The Stockholm Furniture Fair takes place on February 7-11, 2023 at the Stockholm Exhibition Center for the 71st time. The event is the world's leading meeting place for Scandinavian design, which attracts guests from more than 100 countries.
Stala visited the fair to find out trends and Scandinavian design, of which we think the most interesting themes are below. Responsibility is presented strongly at the fair, Lifestyle is displayed in various outdoor-like spaces and the new Scandinavian Design Awards gathers attention for Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish design. Green House, the area for young designers, captivated with its playfulness.
Soft and muted colors continue their winning streak at Stockholm's interior design fair. Gentle shades of pink, brown, green and blue can be seen in textiles, furniture and painted surfaces.
The subdued shades of green and yellow, combined with a clear design language, have a retro spirit.
On metal surfaces, the colors of brass and copper, black and steel were prevalent both in lighting and in furniture.
Even though the cozy subdued shades were booming at the furniture fair in Stockholm, there were also exceptions to this.
Light wood was a popular decorative element in furniture.
Responsibility appeared as one of the main themes of the furniture fair with its various outputs. Now or never – 1 kg CO2e brought the carbon footprint of different materials within reach, concretely presenting the amount of material produced by 1 kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Concern about the global need to reduce emissions by more than half by 2030 has inspired the exhibition. Significant changes are needed now!
Responsibility theme was displayed in many different ways. Many exhibitors focused on circular economy solutions, others on reducing the use of materials, some on the Slow Production concept or eliminating waste streams. The Slow Production concept, which opposes the disposable culture, strives for a lifestyle that is as sustainable as possible through local production and the use of raw materials.
T-shirts had found a new purpose as chairs.
The eco-efficiency of the production process, such as recycling the color dyes, is topical.
Reducing materials and making recycling easier through design were part of the responsibility theme.
The growth of the importance of responsibility was also shown in The Nude Edition area, where the stands were built from 100% recycled composite packaging waste, which can be completely recycled after the exhibition.
Furniture made of biocomposite with 3D printing technology is 100% recyclable.
Fully recyclable carpet tiles are one example of responsibility.
The lifestyle of outdoor living was also visible at the fair in several stands. Efforts had been made to present the furniture in its natural use environment as possible, which was spiced up by, for example, green walls. The outdoor workstations also represented the outdoor lifestyle.
In the Green House exhibition, young designers get to show their ideas in the playful space. The exhibition consists of the products of 32 designers and 30 design schools from 18 different countries.
Colorful pieces of two young artists – CHEF DECO.
New this year was also the Scandinavian Design Awards, an award highlighting Scandinavian design, architecture and interior design created by the Stockholm Furniture Fair and the publishing house It Is Media. The eight categories of the award included e.g. Designer of the Year, Sustainability of the Year and Rising Star of the Year Awards.
The winner of the Rising Star of the year 2023 award, Antrei Hartikainen, has designed the Parasol table series, which was seen for the first time at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.
Front, which is the guest of honor at Stockholm's Furniture Fair, has an interesting exhibition in the main entrance hall. The story has already started in 2004, when Front exhibited at Green House, an exhibition for young designers, and now 19 years later they are returning to the fair as the first Swedish guest of honor with a wonderful installation. For Stockholm Furniture Fair, Front has created an exhibition where cutting-edge technology is combined with traditional techniques, such as weaving and embroidery. The installation also combines light and music art as part of the experience. We recommend visiting the exhibition.
