From holiday gift giving to to keeping your home’s style fresh in the dead of winter, finding the perfect inspiration can sometimes seem impossible. What if the perfect source was just across the pond?
These collections showcase a passion for design and creativity, all inspired by a European country or the style of that nation. May these sources of inspiration spark your own!
Procook’s Oslo Collection
ProCook’s Oslo range brings Nordic cool to the table this winter, continuing the dining trend for reactive glaze stoneware. Oslo tableware embraces the Scandinavian hygge trend with its organic shapes and cool grey tones with a subtle salt and pepper look. Easily dressed up for more formal dining, the Oslo range is also perfect for everyday use. Oslo includes dinner and side plates which have flat bases and a sharp vertical lip, complemented by gently curved cereal and pasta bowls.
Photo courtesy Procook.
Photo courtesy Reformations.
Reformation
Living in rural Mid Wales, designer Craig Anthony is surrounded by the shifting patterns and colors of the country’s multiple landscapes, from open moorlands and mountains, to the woods surrounding lakes and rivers. All of this landscape inspires his creativity, which in turn helped him to launch his decorative arts company Reformations, an online gallery of handmade glass clocks and modern glass wall art.
His pieces that boast functional elements combined with highly decorative and abstract attributes. Additionally, many of his works also feature ambient lighting that creates a dramatic display when seen in darkness.
“My work develops organically, a reciprocal relationship between the materials and my imagination,” Anthony says. “Every piece I create feeds the design of the next. Created using paints with a high pigment content on specially prepared glass, and embracing a sense of natural chaos, my work is guaranteed to make a bold statement in any, contemporary setting.”
Shekåbba
Started in October 2019, Shekåbba consists of a small, visionary team of people who originate from all over the United Kingdom, all who share a love and passion to introduce others to the people-centred happiness of the Danish home. “We believe that thoughtfully crafting a home environment of warmth and beauty, sets the stage for a lifetime shared with those we love most,” according to company founders Dan and Rosanna Chapman.
Inspiration behind the company’s founding starts within the Danish culture, specifically the Danish homes model which focuses on time with family and friends. To introduce others to such a rich, happy culture, Shekåbba helps customers discover more of Denmark’s gifted home decor designers and artists, to bring an authentic and broadening Danish home experience.
Photo courtesy Shekåbba The Danish Home.
SOMETIMES THE MOST CREATIVE IDEAS ARE BORN FROM A CHALLENGE. THIS IS DEFINITELY THE CASE FOR ELNAZ NAMAKI OF ELNAZ NAMAKI STUDIO. NAMAKI AND HER DESIGNERS FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO SOURCE ORIGINAL DESIGN PIECES THAT WERE ALSO COMFORTABLE AND HIGH QUALITY.
Sensing this niche in the market, Namaki created the “Luuna Collection,” an assortment of bespoken furniture that “distinguished itself in that people would feel and connect with it and therefore always remember it.”
“Luuna” takes its name and design philosophy from the moon, a universal constant with a symbolic connection to time and place, according to Namaki. The style and sculpted shapes of the collection are further inspired by mid-century designs and hygge, the heart of Danish culture.
Namaki notes that she wanted to create furniture that embodied this concept and pieces that are designed to evoke an ambience. The core of the collection is the textured shearling, or sheepskin, on each of the pieces that creates a feeling of coziness and warmth. The shearling also proved to be another challenge, Namaki says, as it took a lot of experimenting to find the right consistency to work with.
“[Shearling] is a unique and very special material to use for upholstery that requires precision and skill to create straight joints by hand,” she says. The designers also worked with specialized English craftsmen throughout the process when shaping and crafting the wood frames, combining traditional and modern techniques to create detailed furniture pieces. Just as soft are the colors on each of the seven furniture pieces and five cushions from the collection, classic shades that fit with most interior spaces while also remaining subtly bold.
“I think the “Luuna” collection can fit in every home as the style, colors and shapes are timeless and constant,” Namaki remarks. “[These] pieces make iconic and playful centerpieces in every home. They are designed for anyone who believes their home tells the story of who they are.”
Recently released exclusively with SUITENY, the design brand Nuura is known for creating aesthetic and select lighting options that reflect the riches and joy found in Nordic nature. With the chandelier as a central focus, Nuura offers lighting collections that enrich the room and complete the interior in both private homes and public spaces. By combining delicate design with state-of-the-art technology, the designers strive to create unique quality lighting that has a positive impact on our wellbeing.
“The meaning of Nuura is light and honour,” says a brand representative. “From our base in Denmark, we are inspired by the Nordic light — an everlasting source of inspiration. We wish that our lighting collections will spread life and joy.”
All photos courtesy SUITENY.