When Christmas approaches, everything that belongs to Nordic culture awakens my imagination.
I love Nordic taste, although my temperament is Mediterranean.
The elegance and the formal cleanliness of that culture is reflected in the furnishing and decoration of the houses, to make them become enchanted.
Also thanks to a book gifted me by my father, of Nordic fairy tales fascinated me as a child and that told these scenarios: large rooms with white floors and furniture in light wood, windows with decorations of reindeer from which you could see snowy landscapes, stoves in cast iron with crackling fire, sledges, elves and fairies with magical powers.
The habit of decorating houses is already noticeable by observing the large windows of homes, often without curtains to collect light, always full of objects and flowers, often orchids, visible from inside and outside, almost as if these creatures were part of the spirit of home. The company Jette Frolich reminds me of this poem in its beautiful decorations.
When I see images in magazines set in the north I feel that that kind of setting reflects my imagination of perfection and an ideal of habitation. I was recently in Hamburg, a city on the border with Denmark, and you can experience this style here.
It seems simple, but the elegance of natural colors and white is not so easy to insert in our home contexts, without being cold and aseptic. The distinctive element are the decorations, the attention to detail and the inclusion of green, flowers and nature that balance the whole.
There are some companies that perfectly represent this spirit and that I always try to suggest to my clients as icons of timeless style.
Denmark is a small country with a great passion for design. In reality, all of northern Europe has a remarkable tradition of designers, brands and products known all over the world.
First I want to talk to you about Hans J.Wegner, an influential figure in the design of chairs, first of all YChair (of which I spoke in a previous article in the blog: http://www.on-home.net/single-post/CH-THE-CHAIR-IN-WOOD), and a collection of masterpieces distributed by the Carl Hansen company.
Alongside him I recall Arne Jacobsen’s name among the best known of design, author of the legendary "Egg" armchair and the "Swan" armchair, which are often seen covered in colored cloth owned by the Danish company Kvadrat, pillar in fabric innovation.
Republic of Fritz Hansen is the company that collects its designs and produces the incredible collection of this designer.
Then there is the brilliant Verner Panton who in the '60s designed some original colored plastic chairs like his "Panton chair" distributed by the Swiss Vitra.
I have always wondered how the Nordic houses could be so beautiful and I am convinced that the lack of light is the secret of the search for such beauty.
If we go a little further north, in Finland, we find the master and great architect Alvar Aalto. All his creations were aimed to capture light in order to enhance the architectural and spatial qualities, taking into account the point of view of the observer.
Harmony was achieved in union with nature through the use of natural wood.
Timelessly all the furniture in curved wood designed by him and still produced by the company Artek.
But there is also a great culture of objects and fabrics in the north, used in furniture and clothing.
Objects of great class like those of Royal Copenhagen, of Iittala (with timeless shapes like the vases recall of the fjords), of Stelton and Marimekko.
Like in the 50s / 60s masters such as Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto in Finland, Finn Juh and Arne Jacobsen in Denmark were designing iconic objects by form as by distribution, today emerging companies from Muuto, Hay, Evasolo, Bylassen and Norman Copenhagen to Ikea colossus offer fresh furniture and affordable prices with clean lines, contemporary aesthetics, functionality, color and lots of wood.
Then there is a great attention to ergonomics, to wellbeing, to health care. Just think of all the seats up to the Stokke company strollers.
Even the colorful fabrics like Marimekko, or natural like Libeco's linen, or the clothes of Kvadrat up to the curtains of Kinnasand are a brand of the north!
And I cannot fail to mention the Loui Poulsen company for their lamps that we find in the most prestigious venues around the world.
lots of wood.
It is difficult in a few words to tell you how beautiful and elegant it is in this Nordic culture, but I hope I have given you some useful indications for further study.You might have guessed that I am in love with this world and the atmosphere that it radiates!Now I can wait for Santa Claus with his reindeer coming down from the mythical North, and watch the fire while it snows outside, dreaming while wrapped in a nice warm blanket with my enchanted book of Finnish fairy tales in my hands. ................................................................................
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