Finnish design gets redefined by new disruptor Vaarnii
Finnish design gets redefined by new disruptor Vaarnii
Newly launched design brand Vaarnii enlisted a group of international designers to create a collection of minimalist furniture in pine wood, available from Finnish Design Shop and Artek
The inaugural collection from Finnish design brand Vaarnii was designed by a group of international creatives and includes (from left) trays by Livia Lauber, mirrors by Industrial Facility, wall hooks by Sarah Kaye Rodden, side table by Philippe Malouin, lounge chair by Max Lamb, bench by Kwangho Lee, stool by Dimitri Bähler, door stoppers by Vaarnii, bowls by Mac Collins, dining table and chair by Fredrik Paulsen, and coffee table by Soft Baroque. All pieces are made in Finland with locally sourced pine wood, and available from Artek in Helsinki, and Finnish Design Shop
This spring s Modern Art + Design includes several exciting collections. The most prominent is the cultural personality and GAN connoisseur Jan Torsten Ahlstrands, with more than 50 works, including an early neoplastic work by Erik Olson, Fiskarna vid Seine , 1928 and a significant painting from 1920 by GAN, Eiffeltornet , made in Paris. A little less extensive is A collection of Danish surrealists , including about 20 early works by, among others, Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen, Wilhelm Freddie and Elsa Thoresen, rarely seen at auction. There is something magical about collections. Behind the works is a person who, through his passion and knowledge of the objects, gives it another dimension and context that moves on to the new owner. Over the years, Bukowskis has been entrusted with selling many significant collections, and it is always very inspiring to work with these objects, says Lena Rydén, head of art, specialist modern art.
Many describe the work of Alvar Aalto as an embodiment of the concept of
Gesamtkunstwerk (a total work of art), where architecture, design, and art merge into one. The Finnish architect is a pioneer in the so-called organic strand of modern architecture in the early 20th century and has strongly influenced what we know today as Scandinavian architecture. According to a description on the MoMA website: his work reflected a deep desire to humanize architecture through an unorthodox handling of shapes and materials that was rational and intuitive. Its methods of bringing natural light into buildings are extolled and studied repeatedly until today. But throughout Aalto s career, wood has always been present and taken many different forms. From structures to ceilings to stools, Alvar Aalto brought this natural material to the fore.
London studio Alexander Owen Architecture drew on its clients love of modernism and pop art to create a colourful kitchen and terrace at Amott Road in East Dulwich.
Geometric shapes, timber curves and bold pigments characterise the project, which also involved adding a modest side extension to the end-of-terrace property in southeast London.
Above: Alexander Owen Architecture has renovated a house in London. Top image: the colourful renovation involved adding a small side extension
Owners Simon Ryder and Carolyn Norgate had lived in the property for nearly 20 years, but didn t like spending time in the kitchen as it was dark and disconnected from the garden.
When did they get into our homes? A brief history of houseplants
When did they get into our homes? A brief history of houseplants
“More sun? Less sun? What do you want? More water? Less water? Why don’t you speak? Answer me now! (1)
My grandma loved plants. She kept dozens of them with their terracotta vases precisely aligned on the ground or suspended on iron frames close to the staircase. When I was young, I liked to see her taking care of red and pink hairy geraniums or repotting asparagus ferns and spider plants. She also cultivated flowers – small white roses, flowering quinces, asters, and jonquils – that in Spring and Summer gave her plenty of fresh bouquets she brought to the cemetery every Saturday afternoon.