko bag, too much color for me, but I love how it looks like on the mannequin!

Photos: Nordiska Style

'Warm', tea and coffee pots by Tonfisk Design

I drink tea all day, herbal tea mostly, black tea sometimes, chai, green tea... And when it gets too hot, there's nothing more refreshing than homemade iced tea! The tea freak in me was of course delighted to discover those tea and coffee pots by Tonfisk Design, a finnish company founded by Tony Alfström and Brian Keaney.

I love the contrast between the crisp white porcelain, the cork lid and the bracelet of laminated bent wood! The teapot, from the fantastic 'Warm' range, designed by Brian Keaney is also available with a ceramic lid. They come in different sizes and colors, and all Tonfisk's ceramics are produced by hand at their own factory in Turku, Finland. Oh, and look at the tray! It represents everything I love about scandinavian design, and I would be more than happy to see this set becoming a classic in my kitchen!

Photos: Tonfisk Design

Four seasons, one chair: Pastil by Eero Aarnio

Finnish designer Eero Aarnio (born in 1932 in Helsinki) doesn't need much presentation. With his iconic furniture pieces and his innovative use of plastic, even if you're not a design lover, you're probably familiar with his chairs, as they have been featured in (almost) every sci-fi movies and TV shows from the 60's! Designed in 1967, the Pastil Chair, with its beautiful organic form received the American Industrial Award in 1968. 

It's obvious that the chair looks totally cool, but it's also very comfortable. The New York Times wrote about it: "the most comfortable forms to hold up the human body". And it gets better! It's a rocking chair, it can be used indoors and outdoors... and it floats! Here's my plan (when I'll have a Pastil Chair): Spring- Put the chair on the balcony and enjoy the first rays of sun. Summer- Make friends with summer houses owners and go fishing in my chair, like Eero Aarnio did! Fall- Bring the chair back in the living room and read some good books. Winter: See photo above! Beautiful, practical and fun!

Info and pictures here and here.

All images from Eero Aarnio

Marimekko Helsinki-Helsingfors fabric

Images from Nordiska Style

So this is the new fabric from the Marimekko Spring 2012 collection! Well, actually, the pattern is not new as it was designed in 1952 by Per-Olof Nyström, but Marimekko re-released it to celebrate the Finnish capital, as Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012. Exciting! This fantastic fabric features Helsinki's best-known landmarks, and this pattern was first intended to celebrate the Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympics. I absolutely love it, and the Marimekko team did a great job restoring the lost original print film, from a sample and an old photograph. This pattern is also available on mugs, tea towels, trays and bags. Ahh, Marimekko and their always fabulous bags! It's all here, and if you're planning a trip to Helsinki, have a look at the Marimekko map of Helsinki!

    Image from Marimekko

Glass igloo in Finnish Lapland

                                        

Images from Hotel Kakslauttanen via Cabin Porn

Spotted on the always fabulous Cabin Porn, sleeping in one of those glass igloos is now on my to-do list for next winter! Hotel Kakslauttanen is located 250 km above the Arctic circle (1085 km from Helsinki). Listen to this: "Glass igloo provides an one of a kind opportunity to admire the northern lights and millions of stars of the crystal clear sky in a comfortable room temperature." Winter bliss!

Finnish photography: Ismo Hölttö

                                               Image from Bukowskis Market

I only discovered the work of Ismo Hölttö (1940 -) a few months ago, and since then, I’ve been fascinated by his wonderful, powerful photographs. The one above, “Two boys and the Suomenlinna Ferry” was taken in 1964 at the Market Square in Helsinki. The artist an art critic Erkki Pirtola explains better than I could do Hölttö’s work:       “Hölttö characterizes the fundamental elements of the human race as it is found in Finland: tough, rudely beautiful people, as the harsh Northern environment has molded them since time immemorial. They are the type of people who can survive in the Northern conditions, surrounded by the dark and frost of the winter. Hölttö’s photographs tell a tale of a bygone way of life which would only be knows by the objects left behind without the wonderful power of photography”. (via Carte Blanche Photography)

Unfortunately, it looks like his website doesn’t exist anymore, but you can see more photographs on the Young Gallery website or Carte Blanche Photography (linked above).

Here's 2 more!

Images from Young Gallery

Marimekko Advent Calendar

I know, it’s late to get excited over an Advent calendar, but it’s not just some Advent calendar, it’s a MARIMEKKO calendar! Which means no cardboard tasting chocolates included, just gorgeous fabrics from the finnish brand with bold patterns and bright colors. Try going to the Marimekko store on a dark and rainy winter day, it’s a fantastic way to cheer you up! This calendar was on display at the Malmö store for the second year in a row, and once again, I thought that I should make my own, as it’s quite easy and cheap to find vintage fabric leftovers in thrift stores. But this one is so pretty that it would be a shame to use it only a few days a year! I think I would just make the numbers smaller and after Christmas, I’d leave it on the wall and put my stuff in it. Doesn’t it look perfect for shoes or accessories? Now, I have almost 11 months to learn to sew...