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 Bonn??n 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."
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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

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. 

 

??dition 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, ??dition 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, ??dition 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 ??dition 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 ??dition 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 ??dition PAUMES and the first of many on Copenhagen interiors, we hope!

??dition PAUMES

??sa Jungnelius  

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 Gar??ons. 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 Gar??ons style boiled wool and gabardine pieces. There???s a perfect trench coat, beautifully cut shirts and jersey pieces bedecked in the signature Comme des Gar??ons??? polka dot. Accessories for women include polka dot weekend bags, canvas shoes, canvas and a new version of Comme des Gar??ons??? celebrated wallets. For men, suits and shirts have been cut on the bias, while other shirts use the typical Comme des Gar??ons??? 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 Gar??ons:

???I thought it would be an exciting event to work with H&M in order to sell Comme des Gar??ons clothes in places where they have never been sold and to appeal to people who may not yet understand Comme des Gar??ons. Marrying the commercial expertise of H&M with Comme des Gar??ons 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 Gar??ons was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo in 1969 and established as a company in Japan in 1973. Comme des Gar??ons became successful in Japan throughout the 1970s and a men's line was added in 1978. 1981 saw Comme des Gar??ons'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 Gar??ons's clothes were often monochromatic, asymmetrical and draped over the body. Tears, holes and frayed edges were also a feature. Comme des Gar??ons (along with Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake) attacked established notions that clothing had to be sexy, colorful and beautiful.

Comme des Gar??ons 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 Vend??me in Paris. Their collections are designed in the Comme des Gar??ons 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 Gar??ons 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

Born in 1972, Christian Flindt is one of the bright new stars to have emerged in recent years from the ??rhus 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

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: