Simplicity, practicality, beauty and democracy–Nordic design is the main feature of furniture and interior decoration, and it has a history of several decades. This corner of northern Europe is full of medieval design legends, such as Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Alvar Aalto and Bruno Mathsson. However, this general term does not live up to its name. In terms of population, Norway has a population of 5.4 million, which is roughly the same as that of Finland and Denmark, while the population of these three countries is only half that of Sweden (11 million). Nevertheless, Norwegian design is still working hard. It seems a bit far-fetched to call this rich country poor. However, in terms of design, it has a truth. Among its neighbors, the Norwegian national stereotype is an uneducated country bastard in a knitted sweater with a fish nearby. However, this outdated cliche and its low position in Scandi's pecking order give Norwegian creativity its own flavor and potential advantages.
Local people attribute their relatively low profile to many factors, from the level of oil and poverty to the temperament of the country. Norway was bombed in World War II and its furniture factory was destroyed. The cottage industry on the elongated west coast of the countryside took their place. Between the fjord and the mountains, farmers who have been making furniture for themselves and have access to forestry have started business. Such an entrepreneur is Lars Karl Geyer, and the third generation brand LK Geyer is still produced in Sykkylven village.
Morten Hippe of Eikund, a young Norwegian furniture brand, said, "It was not about handicrafts at that time, but about producing simple designs that could be delivered quickly.".
With the national recovery in the 1951s, these basic furniture needs to be upgraded. A group of talented design graduates who just graduated from university led the work. They were trained by Arne Korsmo, head of furniture and interior decoration at the Norwegian National Institute of Arts and Crafts. Korsmo is an influential architect with international influence. He is famous for his villa design, some of which are regarded as masterpieces of Norwegian pragmatism Stenersen(Villa Stenersen in the 1931s.
He and his wife, Gerrit Prytz kittel, are equally talented tableware designers. He went to the United States to meet modernists, including Frank Lloyd-Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles and Ray Eames. "They are an amazing couple, and they have established contact with famous people in the field of architecture and design," said Benedicte Sunde, curator of the annual contemporary design exhibition "Norwegian Existence".
Dr. WidarHalén, director of design and decorative arts at Oslo National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, said that after returning home, Cosmo's experience meant that his graduates were "on par with their neighbors". Many people, such as Fredrik A Kayser, Torbj? RnAfdal and Torbj? RnBekken made fashionable works for those workshops on the west coast. Along the way, they and their companions participated in the traveling exhibition of Scandinavian design and won international awards.
business was booming until oil was discovered in Norway in the 1961s. The gain of the country is the loss of design. "Technicians left the industry, and now we have the money to import furniture. We lost a lot of production here, "Heep said.
We don't want to brag or stand out from the crowd. We are a shy country -Morten Hippe
Sander elaborated: "When the oil attack, the government's attention and money entered the North Sea, and the concern for export design disappeared. Small manufacturers can't keep up. " ? Just as the Norwegian government turned its eyes away from the design ball, its neighbors (only dreaming of Norway's natural resources) are supporting their furniture manufacturers with state funds and vigorously promoting overseas designers.
However, in any case, Hippe does not believe that this method will be useful to the Norwegians. He doesn't think the idea of self-promotion will work well with them. He said: "We don't want to brag or stand out. We are a shy country." ? Historically, Norwegians have always been known for being conservative and distant, which is hardly suitable for bragging.
Therefore, although Norway's best furniture stopped production in the middle of this century, its competitors kept the flag flying through unremitting reissue. From Finn Juhl's 45 easy chair, Hans Wegner's wishbone chair to Aalto's 61 stool, Jacobsen's Egg chair and Swan chair, these parts have been promoted to the symbol of Scandi design.
Nowadays, even in Norway, it is difficult for contemporary creative people to attract Norwegian designers from the JP era. Nina Tolstrup, a Danish designer in London, said bluntly: "From 1911 to 1991, Norway was invisible in the design world." ? Only a master in the middle of a century thought of her: Hans Brattrud, the designer of Skandia chair.
However, these designs have been lost or forgotten to a great extent, which is really in the hands of contemporary people. Dr. Halén said that in those countries in not fade away in the 1991s, "contemporary designers regard it as a burden-they can't come up with new ideas because replication is so dominant." ? "This is holding them back."
As a Danish, Tolstrup feels: "The advantage of the previous generation of new Norwegian designers is that they don't have a long design history, which is a burden for Danish designers for many years, because it is difficult to exceed this standard. A long history of design heritage. "
The foundation is less conspicuous, giving Norwegians more freedom. Norwegian designer Hallgeir Homstvedt told BBC Designed: "The field of design in Norway has really flourished in the past decade." ? He quoted LarsTorn? E) Dots, which are a series of large wooden clothes hooks. "Millions of points have been sold, which has inspired a whole new product category of sculpture clothes hooks," Homstvedt said.
this freedom has turned into something odd. Elizabeth Heron, the export manager of LK Hjelle, said: "Many [Norwegian designers] are considered to have a passionate interest in the products they design," said the Norwegian, a pioneering design studio in Norway, which produces clever Boy Poufs.
Hjelle is one of the few local brands, whose works are created by some of the most famous living designers in the country, including Homstvedt, Andreas Engesvik, Anderssen＆Voll and Norway Says. In contrast, its neighbors can own more world-famous brands, such as Hay in Denmark, Hem in Sweden and Muuto in Finland.
They didn't pursue the beauty that people expected, so it made us think about beauty in different ways–Benedict e Sunde
This eccentric and sturdy appearance was reflected in this year's Norwegian style show, where a lot of experiments on raw materials, such as stone trimming and waste aluminum, were obvious. Ali Gallefoss cast aluminum from stone, while Vilde Hagelund and Nils Stensrud made it from birch. Sunde described this method as a response to charm. She said: "This gives them a primitive aesthetics and has their own aesthetic feeling. It doesn't look so sweet or elegant, and high-end people will buy it. This is trendy and avant-garde. They don't pursue the beauty that people expect, so it makes us think about beauty in different ways. "
the works of 11 designers of Norwegian presence and Fj? Seven local manufacturers, including rdfjesta and Vestre, are neck and neck. However, because few local brands can design, a large number of design talents have been exported. "Norway is mainly training designers who continue to work for international brands," Homstvedt said. Except Torn? In addition to his work for Muuto, E also cited the Bollo chair of Foll by Engesvik, the balance light of Luce Plan by Daniel Rybakken, the Magis of Tibu by Anderssen＆Voll, and the Half＆Half designed for Roll＆Hill by him and Jonah Takagi***.
at the same time, for those "lost" designers, this is catch-up time. For Norwegian brands such as Fjordfiesta, Eikund and Hjelle, it is a call to reissue their national mid-term works. "Now, our mission is not only to sell fish and pump oil; But? We need to understand our heritage. " Heep of the University of Ekud said.
Dr. Halé n believes that the next step is to adapt to the retro nostalgia, and at the same time, new talents are needed. "We want excellent new designers to flourish, but we also want to buy icons. Need balance. "
Maybe in Norway, contemporary design can flourish, while classics can be revived–this is an interesting two-pronged approach that can help the country take its rightful place on the desk designed by Scandi.