The Scandinavian Design List: January 2021

The Scandinavian Design List is a tribute to all the inspiring design work that is coming out of this region. In this series, we put the spotlight on some of the most interesting latest releases.

The first edition of 2021 serves different lighting options for the remaining winter months: sofas and chairs to sink into while staying home as well as storage solutions for all the books you aim to read this year. To round it off, we dive into the world of colors trends for the year.

Looking for more inspiration? Scroll through and find an overview of all major Scandinavian design festivals in 2021.

Here are the best Scandinavian design releases for January 2021:

GUBI: Semi-Pendant

We might have made it to the new year but the dark months are far from over. Brighten up your home with GUBI’s Semi Pendant lamp, now available in a new 90-centimeter variant. The new size emphasizes the dramatic increase in the shade’s gauge and striking curves. The lamp was originally designed by Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup for a competition at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, in 1968. It won first prize and became a bestseller during the 1980s, bringing it worldwide recognition. The diffused, cone-shaped light is perfect for illuminating your home cooking efforts in the kitchen or to shine a light on your dinner table.

FRAMA: Ornament Candle Holder

Danish design brand FRAMA has a distinctly rustic yet sophisticated style; the new Ornament Candle Holder is an excellent example of this. Crafted from delicate steel, the wall-mounted pieces gently reflect the candle light giving the room a warm feel. The candleholder is available in two shapes, round and rectangular, and can be easily mounted with a single nail or screw.

Carl Hansen & Søn: MG501 Cuba Chair in Paper Cord

Designed in 1997 by Morten Gøttler, the elegant Cuba Chair is a youngster among the Scandinavian classics. From this month, it is available in a new variant with seat and back in paper cord. Opting for paper cord, often used in Danish and Scandinavian furniture manufacturing, makes the silhouette even lighter than the traditional cotton webbing. Carl Hansen & Søn has a long tradition of working with this material and it takes a skilled craftsman about eight hours to hand weave the back and seat. The Cuba Chair is foldable, making it an ideal extra seat that serves as a decorative element while not in use.

GUBI: Tail Dining Chair

Add some glamour to your dining area at home with GUBI’s new Tail Dining Chair. The fully upholstered chair is available with a high and low back and will get you dreaming of fine dining and exclusive hotel lobbies. Designed by award-winning, Danish-Italian duo GamFramtesi, the Tail Chair is playful and sculptural while honoring the Danish sense of craftsmanship.

Formel A: Mellizo Sofa

Formel A has launched the new sofa Mellizo designed by Copenhagen-based Amanda Lilholt. Mellizo is Spanish for twin and reflects the close relation of the design to her TWIN sofa. Mellizo comes in three different sizes, from 200 cm up to 260 cm, to accommodate for different lifestyles as well as different materials ranging from wool to velvet. The sofa combines a squared pattern on the back with round arms, resulting in an elegant expression. Formal A is a collaboration between Danish, Berlin-based architect Sigurd Larsen and Danish furniture designer Amanda Lilholt. Every piece of furniture is crafted by hand and produced in the EU.

String Furniture: Brown Shelving System

71 years ago, Kajsa and Nisse Strinning designed String Furniture’s popular shelving system. Now the all-time favorite is also available in a brown colorway. The dark and intense color has a natural look and was created to match the existing color options so you can combine them easily. What today is one of the most well-known Swedish contributions to the Scandinavian design legacy originates from a contest that publishing house Bonnier hosted in 1949. Bonnier had realized that most Swedish houses were not furnished in a way that allowed people to store books properly, which affected their sales negatively. The solution was a contest that asked contestants to hand in designs for a shelving system that was affordable and could be sent and put up easily. And so String was born!

What are the colors of the year?

As we head into the new year, lift your spirits with a splash of color. Scandinavian brands may be largely known for their love affair with monochromatic palettes, but some are increasingly flirting with a pops of color, such as Montana Furniture. To get a feel for which colors might influence Scandinavian design trends this year, let’s explore two of the most influential color trend forecasters.

Farrow & Ball: Colors of 2021

Dorset-based Farrow & Ball is known and loved for its strong focus on quality paint colors and sustainability. The brand’s in-house color expert Joa Studholme has your back when it comes to which colors you should have on your radar this year. India Yellow and Dead Salmon are meant to add some warmth to your home while giving energy and inspiration.

Pantone: Color Of The Year 2021

The color of the year is: Pantone® 17-5104 Ultimate Gray And Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating

Pantone is know worldwide as the color authority. The American company is an icon in the design world as well as in pop culture. What initially started as a system for identifying, matching, and communicating colors for consistency across the print and textile design industries has grown into an influential actor when it comes to what colors we will see everywhere in the following year. Each year, the Pantone Color Institute crowns the Pantone Color Of The Year, a shade chosen by a team of experts from diverse industries.  Pantone Color Of The Year 2021 will be not one but two colors: PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating. Together they create an aspirational color pairing that combines “deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine filled day.“

Scandinavian Design Festivals 2021

3 Days of Design Copenhagen

27th – 29th May 2021

In May, Denmark’s annual design event is taking over Copenhagen. 3 Days of Design is a design festival for professionals and enthusiasts alike, giving you a peek behind the scenes of some of the most interesting design players.

Stockholm Design Week

8th – 14th February 2021

Stockholm Design Week celebrates the Swedish capital as the great design destination that it is by presenting a well-curated mix of events to make sure that every visitor goes home with a list of exciting design brands and a bigger professional network. As the event is scheduled to take place in February, stay tuned for COVID-19 related safety measures.

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, City & Digital Edition

9th – 13th February 2021

Stockholm Furniture & Lighting Fair is the world’s leading meeting point for Scandinavian design with a focus on placing the region’s design work in an international context. Specialists as well as private individuals are invited to lear about the latest products and trends in the furniture industry. Besides the exhibition itself, the event hosts and inspires through seminars, lectures, and awards shows. This year, the usual program is cancelled; instead, Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair will present a City & Digital Edition.

Helsinki Design Week

9th – 19th September 2021

Helsinki Design Week is a multidisciplinary festival that presents design from a number of fields as well as fashion, architecture, and urban culture. Learn about the new faces and phenomena of design and look behind the scenes of the design process in a variety of event spaces spread throughout the city.

Design March Reykjavik

19th – 23rd May 2021

For 12 years, Design March has been bringing inspiration and joy to design lovers while highlighting the local design community in Iceland. Despite the name Design March, this year’s edition will be moved to May due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Want more Scandinavian design? Read the full Scandinavian Design List series and see our overview: What is Scandinavian Design?