Design Debate

    Stockholm-based designers Massproductions have designed a stackable seat made mainly from recycled aluminium. Named 'Roadie' the idea came from bicycle frames.  I also love the photography. There is great contrast between the uniform bricks so dark and foreboding with the bright metal seats. Helping the furniture to appear  almost   brave in the empty frames.  Nicely done, originally found at Leibal .  

    We are well in the flow of winter now and in Cornwall the weather is completely changeable. From the piecing cold wind to mild 'mizzle' (a Cornish term for mist and drizzle). Right now blue sky is winning through but I can see the rain on the horizon, ready to sweep in.   To really understand the depths of winter, Sweden is the place to go. German photographer Robert Rieger  spent many a happy summer in Sweden as a child but wanted to return in its most antisocial of seasons, to immerse himself in another side.  Rieger's photo essay is one of stillness, beauty and isolation. The eerie light and dense forests convey this season in a way no words could. The occasional joyous red house brings a reminder of people, community, life. Apart from that this is a landscape that allows you uninterrupted time and space to think. 

I came across this beautifully packaged product this morning and it made me pause. Klässbol is a Swedish company that originates from 1920. The family run firm have provided the Swedish royal household with linen and the Nobel Prize dinner since 1993.  With a history to be proud of they needed packaging that would communicate their quality and that would link to the designer and creator. The packaging was designed by Anna Tran and William Sörqvist and I think it beautifully holds what lays inside. The linens can be viewed through cut-out windows and hint and the product beneath.

What a lovely space, this now stylish restaurant was once a tax agency in Stockholm, Sweden. Transformed from tiny pokey rooms, the space has been opened up by Richard Lindvall into an impressive space. Many different types of material have been used - concrete, leather, maple wood, black iron - and all brought together with coffee colours, the space is transformed. I especially like the signage at the centre, and what feels like bistro touches with wooden chairs and cosy corners.  The space is naturally bright and I think the ample lighting helps it from feeling too cold. Splashes of green foliage soften the masculine feel. A lovely space and quite a transformation!