Top 5: Australia’s love affair with Nordic design

By Penny Craswell

In 1981, a radical new design collective Memphis, headed by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, released its first collection in the “new international style”. Since then, globalisation of brands and products has led to a consistent aesthetic across national boundaries in contemporary design, to the extent that discussion of national design styles has become increasingly irrelevant.

On the other hand, it is hard to argue with the fact that some countries do design really well (Denmark, Japan, Italy to name just a few) and some not so well (overbearing dark wood furniture and kitchens in some parts of the US or over-the-top glitz in Russia or China, for example).

Nordic or Scandinavian design is some of the best in the world, with beautiful timbers, minimal lines and beautiful patterning, and Australia has a large appetite for it.

With this in mind, I have collected some of the best places to find good Nordic design while shopping this festive season.

1) Funkis recently opened its new shop at Melbourne’s the Strand selling Swedish and Scandinavian design including homewares, gifts, clogs and clothes, as well as some Australian design, such as the work of the Fortynine Studio. The brand is originally Sydney based and founded by a Swedish design lover.

2) Great Dane has a range of Danish and Scandinavian design, including furniture and accessories. Founder and director Anton Assaud regularly visits the Nordic countries and has a passion for Danish design.

3) Hay is a wonderful Danish brand with the most beautiful accessories, like tea-towels and stationery, now sold by CULT in  Australia. London designer Sebastian Wrong recently released a new range called Wrong for Hay that also includes pieces from international designers, including Adelaide-based Daniel and Emma. CULT also sells beautiful Danish furniture including Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone chair for Carl Hansen & Son and Arne Jacobsen’s Drop chair rereleased this year by Fritz Hansen.

4) Norsu was started by two Melbourne design lovers, Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier, and sells Nordic homewares. As well as great taste, the founders use impeccible styling in their photo shoots. Anyone on Instagram should follow Norsu immediately.

5) Marimekko is a Finnish textile brand that sells fashion, homewares and all manner of beautiful objects, made famous in the 1960s by the Unikko/Poppy print by designer Maija Isola. There is a shop in Sydney city around the corner from the Apple store.

There are many more Nordic design stores and brands – please name the best ones in the comments below. And Happy Christmas shopping!