lifeiscarbon®

Inspirational Scandinavian Interiors

2008-11-10T08:42:00+01:00

édition PAUMES is a small and dynamic family run firm of Japanese publishers, that work closely with artists and designers in Europe to produce beautiful interior design books. With a poetic and original approach, édition PAUMES explores the environments of those who stimulate the creative industries, and in doing has produced an impressive set of style bibles that overflow with inspiration.

Luckily for all of us in Scandinavia, after a debut tour in Paris, édition PAUMES went on to discover Stockholm, then London and most recently Copenhagen. Even better news is that the publishers promise that the creative link, which they’ve forged between Tokyo and Europe, is only just beginning.

Distribution is still relatively limited but the publishers suggest that ordering books by email via their website is possible. Alternatively, if you happen to find yourself in Scandinavia, the édition PAUMES covering Scandinavian cities are available at Design Torget stores. Not that the pictures here can do justice to the beauty of these books, but take a look below at images from various editions covering Scandinavian interiors:

Stockholm’s Ateliers

What does a studio represent to an artist? Everything! An artist's relationship to his or hers studio is so very special - it's their creative comfort zone, a place to hide away from the world, to get lost in thoughts and let their creative imagination run wide. In Artist's Studios Stockholm édition PAUMES take a look at Stockholm finest studios. Large, small, minimal, colorful, neat, tidy and bursting to the brim. Anything goes. The only similarity to be seen is the image that these studios give of the artist's inspirations, aspirations and creativity.

Kid’s Bedrooms in Stockholm

Primary colors, geometry, traditional style, rational and well-organized spaces: these are the main characteristics of a child’s bedroom in Sweden. With a distinct note common to all homes: a harmonious yet dynamic link between tradition and modernity.

Stockholm’s Kitchens

Design is Sweden's daily way of life. Vibrating fabrics, dancing colors, pure geometry, vintage crockery; all are in harmony. The kitchen, the house’s heart, is like a refuge where true well-being is accomplished. A thorough blend of old family traditions and the modern world.

Stockholm’s Apartments

Stockholm is renowned for the purity and rigor of its design. However, the polished image this conjures up is slowing fading away. Innovative and creative Swedes, full of the color of life, prefer to explore flea markets or customize objects in their home, rather than hit the shops on a Saturday. ‘Recycling’ and ‘second-hand’ are the words that define this generation. Charm and poetry replace the geometric lines of modern design.

Stockholm’s Love Apartments

Young creative couples in Stockholm are busy building cosy nests of love. In the north, where the summer is short and, during the winter, natural light is rare, creativity is called upon to help make homes glow. Creative, young designers with lots of advice and tips for turning homes into creative love nests: DIY, customizing vintage pieces, searching for that special treasure at a flea market, at your parents or even at your grandparents home in the country. Full of imagination and ideas, this book invites you on a journey through the lives of young couples living in the Swedish capital.

Children's Rooms Copenhagen

One of the latest book by édition PAUMES and the first of many on Copenhagen interiors, we hope!

édition PAUMES

New Nordic Lighting

2008-11-07T08:55:00+01:00

The young Norwegian lighting company, Northern Lighting, has come a long way since first wrote about them in 2006 and this year has seen the introduction of an impressive range of new products. Moo, their homage to the humble Scandinavian elk, is hard to miss these days since it’s quickly become the favorite design object to adorn the walls of design based businesses in Oslo.

Bucket, another of their new designs, looks at first like a standard floor lamp but the humorous kink in its stand and oversized proportions have made it another instant success. Having long been irked by the lack of popularity of Norwegian designs from the 1950’s, we also applaud the fact that Northern Lighting have updated and re-issued Birger Dahl’s design classic Pendel S/10053 as the Dokka pendant lamp.

Due to their quirky sense of humor and eclectic range of designs, Northern Lighting are fast becoming one of lifeiscarbon®'s favorite Scandinavian design companies. Take a look below at a selection of their latest products:

Moo: Designed by Trond Svengård & Ove Rogne

Moo is a full size wall-mounted illuminated Norwegian moose head. The figuratively shaped lamp body, which may be used indoors or out, is made of a poly-resin material that gives a smooth and transparent flow of light.

The inspiration behind the Moo lamp was found in northern Norway, in the breathtaking scenery of Hamarøy, where both of the designers have summerhouses. Moose are frequently seen passing close to the houses and even over garden lawns. The designers hope Moo will stand out as a post-modern kitch trophy that brings a smile to people’s faces.

Bender: Designed by Morten Kildahl

Bender is a large organically shaped floor. The matt powder coating gives the aluminum and steel surfaces a warm touch and sophisticated look. The lampshade is fully adjustable in all directions, making it well suited for a comfortable and illuminated reading experience.

Bender is inspired by the often overlooked, but indispensable, workhorse of plumbing: the humble pipe. Bender grew out of a desire to utilize one of the simplest elements of production while still creating a lamp with personality and humor.

Bucket: Designed by Morten Kildahl

The pendant version of the Bender aluminium lampshade. Simplistic in form, but dramatic in size.

Scheisse: Designed by Hans Bleken Rud

Scheisse is a large pendant lamp that plays on the design of the traditional incandescent light bulb and comments on the challenges it poses to our threatened environment. Scheisse is an ongoing experiment with light and shadow as well as positive and negative shapes. The sculptural shape of Scheisse creates a distinct shadowed environment and stands out as a true icon for all light lovers.

Dokka: Designed by Birger Dahl

Dokka, a small pendant light with a clean profile, is a genuine piece of European post war design history. This simple but functional light icon, designed in 1954, was the first Norwegian lamp ever to be awarded the highly regarded Golden Medal at the Milan Triennale. The lamp, also known as Pendel S/10053, was originally produced and sold by the Norwegian electricity company Sönnico (Oslo).

Dokka became one of the best selling Norwegian pendant lamps ever produced, until Sönnico closed down its lighting production and sales of the lamp came to an abrupt halt. In 2007 Northern Lighting decided to re-launch this design classic, taking care to preserve the features that made it such a well-loved lamp.

Northern Lighting

Naturally Inspired Design

2008-11-06T08:39:00+01:00

Given that Monica Förster is the creator of some of the most internationally renowned objects in contemporary Swedish design, it’s taken far too long for lifeiscarbon® to mention her in their pages. Even more so because she is the designer of the legendary Cloud, one of our all-time favorite pieces of Scandinavian design.

Now based in Stockholm but having grown up close to the artic circle in the far north of Sweden, Monica Förster’s work is categorized by a strong sense of pure form mixed with a never-ending curiosity for new materials and technology. Often working in a cross-disciplinary way, Förster invents and renews typologies in industrial, furniture and object design. She was awarded Designer of the Year, Sweden, in 2007 and 2006, Excellent Swedish Design, at Design Plus in Germany, and the FutureDesignDays Award 2002.

Monica Förster’s design studio works with an impressive list of clients across the world, including Poltrona Frau, Tacchini, Modus, E&Y Japan, Offecct and Swedese. Take a look below at a selection of our design favorites from Monica Förster:

Cloud: Developed by Snowcrash and produced by Offecct

Traveling on planes, Monica often wondered how it would feel to be inside one of the clouds outside the window and this is how she got the idea for the Cloud portable inflatable room. In particular, the designer began to research the Cumulus cloud, which is the happy weather cloud. She discovered that in the morning moisture rises up in the sky and form cumulus clouds – towards the evening they dissolve and disappear and that was exactly how she would like her new room to work. When coming to the office in the morning, people inflate the room and when they go home for the evening the room is deflated and it simply disappears.

Mix: Produced by Skruf as a Limited edition

A curious symbiosis of crystal and plastic. One material is seen as “poor” the other is “rich” - together they form an interesting mix of bowl and vase, enhancing the qualities of the materials.

Breeze: Produced by Swedese

A slow summer day. The sun is shining and there is a smooth breeze that slowly moves the grass. The lunch is already set on the table and then the breeze lifts the tablecloth and creates a wave of fabric.

Moon Cactus: Produced by E & Y Japan

Conceptual Flooring inspired by early spring grass. Grass-green circular wool carpet, cut in different heights. Developed together with Nina Jobs.

Glide: Produced by Tacchini

Inspired by melting snow in movement and transition.

Sun, Cake, Dot: Produced by Nola Industrier

When I was asked by Agneta Stake to make furniture that would work both indoors and outdoors, Monica thought about the fact that it rains a lot in the summer in Sweden and everybody just longs for the sun. So, she made tables looking like the sun for everyone to have their own, and added the lasercut holes to allow the rain to pass through.

Load: One off project

An opal cordless portable lamp with round soft shapes that can used anywhere. Load is made of rotation moulded polyeten that feels soft to the touch. Thanks to the combination of materials and distinctive shape, Load is almost totally shock proof. The rechargeable battery gives 5 hours light.

Monica Förster

New Art Of Glass

2008-11-05T17:34:56+01:00

Lipsticks, high-heels and phalli. Power, gender and consumerism. Just some of the icons and ideas explored in the work of glass artist, Åsa Jungnelius. Often using stereotypically charged objects as reference points in order to either hyper-emphasize or subvert their established meaning, Jungnelius creates larger-than-life objects of feminine beauty at the Åfors Glassworks in Småland, Sweden.

Following her studies at the Pilchuck Glass School in the Unites States and Konstfack (the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm, Åsa Jungnelius started her career at the Orrefors School of Glass. The artist has recently returned to the Kingdom of Crystal (Glasriket) as a new designer at Kosta Boda, the world renowned Swedish glassworks.

One of the artist’s favorite themes is consumption as the creator of personal identity and the question of who we become in today’s shopping culture? Take a look below at a selection of the beautiful and occasionally provocative work of Åsa Jungnelius:

Åsa Jungnelius

Shhh! Swedish Fashion Secret

2008-11-03T08:55:00+01:00

Whilst braving the bitter coldness of an early winter to stroll around Oslo during the weekend, lifeiscarbon® briefly popped into NorwayDesigns in attempt to stay warm. Something of a misnomer, NorwayDesigns is predominantly a collection of fashion, furniture, design objects and handcrafts from Sweden, Denmark and Finland rather than from Norway. Be that as it may, the store often showcases upcoming Scandinavian designers and we were happy to stumble across the latest collection from Swedish fashion brand, Nygårdsanna.

Featuring a limited color scale from nature’s palette, lines that flatter and adorn rather than demand attention and making use of natural materials such as linen, cotton and silk, Nygårdsanna somehow manage to turn Swedish folklore into avant-garde creations. Founded by the talented Swedish designer Anna Bengtsson, the brand won the prestigious design award Guldknappen in 1998 and has since received the distinction of winning an Outstanding Swedish Design award.

Nygårdsanna is based in Linköping, in southern Sweden, and has three wonderful stores in Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm but the brand name itself comes from Nygården, a farm in Dalarna where Anna Bengtsson’s ancestors lived long ago. People in the know ensure that they make the annual pilgrimage to Dalarna to visit Nygårdsanna’s yearly warehouse sale, which is still held at Anna’s grandparent’s house. Nygårdsanna is possibly one of Scandinavia’s best kept secrets but probably not for long, and we warn you; once bitten forever smitten. Take a look below to see what all the fuss is about:

Stores

Nygårdsanna

Vallgatan 21

411 16 Göteborg

Nygårdsanna

Mäster Samuelsgatan 6

111 44 Stockholm

Nygårdsanna

Skomakaregatan 12

211 34 Malmö

Nygårdsanna

Magazines We Love

2008-10-31T08:59:00+01:00

Admittedly, we’ve written some of them before on lifeiscarbon® but many of our readers were interested to find out which Scandinavian magazines we just can’t do without. Perhaps it smacks of Nordic imperialism but, since Berlin is fast becoming the art capital of Scandinavia (more about this at a later date) and given the similarities between Teutonic and Scandinavian aesthetics, we’ve taken the liberty of including a couple of superb art/fashion magazines from Germany in our list of glossy must-reads.

Since no words of our will do justice to the stunning photography, über cool fashion and editorial eclecticism of these magazines, we’ll leave it up to you to follow the links after the jump to check out Carl's Cars and Nytt Rom from Norway, Dansk, Cover and Vs from Denmark, Acne Paper from Sweden and Sleek, Tush, Booklet and Zoo from Germany. Take a look below:

New Norwegian Cushion Designs

2008-10-29T09:24:00+01:00

It seems we becoming somewhat predictable in our old age (did we mention that lifeiscarbon® is almost 2 years old). Last time we were inspired to write about cushions, snow was lying thick on the ground outside and it’s no different this time. Much of Norway got a shock yesterday morning when it awoke to face a winter wonderland outside and many took the decision to stay at home rather than face the traffic chaos caused by the early arrival of snow. We were no different, and perhaps spending a day lounging about on the sofa with a Powerbook reminded us of the need for some new cushions.

Yet again, our friends at Funkle have come to the rescue with the launch of Gravenhurst, their latest line of cushions. Striking a careful balance between heritage and modernity, the new cushions feature elegant typography embroidered onto luxurious pin-striped wool suiting cloth. The designs themselves have been inspired by the lyrics of the English musician Gravenhurst with text quoted from the song The Diver, taken from the album Flashlight Seasons. Each cushion is a numbered limited edition. Take a look below to more of Funkle’s stylish new range and to read more about Gravenhurst:

Gravenhurst is a vehicle for the music of singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot, who lives in Bristol, England and is currently signed to Warp Records. While Talbot began performing solo and continues to do so, since 1999 many other Bristol musicians have helped expand Gravenhurst into a powerful live band, with long-time drummer Dave Collingwood also contributing significant performance and production work to the recordings and Robin Allender playing bass on recent tours.

Gravenhurst has been described as dark and highly atmospheric, veering between the noisy shoegazing sound of guitar bands such as My Bloody Valentine, the harmony-laden singer-songwriter territory of Simon and Garfunkel, and the highly intricate fingerpicking guitar styles of Bert Jansch and Nick Drake. A constant in the Gravenhurst sound is Talbot's fragile voice and vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and unsettling and mysterious lyrical themes.

Funkle

New Danish Design Toy

2008-10-28T09:22:00+01:00

One of the great things about being a parent is that fact that, despite being an adult, one has the perfect excuse to buy all the toys that one never had as a child. Given that many of us live in open plan spaces these days, toys have ended up becoming interesting design objects liberally scattered about the home, well used and highly visible. Perhaps this explains the Scandinavian trend of creating beautifully crafted toys that often end up becoming highly collectable design objects for children and adults alike.

We’ve never made a secret of our love of simple wooden toys from Scandinavia, having previously written about lifeiscarbon® favourites such as Playsam, Brio and Micki Leksaker, so you can imagine our delight at the fact that Normann Copenhagen have announced the launch of their first toy.

Plane is a simple wooden aeroplane for children of all ages designed by the Danish graphic designer Ole Søndergaard. In the summer of 2005 Ole Søndergaard wrote the following in his diary: “Above me, in the distance can be heard the sound of the engine of a little sports plane. It is summer and the air is completely still. The sky is a brilliant blue and as always I am drawn when I see a plane in the sky. With an almost childlike joy I can permanently forget both time and place and soar up into the wide blue yonder". This extremely simplistic, minimalistic and almost symbolic approach to product design is rather characteristic of Ole Søndergaard’s work. Honored with design prizes and distinctions he has, during the course of his career, created innumerable pictograms, logos and the font ‘FF Signa’. Take a look below at more images of Plane and to read more about Ole Søndergaard:

Plane is made of lacquered wood and non-toxic paint, and will be available in black, red and blue from November 2008 onwards.

Ole Søndergaard studied graphic design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen. After working as a graphic designer at an architect's office between 1964 and 1971, he established his own design practice in 1973. Since 1966 he has also taught graphic design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.  Between 1985 and 1995 he was co-founder and partner of Eleven Design A/S, designing signs and signposting systems for banks, office blocks and public buildings in Denmark, Sweden, and the Middle East.   He has designed corporate identity programmes, logotypes, annual and environmental reports, brochures, packaging and magazines for Danish and international companies, as well as designing complete alphabets and pictogram systems.   Ole also works and exhibits as an artist, especially with water colour, and is a member of the Danish Design Council and IIID. He has won a number of prizes, including The Danish Design Prize in 2002.

Normann Copenhagen

Yellow Is The New Black

2008-10-27T08:30:00+01:00

Despite our penchant for all things monochromatic (did we mention that lifeiscarbon® love white and also happen to love black?) we have to admit that, with the hours of daylight shortening fast and the gloom of Winter descending upon us, we’ve fallen for a shockingly cheerful new color. Quite out of character for us but, in Scandinavia at least, yellow is the new black. And luckily for us, it seems that our Danish design favorites, Muuto love yellow too.

Take a look below at a selection of new products by Jens Fager, Mattias Ståhlblom, Ole Jensen, Norway Says and Teppo Asikainen, all of which are available in the same wonderful shocking yellow. The future is bright, the future is yellow:

CLOSELYSEPARATED Vase by Michael Geertsen (Hand made fine faience in white or yellow)

Michael Geertsen on the design: "Abstract bowls, plates and cups are merged in an intuitive way. Reminding us of the beauty in disharmony and how old things can lead to new, if we change our perspective. The object works on its own, but is given a function if flowers are added."

RAW Chair by Jens Fager (Hand-carved wood, each piece is unique, in strong yellow, dark blue, grey or natural wood.)

Jens Feger on the design: "RAW is a product family based on rough and intuitive interpretations of iconic everyday objects. Every piece is unique because they are all made of a piece of wood carved by hand with a band saw machine. With strong yet iconic look they can easily be placed anywhere in your home, at the office or at the restaurant. The RAW-family is available in limited editions in various colors.”

E27 Pendant Lamp by Mattias Ståhlblom (Silicone in white, dark grey, yellow, green or red.)

Mattias Ståhlblom on the design: "The simplicity of the naked bulb is hard to compete with. It stands for something that feels romantic and contemporary at the same time. E 27 departs from the essence of a lamp - the socket – creating a simple yet strong object that celebrates the potential beauty in simplicity."

VITAMIN CONTAINER Bowl by Ole Jensen (Handcrafted fine faience in yellow or white.)

Ole Jensen on the design: "This bowl seeks to give fruit and vegetables the respect and environment they deserve, as well as adding to their natural beauty. The bowl has three legs that also work as storage spaces — maybe one for fruit, one for vegetables and one for fresh spices. Divided but still united. It creates a certain order and cycle without being pedantic. The random aesthetics also plays a central role. With a bit of good will, the bowl helps us take better care of our fruit and vegetables, and ourselves."

MHY Pendant Lamp by Norway Says (Handmade and hand-painted aluminium shade, textile cord in white, black, yellow, purple or green.)

Norway Says on the design: "Mhy has an elegant appearance and a strong personality. The playful shape of Mhy draws inspiration from illustrations and characters from our childhood's literature. The neat size of Mhy allows the pendant to be mounted in clusters or rows over your kitchen table, dinner table, in a hallway or somewhere else where you would like to add a design element with unique, but understated character."

WALL BASKET Multi-purpose Shelf by Teppo Asikainen (Hand-painted steel in white or yellow.)

Teppo Asikainen on the design: "Wall Basket is a universal shelf for the home or office. Use it in the living room, the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen or somewhere else. The shelf works on its own but also as a free composition on a wall with different sizes or colours. Visually the lightness and random perforation of the shelf gives it an almost paper-like beauty. The construction and material unite to create a very strong and functional shelf.

MUUTO

21st Century Scandinavian Modern

2008-10-23T08:32:00+02:00

It’s been way too long since lifeiscarbon® has written about its Scandinavian design favorites Muuto, and now there are simply too many great new designs to squeeze into one post. So we hope you’ll forgive us for writing two quick articles about this remarkable Danish design company, a company that’s almost single handedly defining the look of Scandinavian Modern in the 21st century.

The founders of Muuto, Peter Bonnén and Kristian Byrge, have signed up an impressive roster of Nordic designers including Norway Says, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Harri Koskinen, Ole Jensen, Matte Klenell and Louise Campbell, among many others and given them the freedom to express their highly individualistic ideas through the design of everyday objects. Objects made more sublime through their fresh perspectives on traditional Scandinavian forms. Make a pilgrimage to museums like Skansen in Stockholm or Folkemuseum in Oslo and you’ll begin to understand where the inspiration for many of the designs, for example Jens Fager’s Raw candelabra or Louise Campbell's The More The Merrier candlestick, comes from. Despite the modernity of Muuto’s designs, there is an increasing use of traditional materials that are hand crafted to create unique pieces. Take a look below at some of favorites from amongst Muuto’s latest products:

RAW Candelabra by Jens Fager (Hand-carved wood in white)

Jens Fager on the design: "RAW is a product family based on rough and intuitive interpretations of iconic everyday objects. Every piece is unique because they are all made of a piece of wood carved by hand with a band saw machine. With strong yet iconic look they can easily be placed anywhere in your home, at the office or at the restaurant. The RAW-family is available in limited editions in various colours."

CRUSHED Bowls by Julien De Smedt (Handmade fine bone china in white)

Julien De Smedt on the design: “The Crushed Bowls show big-scale architecture applied on small scale objects. The bowls are composed of equilateral triangles and principles we use for big-scale computer modeling. Adding human ergonomics and aesthetics to the equation we have derived a series of vessels that are carefully crushed for everyday use”

GLORIA Candlestick by Norway Says (Cast iron in white or black)

Norway Says on the deisgn: "Gloria is a new take on the traditional candlestick and it adds a very nice and lively atmosphere wherever you place it. It looks good with one candle, it looks nice with three and it looks great with six – it even works well with candles in different heights – the composition is up to you."

SURFACE Egg Cup by Ole Jensen (Porcelain in white)

Ole Jensen on the design: "A small hand-held and sculptural plateau with three smalldents. One for the egg, one for the shells and one for salt - or whatever you might imagine! For breakfast - though maybe not everyday - for brunch and definitely for sunday mornings. To serve a boiled egg is almost a happening on its own. An eternal source of shared moments and discussion of whether it's overcooked or not...."

THE MORE THE MERRIER Candlestick by Louise Campbell (Technical Rubber and Steel in White or Black)

Louise Campbell on the design: "A candlestick that is everything but streamlined. As the saying goes: the more elements you join together, the merrier the result. Can be constructed in infinite ways. The design is a blend of the formal and the informal. Crystal-inspired candleholders are made of the softest matt rubber; the garland-like arms are pressed in hardwearing steel and then coated. Assembly can be conducted with a sense of meticulous symmetry, or with complete chaos, as you wish. Using 4, 7, 14, 27, 77, 189… elements, according to desire."

GOOD NIGHT FLOWER Bed Spread by Helle Mardahl (100% cotton canvas in white/black print or grey/black print)

Helle Mardahl on the design: "It’s a surface that hides what goes on beneath. It’s a fabric dressed in lines growing into imaginary flowers. It’s a small piece of life on your bed, when you are not there.

MUUTO

Homage To Ingmar Bergman

2008-10-22T09:26:00+02:00

Whilst we’ve never been tempted to re-mortgage in order to stump up the massive $6000 required to purchase a copy of Helmut Newton's SUMO (complete with sturdy metal book stand) we are still considering getting hold of a copy of the slightly more affordable Araki limited edition that's also published by Taschen. One of Taschen’s books that we certainly will be buying is the newly published Ingmar Bergman Archives, which promises to be as highly collectable as our copy of The Stanley Kubrick Archives.

The Ingmar Bergman Archives is an in-depth exploration of the director’s professional and private life and serves as an homage to one of the most esteemed film and theater artists of all time. The book was begun in cooperation with Bergman himself, before his death last year, and was made with full access to his archives. The many photographs in the book were collated by Bengt Wanselius, Bergman's photographer for 20 years, who discovered previously unseen images from Bergman's films, and selected unpublished images from the personal archives of many photographers, including the legendary Lennart Nilsson. Rare texts by Bergman, as well as interviews never previously published outside Sweden, have now been made available, thanks to the book's editors receiving unrestricted access to those packing cases at Bergman's foundation, as well as various theatres and film studios.

The 592 page hardback volume comes with a couple of special bonuses; an original film strip from a copy of Fanny and Alexander that has been played on Bergman’s own film projector and a DVD containing over 110 minutes of new and rare documentary footage. The book has already been nominated as Best Non-Fiction Book 2008 for the August Prize, the Swedish equivalent to the Pulitzer and many of the photographs can currently be seen in an exhibition at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm. Take a look below to see images from The Ingmar Bergman Archives:

Since 1957, when he released The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman has been one of the leading figures in international cinema. In a career that spanned 60 years, he wrote, produced, and directed 50 films that defined how we see ourselves and how we interact with the people we love, in films like Persona, Scenes from a Marriage, and Fanny and Alexander.

Before his death in 2007, Bergman gave Taschen and the Swedish publishing house Max Ström complete access to his archives at The Bergman Foundation, and permission to reprint his writings and interviews, many of which have never been seen outside of Sweden. Picture researcher Bengt Wanselius, who was Bergman’s photographer for 20 years, scoured photo archives all over Sweden, discovered previously unseen images from Bergman’s films, and selected unpublished images from the personal archives of many photographers.

Text editor Paul Duncan gathered a team of Bergman experts as contributing editors—Peter Cowie and Bengt Forslund (for film/TV), and Ulla Åberg & Birgitta Steene (for theater)—who have researched and written a narrative that, for the first time, will combine all of Bergman’s working life in film and theater. Such is the depth of Bergman’s writings that most of the story is told in his own words. This book also features a new introduction by Bergman’s close friend, actor and collaborator Erland Josephson, as well as a DVD full of rare and previously unseen material, and an original strip of film from Fanny and Alexander.

The publishers have been given complete access to the files and archives of the Swedish Film Institute, Svensk Filmindustri, Sveriges Television, and the Royal Dramatic Theater, as well as many other institutions, publishers, and newspapers, making this not only the most complete book ever published on Ingmar Bergman, but also about an individual director.

Bergman in Focus / Nobel Laureates Find a Director

September 21, 2008 - January 18, 2009

Nobel Museum, Börshuset, Stortorget, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden Through the photos displayed the visitor will get a fascinating insight into Ingmar Bergman's creative process, not least in interaction with the actors. The seven photographers that have provided photos for the exhibition are K.G. Kristoffersson, Lennart Nilsson, Beata Bergström, Bo-Erik Gyberg, Per Adolphson, Arne Carlsson and Bengt Wanselius.

Taschen

Swedish Japanese Diffusion

2008-10-21T10:00:00+02:00

Following successful collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld (2004), Stella McCartney (2005), Viktor & Rolf (2006) and Roberto Cavalli (2007), H&M look set to top them all with their latest creative partnership, with Commes des Garçons. Rei Kawakubo, one of the most significant figures in modern fashion and one of lifeiscarbon®’s favorite designers, has created two full collections, one for men and one for women collection, complete with accessories and a unisex fragrance.

The new women’s collection includes jackets and skirts that play with deconstruction, with incredible seam patterns, and some classic Comme des Garçons style boiled wool and gabardine pieces. There’s a perfect trench coat, beautifully cut shirts and jersey pieces bedecked in the signature Comme des Garçons’ polka dot. Accessories for women include polka dot weekend bags, canvas shoes, canvas and a new version of Comme des Garçons’ celebrated wallets. For men, suits and shirts have been cut on the bias, while other shirts use the typical Comme des Garçons’ patchwork technique. There are classics like a double-breasted belted trench coat and a boiled wool pea coat, together with less formal pieces such as hand-drawn polka dot shirts and t-shirts and accessories including a hat, scarf and canvas shoes.

Those of our readers based in Tokyo will get to see the new collection at H&M’s impressive new Ginza store on November 8th, as for the rest of us, we’ll have to wait until November 13th when the range hits 200 selected stores around the world. In the meantime, take a look below to see a selection of images from the lookbook and read more about Commes des Garçons:

“I thought it would be an exciting event to work with H&M in order to sell Comme des Garçons clothes in places where they have never been sold and to appeal to people who may not yet understand Comme des Garçons. Marrying the commercial expertise of H&M with Comme des Garçons creation was a fascinating challenge" says Rei Kawakubo.

“This collection really reflects Kawakubo’s creative spirit and integrity. It is complete with the designer’s trademark, independent style and clever cuts - elaborate tailoring, shirts, knits and a series of playful jersey pieces in dramatic black and midnight blue with accents of white and rose”, explained H&M’s Creative Advisor Margareta van den Bosch.

Comme des Garçons was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo in 1969 and established as a company in Japan in 1973. Comme des Garçons became successful in Japan throughout the 1970s and a men's line was added in 1978. 1981 saw Comme des Garçons's debut show in Paris which created a storm of controversy for its predominant use of black and distressed fabrics. Throughout the 1980s, Comme des Garçons's clothes were often monochromatic, asymmetrical and draped over the body. Tears, holes and frayed edges were also a feature. Comme des Garçons (along with Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake) attacked established notions that clothing had to be sexy, colorful and beautiful.

Comme des Garçons has a dozen boutiques and approximately 200 vendors around the world, with flagship stores in Aoyama, Tokyo's high fashion district, as well as Place Vendôme in Paris. Their collections are designed in the Comme des Garçons studio in Aoyama, Tokyo and are made in Japan, France and Turkey. Junya Watanabe and, as of recently, Tao Kurihara have started their own sub-labels to much acclaim. Both were also involved in designing for the casual women's knitwear line 'Comme des Garçons Tricot' and have collaborated with various other labels over the years including Fred Perry, Levi's, Speedo, Nike, Moncler, Lacoste, Cutler and Gross, Chrome Hearts,  S. N. S. Herning, Hammerthor, Louis Vuitton and of course H&M.

H&M

Innovative Danish Designer

2008-10-20T08:23:00+02:00

Born in 1972, Christian Flindt is one of the bright new stars to have emerged in recent years from the Århus School of Architecture in Denmark. Having first gained international prominence in 2005 with his visually stunning Orchid chair, an organic lounge chair in polished fiberglass, Christian Flindt is in the news again with not just one but two stunning new designs; FlindtLamps for Louis Poulsen and Ripple chair for Paustian have both gone into production this year. The design of Ripple once again demonstrates the designer’s particular ability to redefine form through the introduction of subtle elements from nature, in this case the ripple effect in the chair’s shell that references waves moving over water.

Luxus, an earlier design by Flindt, explores the connection between physical movement and the visual perception of it. The light in the chair is activated directly by rocking and gives the impression of being filled with liquid light. Varying the movement affects the pattern of light emitted with the aim of inspiring the user to maintain or change the pattern of rocking in order to affect the direction, speed or intensity of light.

Rainbow, another lifeiscarbon® design favorite, gives a whole new meaning to meaning to the word stackable. Until now, stacking chairs has tended to involve putting one on top of another but Flindt has fundamentally challenged this preconception by choosing to stack sideways and thereby rather cleverly created a further use for stored chairs. When stacked, these chairs fit together to form a bench and the translucent colors create a rainbow effect. Take a look below to see further designs by Christian Flindt including the visually stunning Orchid, intriguingly interactive Luxus and poetically clever Goldilock:

Rainbow

Orchid

Luxus

Goldilock

Christian Flindt

Modern Swedish Classics

2008-10-16T08:23:00+02:00

It’s rare that official company showrooms are as inspirational as the eclecticism of smaller independent design stores but together with Normann Copenhagen’s showroom in Copenhagen, the Swedese Shop in Stockholm ranks as one of lifeiscarbon’s favorite stores in Scandinavia. Of course, much of the store’s appeal is do to Swedese’s own range of furniture but it’s also due to their careful selection of Scandinavian design classics that accessorize the interior.

Swedese is a Swedish furniture manufacturer that produces innovative designs that, whilst looking highly modern, seem so familiar that they feel like classics that have been around for years. Highly functional pieces that often incorporate timeless Nordic themes as decorative elements (snow, trees, clouds etc) and are always subtly imbued with a quirky sense of humor.

Creating furniture for the future that builds on the foundations of Scandinavian modern traditions by commissioning forward-looking designers who share in the timeless ideals of architecture, are the principles that Swedese have managed to hold onto for the past sixty years. We applaud them for that. Take a look below to read more about the company and to see a selection of our favorite pieces from their current range:

Headquartered in Vaggeryd in Småland, Sweden, with a second smaller factory in Äng, a small village outside Nässjö, Sweden, Swedese was founded by Yngve Ekström, Jerker Ekström and Sven Bertil Sjöqvist back in 1945.

Many modernist architects not only designed houses, but also the interior, the furniture and the clothes the owners wore. Swedese's founder, Yngve Ekström, was no exception. Together with others including Alvar Aalto, Bruno Mathsson, Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjaerholm, Ekström was at the center of a generation of designers who made the concept "Scandinavian Modern" famous all over the world. With a keen eye, he designed Swedese's furniture, the head office building, the company logo, product catalogues and even Christmas cards personalized with poems.

Probably the best known of Yngve Ekström's extensive portfolio is the Lamino armchair (designed in 1956), which is still manufactured today. In 1999, Lamino was voted the Twentieth Century's Best Swedish Furniture Design by the Swedish interior design magazine Sköna Hem. Just one of many awards that their designs have received over the years. Other include Bolig Magasinets Design Awards - Best Upcoming that was awarded to the designer duo GamPlusFratesi in 2008, Blueprint Award for Best Interior Product at 100% Design 2007 for the Glove chair by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Blueprint Award for Best Product at 100% Design 2006 for the LOG Collection by Naoto Fukasawa, The Forsnäs Prize 2003 for the Twister stool designed by Yuriko Takahashi and Interior Innovation Award Cologne 2003 for the Lamino chair.

Flower

Glove

Snow

Flow

Papermaster

Swedese Shop+Showroom
Narvavägen 10
115 23 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel +46 8-660 93 01

Swedese

Innovative Swedish Menswear

2008-10-15T07:36:00+02:00

Despite being born in Stockholm (1982) and displaying a strong sense of Scandinavian aestheticism, Julia Hederus appears to have been very keen to escape her native Sweden as quickly as possible. Firstly by moving to Denmark to study art at Holbæk Art School and going on to gain a degree in fashion at Kolding Design School, then moving to London to study menswear at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design before collaborating with Los Angeles based K-Swiss.

Having been inspired by the classic Danish toy brand Lego, the clothes in Hederus’s debut show at London Fashion Week in 2007 had been cut into rectangular box shapes before being carefully glued back together. Part of the collection included three trainers that had been developed in collaboration with K-Swiss and have subsequently gone into production. High Block, Block and Cube are based on the K-Swiss Original (first designed in 1966) but have all been highly modified to include Hederus’s trademark building blocks together with some innovative touches such as removable Velcro-backed panels. Menswear, sport and transformability have long been essential to Hederus and are still areas that the designer believes will take fashion forward.

“Shoes are very different from clothes, and architecture has always been a great inspiration for me in fashion. So to design trainers feels even more natural. I often imagine very complex and futuristic shapes”

Having now established her own studio, Julia Hederus recently presented her A/W 09 collection entitled Kites at the +46 fashion show in Stockholm and is currently working on second collaboration with K-Swiss. While we wait to see her new lookbook, take a look below at her previous collection and the results of the Hederus For K-Swiss collaboration:

Hederus for K-Swiss

High Block: The classic K-Swiss Original (first designed in 1966) transformed by Hederus into a high top version and then updated to include functional Velcro/backed building blocks that can be added or removed depending on taste.

Blocks: A low top K-Swizz classic modified to include Hederus’s trademark building blocks, that also happen to cleverly hide the laces to create an overall sleek yet angular look.

Cubes: K-Swiss Classic again but this time with a twist. Hederus has disrupted the usual detailing of the structural grid on either side the shoe to create something of a visual conundrum.

Julia Hederus