Formex Stockholm is the largest trade show for interior and design in Scandinavia. With 900 exhibitors and 23000 visitors in a space of 114 000 sqm you can easily get overwhelmed. It was a long time since I visited, in fact I didn’t go since I worked as a ceramist and I will not even tell you how long ago that is! It takes place in the Stockholm International Fairs and Congress Centre in Älvsjö, slightly south of the city centre. The theme for 2017 was “Nordic Space” which could be seen in the entrance design and the exhibitions.
To get an overview of classic Swedish design to contemporary up and coming designers, Formex is a fantastic event. Everything merge and mingle in a big pot where you will see oldies but goldies as well as completely new design by emerging talents. A whole section called Formex Nova is dedicated to innovative new design.
To mention something completely opposite, a new exhibitor this year was Skansen, the open air and cultural heritage museum in Stockholm, which exhibited items with a long history of tradition. Another prominent one, with an impressive history and long-lasting traditions to lean on was Ekelund, a textile weaving company founded in 1692! They celebrated their 325th anniversary (!!!) but sadly enough I didn’t get any pics from their beautiful display as I forgot the charger to my phone!
You could also get in the retro mood by visiting the Stig Lindberg booth and, as you know, he is one of my design gurus! Read more about him on the blog over here! His “Green Leaf” pattern is iconic and more popular than ever. It has been licensed for new products over and over again and I have to tell you: I can’t get enough!
More retro feeling was to be found when visiting Camilla Lundsten, the founder of the relatively new brand “Littlephant”. This is one of my absolute favourite contemporary brands in Sweden today. Everything they do is perfectly aligned with their brand statement, their aim for outstanding quality as well as environmental responsibility, and of course an impeccable sense of high qualitative design. They just make everything work together in a perfect harmony and has thus far created a solid foundation of collections that could be the classics of the future as Stig Lindberg is today. Love this so much! Find out more on their webpage Littlephant.com.
Another highlight of the event with a very personal connection was to visit ceramist Tina Hellman at Sturehof’s Pottery. This is where my story once begun as I worked in this pottery for three years learning all I know about ceramics from her. My passion for patterns and dots (!) started here and anyone who knows Tina have seen her fantastic dotty teapot collections. But today her absolutely most loved item is the “Sturehof pot”, a slender beauty with a classic look. This is her bestseller and a must-have for all garden enthusiasts! It was great catching up since we hadn’t seen each other in many years. More eye candy at the webpage of Sturehofs Krukmakeri.
Furthermore I met up with a lovely Instagram friend, Bärbel Dressler from Bearbell Productions! We had a long coffee break together, resting our poor feet and chatting about what we love the most: surface pattern design! Read more about Formex in her blogpost here! For me Formex 2017 was about revisiting my past and make contacts for the future, meeting long-lost friends and discover new ones! A very rewarding experience which makes me look forward to the next edition!
