Project Process - Shelves

I'm really very nearly almost there with my final project with this being design 9 out of 10. Lately I've been inspired by a lot of interior blogs, specifically Finnish ones like Weekday Carnival, Varpunen and Neovia House so I've tried to incorporate that somehow into this design! For the most part, the items on the shelves were inspired by suggestions from my Twitter friends. I've placed the design in stages just so you can see how the shelves fill up!








As you can see it's intended for placement print but I think it works just as well as a pattern!

Design for Interiors - Anthropologie

Another wonderful discovery I made via Pinterest is Anthropologie. I had been aware of the brand Anthropologie as a fashion label for sometimes but I didn't know they ventured into interiors and home furnishings. So what a treasured find! Established in 1992, Anthropologie is the offspring of the Urban Outfitters chain. Specialising exclusively in hand crafted design with vintage inspiration. The style, particularly with the wallpapers is so expressively kitsch with subject inspirations from birds, antiques, mineral stones & cities. If you click on the boards they will take you directly to the specific shop although I must forewarn you, some of the items also have large price tags included.

Design For Interiors - Hanna For Boråstapeter

I first came across the work of Swedish designer Hanna Werning whilst in my first year of University. Her work was my first real inspiration as concerns print design and my first exposure to Nordic design. Werning's third collection for Swedish wallpaper giants Boråstapeter is by far my favourite collection of hers. Boråstapeter is Sweden's oldest and best known wall covering company. In terms of visual aesthetics you could probably class Boråstapeter as the Swedish equivalent to Cole & Son, with it being classically tasteful retaining vinage and retro styles whilst still being applicable to modern interiors. This collection combines Werning's signature style of vivacious bold prints combined with themes of flora and fauna. Tropical inspired colour theme are also mixed with Nordic nature to create a truly exotic collection.



Which are your favourite designs from this collection?

Design for Interiors - Icelandic Interiors

So here is something I’ve been keeping a secret for a while.

For a student doing a project about Nordic countries whilst living in the north of England is essentially quite difficult. Whilst my classmates were photographing their own inspirations from our city and beyond I was left to go about it in a different manner. By doing a project that incorporated vast amounts of musical, literature and cultural elements, I found I was doing visual research “by proxy” with friends sending me photographs and directions of inspirations to stimulate me. I was able to put forward a vast collection from the fjords of Norway, to the winterlands of Finland and of course, what you see here.

These photographs were kindly taken by the lovely Iris, a student of law at the University of Leeds at the house of her grandparents. Remembering how open the internet can be and that this is someones home, I don’t wish to divulge in too much detail, and prefer to let the photographs do the talking.

I remember the first time I saw these photographs getting quite excited. The term “Scandinavian Interiors” mainly covers Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland (although always remembering Finland is not part of Scandinavia) so I hadn’t had any idea of what to expect from Icelandic interiors. From my own knowledge of Scandinavian design I found that the Icelandic interior style was very much a mix up of the “true” Scandinavian styles. The influx of he Swedish style comes from the predominantly use of white used throughout the house. Norwegian interiors are slightly more fresh and inspired by elements, with the water themed artworks you see in the living room. More noticeably, the Danish influence comes from the more rustic and collectively cultured items you see around the house which represents Denmark’s deep history in trade and travel relations.

It was so difficult for me to narrow down the photographs but these were the ones I felt personally most inspired by. I hope the photographs manage to inspire you too, and once again thank you to Iris and her grandparents for letting my explore their homelands. It’s been an enchanting experience :)