The curatorial team led by Hanna Nova Beatrice used this time away to examine the role of the furniture fair within the wider context of design and innovation. The result was a delicately balanced trade between the need for commerce and exchange within an overall environment of sustainability.

Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024 could be described as a carefully curated celebration of design. Following on from last year, this edition continued the trend of small, considered events and visibly displayed an acknowledgement of resource use and consumption that left an impression of measured optimism for the future.

An exciting assortment of work showcased this conscious new direction, and for ourselves, the opportunity to exhibit our Kit series within the ‘Greenhouse’ — the dedicated zone for emerging designers and artists nestled in the centre of more established exhibitors — was great exposure to international buyers, fabricators and designers. Coming from New Zealand, the relative distance to the markets and design cultures of Europe and particularly Scandinavia means that this kind of exposure is essential to continue our research and practice.

We were encouraged by the thoughtful execution of the fair, where Stockholm-based designer and environmentalist Emma Olbers emphasized that exhibitors were asked “to create a more relaxed and happy feeling” within their stalls and there was a noticeable effort to intersperse stalls with bars and cafes to ensure that the sheer amount of objects on display was supplemented with some distance and reflection time. Olbers herself led daily sustainability tours throughout the fairgrounds, highlighting exhibitors’ efforts to make meaningful contributions and providing great insight into what’s at the forefront of furniture and sustainability at this moment.

As an example of this conscious making, Norwegian brand Minus offers carbon-negative furniture on a subscription basis. Designing with the next 100 years in mind, they exhibited their Minus Chair in pine and several bright finishes. Their subscription service means that they can now monitor the life-cycle of the product and at the end of their long, well-used lives the chairs can be converted to biochar and used as fertiliser.

Proving recycled materials can be sexy when reimagined and carefully designed, the Greenhouse Bar designed by Stamuli with Very Simple Kitchen showcased recycled plastic tables and benches sponsored by GOP and the Good Plastic Company. The result is a visually impactful series of furniture that can be entirely packed down and recycled (again) at the end of the fair.

This year’s guests of honour were Forma Fantasma, a research and design studio based in Milan and Rotterdam. Led by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, they were responsible for creating the safe haven ‘Reading Room’ in the centre of the fair. Imagined as a public break-out space and enclosed by a full-height, velvety pink curtain, upon entering, guests were shielded from the outside world, experiencing an interior that is both calm and reflective. Lines of Artek chairs and tables were lit with their Flos Wirelines from above. In keeping with their mission to provide a deeper understanding of both our natural and built environments, this intervention allowed visitors to pause, read and reflect and was well-populated throughout the week.

In addition to this, Andrea Trimarchi also participated in a panel discussion with PIN-UP Magazine’s editor-in-chief Felix Burrichter, in which he outlined new directions in their work and the importance of material research. As an established design studio, Forma Fantasma lends its research and design expertise to others to provide a deeper understanding of both materials and systems. Particular standouts of this work include their ‘Oltre Terra’ research history, an investigation into the ecology, and global dynamics of the wool industry and ‘Cambio’ an ongoing inquiry into the extraction, production and distribution of timber products.

In her lively discussion later that day, Patricia Urquiola highlighted similar material concerns and her multi-faceted approach to solving them throughout a number of architectural, curatorial and product-focused projects. Both discussions were of particular interest to us, with local concerns around the wool trade and recent extreme weather events giving light to the issues we face within our own logging industry proving very similar to those emphasised in Stockholm.

To answer Hanna Nova Beatrice’s question ‘How do we instigate new energy’ in the fair this year, the answer may lie within the Greenhouse, where the variety of work and materials on display by young designers from all over the world added a necessary injection of playfulness and joy. Free from commercial restraint, the resulting works experimented with forms and materials, blurring the line between product and art.

A standout was local Stockholm studio FAKT whose 300kg lightning bolt was both refreshing in its conception and exquisitely executed. Led by Directors Viktor Wätterbäck and Carl Calderon, FAKT creates works that is fun, thought-provoking and bold.

Similarly, TOM designed by Montreal designer Reggyyy is a fresh new take on a chair for all positions. It’s soft, bright and as comfortable as a hug to sit on.

The Stockholm Furniture Fair has provided a lens to the future — not just for us as first-time exhibitors — but for the public and trade professionals alike. As one of the larger furniture trade shows, the design community can now reliably look to the blueprint the Scandinavian design community has set for how a fair might look moving forward.

While commerce will always play a role here, if this year’s fair proves anything, it’s that business and trade can and must now sit comfortably within sustainability measures and in turn promote a healthier industry for those contributing. As designers, we have a responsibility to transfer these notions to our communities for continued success into the future.

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