The Teak Menagerie

I'm a sucker for anything teak. Chairs, tables, trays, sideboards, night stands and... animals! Is that true that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing? Good that I have some self discipline (ok, no space or big budget), or I'd become a teak hoarder, if such a thing exists. I love the grain of the wood, the warmth, the color, even the smell of it when it has just been oiled. But in a small apartment, it's difficult to collect sideboards, so small pieces, like these mid-century animal sculptures are perfect for me!

Photos: Nordiska Style

(Josef Frank wallpaper in the background!)

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

"Swedish Animals", Royal Tableware by Bernadotte & Kylberg

Design duo Bernadotte (Prince Carl Philip of Sweden) & (Oscar) Kylberg recently launched a collection of porcelain dishes for Gustavsbergs Porcelain Factory. The playful collection is called "Svenska Djur" (Swedish Animals) and the two first pieces feature a hare and a mole. Inspired by nordic nature and children's imagery (the Prince is Princess Victoria's baby daughter Estelle's uncle and godfather), Bernadotte & Kylberg's tableware is a must for those who love great design, animals, walks in the woods and fairy tales!

It's a bit of the pricey side, but it would make a lovely "Made in Sweden" gift for a baby shower !

Available at NK if you're in Stockholm, or online here and here.

Photos: Dukatbord

Prince Carl Philip (left) completed in 2006 a course in Graphic Design in Stockholm. He also studied design at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2007. Oscar Kylberg is a graphic designer, and "Svenska Djur" is their first collaboration.

Swedish Hasbeens Autumn-Winter 2012 Collection

The new Swedish Hasbeens campaign has been released, just when I thought that maybe, I had enough shoes in my closet (is such a thing even possible?). Oh well, it's an investment I guess,  good quality leather and classic lines, you can't go wrong with that! Back to the new Autumn-Winter 2012 collection, "Outdoor Life":

"This collection is made to honor nature and the women biologists and scientists, like Beatrix Potter, that paved the way for us and for future generations showing the world that knowledge about our nature and world is power regardless of gender."

   Lots of great shots from the 1940's inspired new campaign can be seen here, and now, some of my favorite looks!

Photos: Swedish Hasbeens

70's Glass and Leather Lamp

I bought this cool 70's lamp on Tradera (swedish Ebay) and received it last week. I immediately loved the unusual shape of the lamp shade and the green glass base, it's truly spectacular, and I also had the surprise to discover (it was not mentioned in the listing) that the lamp shade was made out of leather! Now, I have no idea who designed it, it doesn't really look scandinavian to me. Could it be italian? Anyway, it looks great on the sideboard, I just need to find out the best way to get rid of some yellow stains on the lamp shade!

Photos: Nordiska Style

Acne's Parker Plastic Boots: yes or no?

                 

I just spent quite some time staring at Acne's Parker plastic boots from their pre-fall 2012 collection. I think they look fantastic! Mixing clear vinyl and polished calf leather is an idea I really like, but I know it would look odd on me. There's no need to run to the nearest store to try them on, I just know. It happens all the time with Acne. I love their clothes on the models, but on me, they're just not so flattering. But back to the boots, what are you supposed to wear to complete the space-age cowgirl look? And does it look good if you don't have mile-long legs and tiny calves? That's what I thought. I'll keep looking at them, and I'll stick to their classic Pistol boots (when I can afford them)!

Photos: Acne

Ahhh, my Zebra cup!

Photo: Nordiska Style

My zebra cup, designed in 1955 by Eugene Trost for Gefle! I love it so much, I can't even use it to drink coffee as I want to avoid crazing... I found this one on ebay a couple years ago, and as the name of the manufacturer was not mentioned in the listing, I ended up being the only bidder at 15$. It was definitely my lucky day as the prices are now crazy high for this design! For me, this is the quintessence of the 50's, and if one day, I can get my hands on the matching teapot...ahhhh! I don't what I'd do, at least a little happy dance, this is such a rare and beautiful item!

Photo: Lauritz