Scandinavian design

My father spent some of his formative years in Denmark and Sweden which left him with a great love of Scandic design.  Our family home reflected that influence, with some wonderful 1960s teak furniture which seemed horribly old-fashioned by the 1980s, but is now back in style and highly-desirable.

I was fortunate to visit Denmark twice when I was playing in youth orchestras, often staying in family homes, and what struck me forcibly was that even the most ordinary domestic objects were carefully and thoughtfully designed.  Never did the William Morris quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” seem to ring truer.

So for my first set of links, here are three UK retailers that offer a glimpse of what scandinavian design offers today:

• The very wonderful Danish Homestore in Nottingam regular imports Danish furniture. Nothing like IKEA, I promise!
• ScandiLiving does exactly what it says on the tin
• Celebrating its 10th birthday this year, Skandium offers a fabulous range of designers, including Finns like Alvar Aalto and Marimekko.

(For any Finns reading, yes, I do know that Finland isn’t actually part of Scandinavia).  They get very touch about that, I’ve learnt!