ON LIGHTING

you may search long and hard in swedish stores for something a bit different when it comes to decor, as the design pool in the scandinavian market is fairly large, but largely limited to a number of brands that are sold in most shops. my experience is that the number of retailers with more varied and dynamic brands and lesser known ateliers are rare. and, what's interesting as well is how much the average swede seems to spend on lighting in particular. the general price points in the decor market are extreme--- you're either going for the IKEA piece or you're without blinking throwing down 7500kr (roughly 1100$) on a table lamp. granted, i live in vasastan, where it's not uncommon to see the that 22,000kr flos chandelier hanging in any random apartment, but the mid-range isn't really there. correct me if i'm wrong, i'm always looking for new places!

it's really the weather. where darkness and awful cold essentially shut you in for a good deal of the year, your home becomes a real focus; as opposed to living in new york, where you're never actually at home so your shoebox apartment is a vehicle for sleep. here, it's all about adding value to your apartment, and making the winter easier to bear. or at least more beautiful.

i'm interested in pieces that are both brutal and organic, that breach the you vs. your inanimate living environment divide a little bit, generally very physically heavy. two of my favorite sanity regulators (lighting design artists) that more than achieve that are lindsey adelman and michael anastassiades.

a custom piece from adelman's branching series, which if you're in stockholm you can see in the hotel Ett Hem

adelman's practically melting "catch" floor lamp

one of my all-time favorites, name included: anastassiades' "tree in the moonlight". sold on the danish site the apartment.

are those not totally insane?

what are your favorite designers? online shops?