Good news from the Times

“Nobody visits Stockholm Design Week for surprises.

 Was this year different from all other years? To be honest, not entirely. But there was one interesting development: the blossoming of Norwegian designers. For a country with a population of less than 6m, less than two-thirds the size of London in terms of headcount, Norway produces a disproportionate number of talented designers. And they tend to be innovative, outward-looking types.

An Oslo-based lifestyle label was launched during SDW this year: Northern has grown from the seed of a firm called Northern Lighting. Highlights of its range include Johanna Forsberg’s brass mesh cloud-shaped light, Heat; Dais, a curious step/stool/ side table by Gridy; and the Stilk coffee table, set on skinny black metal legs, by Morten & Jonas. “