Nothing special makes it cool

Scandinavian designs hot in furniture and household items


It is not difficult to detect a notable trend in the living section in department stores and in design magazines: a lot of things have gone extremely simple, eco-friendly, with few vivid accent colors.

Because most of the popular furniture and warm and cozy household items like lamps and rugs with such designs are made by brands based in northern European countries, they are summed up as “Scandinavian” or “Nordic” designs and are stirring up quite a following here among those seeking something different.

Soon-to-wed 27-year-old Won Yoon-sung who has been making frequent visits to department stores lately looking for furniture and things to decorate her new home, said that she really likes such designs because they are simple.

“They are eco-friendly and produce a warm ambience all the while being so pretty. Moreover, they are easy to find in stores here now, and are easy to match with other items,” she said.

Some of the beloved Scandinavian brands found in local stores include Norwegian bed company Stressless, Finnish tableware brand Iittala, also Finnish total lifestyle brand Marimekko and Swedish stationery brand Bookbinders design. 

The simplicity and durability of the brands’ products are highly regarded, said industry insiders, especially compared with the extravagant and elaborate designs found in many other European brands. South Korean consumers now prefer practical items, said an official at a local department store.

“Northern European tableware has been gaining popularity since last year. This year, the brands saw some 30 percent growth,” said Lee Byeong-ju, an official at Sinsegae Department Store’s Living team.

Marinekko which produces clothes and accessories as well as kitchenware and bedding decorated with simple but colorful prints has become a well-recognized brand here in the two years since its launch.

In February, the brand expanded its flagship store opened in October 2010 in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, buoyed by increasing sales. It is planning to open more stores throughout the city this year.

“Based on young women’s desire to possess something unique and their consciousness of social issues like well-being and eco-friendliness, Marimekko is popular among women in their late 20s and 30s. Young mothers with babies are especially fond of the bedding and clothing which are certified for using eco-friendly materials,” said Ahn Young-ra, the brand’s PR official.

Though IKEA has not even officially opened here yet, many Koreans who have experienced the Swedish furniture brand during their stays overseas are longing for its launch.

“They are cheap but sophisticated and diverse in style. And the best thing about IKEA is that I can DIY easily. It is especially desirable for singles and newly-weds. I think such furniture will be more popular in the future since the number of single households are on the rise,” said Kim Hae-jin, a 28-year-old office worker who encountered the brand while studying in France.

Currently, many IKEA products can be purchased in Korea through multi-brand shops or online shopping malls. Some of the brand’s drawers and sofas, in fact, have been topping the furniture category of online shopping mall Auction.

The brand is known to be in talks to advance into the Korean market later this year. Industry insiders expect that the launch will make the Scandinavian boom even stronger.

There are numerous art and design exhibitions featuring works from the Scandinavian region as well, reflecting the growing interest.

Seoul Arts Center’s Hangaram Art Museum is holding the “Design Finland” exhibition through April 14. It displays furniture and household products designed by Finland’s representative designers including Kaj Franck and popular brands like Iittala and Artek. There seems to be nothing special to the designs, but something makes one feel they would make perfect additions to a boring room.

 

Tableware designed by Franck and produced by Iittala are on display, set on a table in Finnish style. Franck is considered one of the greatest designers and teachers in Finland who still has a great influence over contemporary Scandinavian furniture and household product designs.

The showcased tableware are simple in form but vivid in color, which are strongly based in the “Against Throwawayism” philosophy which is the root of Finnish designs, said the organizers.

Artek’s chairs, which frankly do not look very comfortable but are very simple indeed, are also noteworthy. Alone, they look the least decorative but would definitely work as a point item when put together with other furniture.

Tickets to “Design Finland” range from 8,000 won to 12,000 won. For details, visit www.sac.or.kr.

Daelim Contemporary Art Museum situated in Tongui-dong, central Seoul, will also showcase northern European furniture by the legendary designer Finn Juhl, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Danish architect and designer’s birth.

Juhl was one of the leading Danish designers along with Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, who started the modern Scandinavian furniture style. He won five awards at Italy’s Milan Triennale, the prestigious furniture exposition, in the 1950s. He is known to have been against mass production and made his own furniture that he would use.

Visitors will be able to see not only some of Juhl’s most famous chairs including No. 45 or Chieftain ― which became famous after Danish King Frederik Ⅸ sat down on it at Juhl’s exhibition ― but also his tableware, lightings and other furniture like desks and cabinets. The exhibits are from Japanese collector Oda Noritsugu’s collection.

The museum also assembled video clips and photos peeking into the designer’s home and studio. Works by several other designers, contemporaries of Juhl, will also be exhibited to give visitors an overall view of Scandinavian designs, said the organizers.

The exhibition will run from April 26 to Sept. 23. For more information, visit www.daelimmuseum.org.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)