Displaying items by tag: Scandinavian Design

When two of Denmark’s most iconic design figures come together to create a piece of furniture, the results are bound to be spectacular. This important Cuban mahogany cabinet by Kaj Gottlob for AJ Iversen is a stunning example of one such sublime collaboration. Offered by H.M. Luther, New York-based dealers of rare and unique works by the most celebrated designers from Scandinavia and Continental Europe, this highly sophisticated piece was conceived by Gottlob, a leading architect, and crafted by Iversen, an accomplished cabinetmaker. Iversen, along with the many architects and designers he partnered with, including Gottlob, helped pave the way for Danish Modern, an iconic style revered for its...

Sotheby’s New York will host two highly-anticipated design auctions this week. “The Jon Stryker Collection: Masterworks of European Modernism,” will take place on Tuesday, December 16, followed by the “Important 20th Century Design” sale on Wednesday, December 17.

“Masterworks of European Modernism” will feature works from the collection of Jon Stryker -- an American architect, philanthropist, and activist. In 2002, Stryker teamed up with Peter Shelton and Lee Mindel of the New York-based architecture and interior design firm Shelton, Mindel & Associates to renovate his former apartment at the “Prasada,” a Beaux-Arts luxury apartment building overlooking Central Park in Manhattan. With help from Shelton and Mindel, Stryker created a stylish and modern space within the historic building to showcase his collection of European and Scandinavian twentieth-century design and photography.

The iconic poppy at Marimekko blossomed to gigantic proportions and the prospect of a new Guggenheim museum summoned top architects to the Finnish capital last week. The 10-day Helsinki Design Week, which takes place every September, turns the entire city into a showcase for new ideas and Scandinavian interior style.

This year, the city hosted over 150 official events and another 100 fringe ones. Teurastamo, formerly a slaughterhouse, was the newest venue where young Finnish designers had the chance to show off their work.

Design Miami/Basel, a global forum focused on collectible design, offered select guests a sneak peek of its offerings during a VIP preview on Monday, June 16. The event, which takes place alongside Art Basel in Switzerland, is open to the public from Tuesday, June 17 through Sunday, June 22.

Bringing together collectors, gallerists, designers, and curators, Design Miami/Basel celebrates design culture and commerce through museum-quality exhibitions, educational lectures, and commissions from the world’s top emerging and established designers and architects. The marketplace portion of the fair features celebrated design galleries from around the world exhibiting furniture, lighting, and objets d’art. Offerings range from 18th- and 19th-century antiques to early Modernist objects and contemporary design.

 The Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington, is celebrating the classic elegance of Scandinavian mid-century design with the exhibition “Danish Modern: Design for Living.” Organized by The Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa, “Danish Modern” features simple and sophisticated furnishings designed and crafted in Denmark in the 1950s and 1960s -- a particularly prosperous period for the style.

The exhibition includes household items such as toys, lamps, and serving pieces, as well as a swath of chairs. Celebrated for its form, function, and consideration for the human body, it’s no surprise that a plethora of iconic chairs originated during the heyday of Danish Modern design. The show at the Nordic Heritage Museum features Arne Jacobsen’s cocoon-like “Egg” chair, graceful “Swan” Chair, and stackable “Seven" chair as well as Helge Sibast’s spindly “No. 8” chair and Hans Wegner’s curvaceous “Round” chair, which was so popular during the middle of the 20th century that it became known simply as “the Chair.”

After successful stints in Oslo and Tokyo, “Norwegian Icons: Important Norwegian Design” is on view in New York City. The exhibition, which is currently taking place at the Openhouse Gallery in SoHo, explores Norway’s contributions to mid-century Scandinavian design. The show includes high-end decorative arts and furniture created between 1940 and 1975 as well as works by Norwegian artists, including Edvard Munch.

Mid-century Scandinavian design is well-known for its clean, simple lines and high functionality. However, there is often little distinction made between the contributions made by each country. While most design enthusiasts are familiar with Arne Jacobsen’s egg chair (Denmark) and Maija Isola’s bold, colorful textiles for Marimekko (Finland), Norway’s contributions to mid-century design often fly under the radar. Organized by Blomqvist, an Oslo-based auction house, and Fuglen, a Norwegian cafe/bar/vintage design shop, “Norwegian Icons” aims to educate the public about Norway’s contributions to Scandinavian design, including Hans Brattrud’s development of Alvar Aalto’s wood-bending technique and Sven Ivar Dysthe’s flat-packed, ready-to-ship furniture.