Hi guys, it is Raygo here again today! last week, I had been to the Stockholm Furniture Fair (SFF) 2023. This yearly event is the most significant platform where different Scandinavian furniture and lighting companies gather and showcase their designs. This year there were over 400 exhibitors involved in the fair organized at Stockholmsmässan, one of the largest exhibition facilities in the city.
Although the event ran for only one week and ended on 11 February, I will share my favorite discoveries there and introduce some Scandinavia design features with you all!
The fair is divided into three main sections, with the exhibitors’ booths located in the three halls at the venue. Organized in parallel with the exhibition, there are several talks every day during the week inviting the designers, architects, and professionals to share their thoughts on furniture and Scandinavian designs.
One of the exhibition zones that I enjoyed the most was the chair section. Different chairs were displayed, from stools and armchairs to sofas and many others. And each of them has been thoughtfully designed considering ergonomics, materials, construction techniques, etc. It reminds me of one of the core values of Scandinavia design: being functional while not missing out on the details and quality.
As an architecture student, I also got excited when entering a booth and seeing architectural models of different scales lining up in the room. Those are the works done by architecture, urban planning, and design students. And some of them are by our seniors and graduates from the KTH School of Architecture! The booth’s theme is sustainable design and its application in building construction, where there are also prototype models of tiles made out of recycled materials such as plastic bottles. It highlights Swedish companies and designers’ innovative ideas and efforts, attempting to promote sustainability by applying the concept to different industries and productions.
Another fascinating brand I have found out about invents an interior design product with moss, a plant that grows naturally in the wild. According to the brand representative I have talked to, this organic material performs exceptionally well in sound absorption. It is flexible to form different shapes and becomes interior decorations or installations appealing in offices or homes. I am impressed by how this tiny plant can be collected and utilized as a part of the interior and transformed into lively artwork. More importantly, it is an environmentally friendly way of design by using naturally sourced materials and minimizing wastage, which also matches the Scandinavian design concept.
Overall, I have been genuinely inspired by the works I saw during the furniture fair and by the fact that every furniture piece, regardless of how small or big it is, tells a story about the designers through their processes of thinking and developing. And this dedication to craftsmanship and details is a spirit I have drawn on when designing my projects. Stay tuned, and I will share more in my upcoming posts about other Scandinavian designs that can be found around Stockholm!
//Raygo