ICFF returned to New York City this May and the uptick in international presence was apparent across the show floor. With approximately 30 countries present from around the world, there was no shortage of sights to see and no passports or flights required to take it all in. One of the highlights of the event was the Inside Norway booth, an exhibition project that featured a curated selection of eight Norwegian companies to highlight and promote some of the country’s best brands in design—all ideally suited to the upgrades many offices around the U.S. are seeking and highly desirable for those maintaining work-from-home or hybrid-work situations. These brands, who were not able to attend the fair in the Fall of 2021, ran the gamut of interior design from furniture to lighting, and porcelain to rugs. Participants included Dyfosit, Eikund, Figgjo, Fram Oslo, Hadeland Glassverk, Heymat, Lundhs, and Volver. While several of these brands are launching in the United States for the first time, they are headed here with distribution already in place.
These companies are being led by young, dynamic business executives and designers with the vision and manufacturing capabilities to advance Norwegian design throughout the globe, and they were selected to be featured as part of Inside Norway based on the best practices they uphold in ingenuity and sustainability. All of them also have a profound respect for the country’s design heritage and feature the aesthetics of the 1950s and 60s but rendered to modern functionality and styles. Many of the products find their inspiration rooted in the nature of Western Norway, an area where manufacturing began in the 1940s when artisans and craftspeople migrated there. In addition, they make use of the region’s native materials.
Eikund Emerges
Founded in 2016 with a mission focused on sharing Norwegian furniture design classics worldwide, Eikund—led in part by COO Morten Hippe—featured several classic pieces at ICFF from iconic designers who have passed away. Finding these designers, restoring their legacy, and the stories behind how each piece was discovered and revived is a source of great pride and inspiration for the company. Hippe’s passion for treasure hunting and the detective work it entails—shifting through attics and archives to find furniture gems of the past—is apparent from the provenance of each piece and the specifics of materials. “Every chair has some sort of detail, which gives it that crafted look,” Hippe explained. “Our history basically had nothing to show for it in a way; it kind of disappeared. It’s like a hidden period in the ‘50s and ‘60s that was actually the golden era in design, but we didn’t know that it was such a high level. What we have now at the moment is 12 pieces, but we have signed basically 60-plus with the same level of design quality.”
Among those pieces are the Krysset lounge chair, the Hertug dining chair, and the Fluffy lounge chair designed by Fredrik A. Kayser; the Hunter lounge chair, the Broadway lounge chair, and the Veng lounge chair designed by Torbjørn Afdal; the Era dining chair designed by Sven Ivar Dysthe; Øya dining table designed by Sigurd Resell; and the Evja coffee table designed by Torbjørn Bekken. While the re-launch of these products remain loyal to their originality, timelessness, and durability, each piece has been modernized to incorporate and reflect current innovations.
Speaking of reflections, Hadeland Glassverk featured several elegant and intricate lighting fixtures, including a range of pedants, table and floor lamps. Founded in 1762 by the king of Norway (who at the time was seeking better medicine bottles), this company has more than 200 years of archives and sources for designs to make hand-blown, hand-etched glass of the highest quality. The vast variety can also be produced in a range of colors. Surprisingly (even with pandemic delays), John Jacobsen—Hadeland’s International Business Development Manager—says production time remains approximately 6-12 weeks.
The last time the company was stateside, they delivered a project to the Kennedy Center back in 1965—about 85 lamps in total. “Since then, it’s been fairly quiet,” said Jacobsen. “This is our comeback of sorts. A lot of people have now been introduced to our products. We’ve received a great response and positive feedback.” In fact, in the commercial space, Hadeland recently completed a gorgeous cascade of pendants raining down from the ceiling and various floors on display at an H&M flagship store in Oslo. There are also plans in place for additional projects to be announced soon.
