sweden

Swedish Blog Crushes

by Amber on February 28, 2010 in Notebook

Hej! If you think about it for a couple of minutes, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that when it comes to the finer things in life, Sweden often pulls it off better than most. Design, pop music, meatballs and typography for starters!

To boot, some of the best blogs published today originate from Scandinavia, especially in the realm of fashion, interiors and object design. Below are my Swedish bloggy picks – most of them are written in English (oh you multilingual dreams) but if not, the Google translator is helpful.

ANNE’S FOOD: Swedish cooking-eating-enjoying blog written by Anne from Stockholm. There are a lot of recipes on the site but I really enjoy the “Traditional-ish Swedish Recipes” category – populated by exciting  edibles such as Daim Cookies and Dammsugare.

CAMILLA ENGMAN: Since 2007 Engman has been sharing her witty illustrations & artwork, thoughtful photography and adventures with her little dog. Simply charming.

EMMA’S DESIGNBLOGG: A blog with an emphasis on stylists and photographers (concepts = good), rather than shopping and products (stuff = not sustainable). I can’t wait to visit Stockholm and use her comprehensive city guide.

FASHIONSQUAD: A nice blog which does what it says on the box – fashion, fun, inspiration, big time dreams.

HELLO TIGER!: Tiger shares her recent decor and design finds and posts great DIY tutorials (she also writes for Swedish ELLE Interiör). I liken her blog to a really excellent pick n’ mix lolly section – bright and sugary favourites and a few new treats to try.

KONSTBOK: I adore Emilie Björk’s blog for its captivating photography, music recommendations and the ‘everyday-moments-in-Gothenburg’ style narrative.

KARIN ERIKSSON: Erikkson is a noted designer/maker of ceramics. Here she blogs her “inspirations and my thoughts on topics such as beauty, patterns and things”. This is one of her gorgeous Signe beakers, crafted for tea, which will no doubt leave you wanting to know where she gets her ideas from:

SANDRA JUTO: Sandra is an illustrator, photographer and knitter. She shares her life through beautifully composed daily photographs: coffee, sign-writing, snow, lamps. Reading her blog makes you appreciate the simple things in life.

SWEDES PLEASE: Swedes Please is the definitive Swedish music blog! Definitely worth a browse because Swedish indie is some of the best in the world. As an aside, my favourite Swedish bands are Loney, Dear, I’m From Barcelona, The Hives, and Air France.

Are there any sneaky Swedish favourites that you think I should add to the list? I’d especially like to read some written by men. Or perhaps there is another country that seems to crop up in your RSS reader time and time again? Please share with the class.

{ 6 comments }

VIEWFINDER: LONEY DEAR – AIRPORT SURROUNDINGS

by Amber on July 31, 2009 in Notebook

Airport Surroundings is a single from the recent Loney Dear album Dear John, directed by Marcus Söderlund.

Hailing from Sweden, Loney Dear (aka Emil Svanängen) possesses a melodic voice that’s one part sweetly Beck and one part charred – like E of The Eels. I enjoyed this clip, I am always partial to a bit of driving around fast in a music video, but the real winner is the song.

Put it on your stereo, turn up the volume and go for a drive at night. That’s what I’ll be doing – someone has lent me a car for the weekend! Time to hit the road.


{ 6 comments }

H&M – SUPER SIMPLE HOISERY

by Amber on July 8, 2009 in Design

Gorgeous tights packaging from our favourite Swedes H&M. Helvetica Neue is often seen a a cop-out by some designers but in the right dose it works. Add some clean, to the point photography and you get something beautiful:
H&M Tights PackagingH&M Tights PackagingH&M Tights Packaging

Why don’t more brands bring beautiful design to their commodity items?

{ 2 comments }

VIEWFINDER: LYKKE LI – I’M GOOD I’M GONE

by Amber on July 12, 2008 in Notebook

Another quirkly happy musical extravaganza from Sweden. Lykke Li‘s I’m Good I’m Gone is an adorable ode to believing in oneself and hard work to earn some butter for your bun; illustrated by stop motion punching grannies and muscle-women. It makes me feel so good to listen to her album, ‘Youth Novels’, and the Bauhaus style collages on her website are pretty sweet as well. Smiles guaranteed.

PS. If you liked this, you can download a free remix of it by Black Kids – super!

{ 1 comment }

Gram Design

by Amber on May 27, 2008 in Notebook

Gram

Check out these awesome sneakers by Gram – I want them! I can imagine the green colourway being paired perfectly with black skinny jeans, while the crimson kicks could be matched with a simple white summer frock. Gram is a Swedish brand designed by Alexis Holm and Anna Stenvi, founded in Stockholm circa 2005.

From their design statement:

“In the weight of a shoe lies all it’s properties, expression, material, construction and quality. Weight reflects the simplicity of Gram, and also gives the impression of a shoe made to be used, designed to enhance the wearers own style without dictating or stealing attention.”

I have to disagree with one tiny part of this – Gram shoes are sure to grab attention! Available from several global stockists such as Bloomingdales, and online from 111Vox.

{ 0 comments }