Tuesday

Stockholm’s Furniture Fair

In a city known for its chic and sleek Scandinavian design, it is no surprise that Stockholm hosts a cutting edge furniture fair full of new and creative designs. The Stockholm Furniture Fair kicks off tomorrow, and if you are in the area, there is no excuse for not stopping by. Even if you can only afford a bit of armchair traveling, the Fair’s website is full of pictures sure to feed your modern design desires.

I am a sucker for Scandinavian design (in fact, I am not the only one; the event draws 40,000 visitors), and although the fair attracts designers from around the world, you can definitely feel the Fair’s Nordic roots. To spice up the Fair’s international flavor, this year’s Guest of Honor is Italian designer Giulio Cappelinni. Born in Milan in 1954 he has designed for, among others, Alcantera and Flaminia.But the fair isn’t just for well-known professionals; take the Greenhouse for example. Started in 2003, the Greenhouse is a space to showcase the work of up and coming independent designers who don’t always have the monetary means to get into the business, but who certainly have the creative eye; when independent designers meet international furniture good things happen. Designers like Johannes Norlander and Broberg Ridderstråle jumpstarted their careers here. The Greenhouse’s theme for the 2008 fair is “The Village,” and TAF architects are making sure that visitors who walk into the show hall feel that they are walking into a scaled-up version of an architect’s village plan. Think lots of various sized houses and even a communal square to encourage the congregation of artistic minds alike. Continue…