Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024 highlights local production, sustainable practices – and the current phase of change in design

Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024 returns with a revitalised program, merging culture with commerce. The event features a lineup of stellar exhibitors, engaging talks and exhibitions that highlight the current phase of change in design.

The 2024 edition of the Stockholm Furniture Fair introduces new arenas and initiatives, along with a series of exhibitions focusing on current shifts in design and architecture. This edition, though more focused in scale, enriches both visitors and exhibitors with relevant and engaging content in a bid to underscore Sweden’s sustained influence in the worldwide design sphere.

Guest of Honour Formafantasma, and exhibitions by Folkform and Jordens Arkitekter
Formafantasma’s Guest of Honour installation, as well as the different exhibitions at the fair – including Farming Architects by Swedish practice Jordens Arkitekter, and Folkform: The Museum of Masonite – offer insights into local production, sustainable practices and the role of design in changing times.

The Guest of Honour exhibition Reading Room shifts the focus from products to design processes and transformative knowledge. The space offers a tranquil retreat for visitors to sit, read, reflect and delve into the concepts that have influenced Formafantasma’s work as a design studio, and is furnished with, among other things, furniture from the studio’s collaboration with Artek, where they have reviewed the manufacturing process to make better use of the wood.

In their exhibition The Museum of Masonite, the Swedish design studio Folkform emphasises the importance of sharing knowledge about how furniture and objects are made in an era where local industry faces challenges from global mass production. The exhibition showcases the studio’s works made using Swedish Masonite boards developed over the past 15 years and includes several new pieces.

Swedish architecture firm Jordens Arkitekter, recognised for their commitment to social and environmental responsibility in architecture, temporarily relocate their entire operation to the fair in a 300-square-metre pavilion. “The Farming Architects exhibition is a live embodiment of our architectural ethos,” says partner and architect Johnny Andersson. “It showcases a variety of building materials and projects integrating farming elements, promoting conversations about sustainable building and the connection between architecture, ecology and material origins.”

At the fair you will also find exhibitions by the production platform SPOK, which gathers knowledge about local manufacturing possibilities. The studio Contem is showcasing its work with elms that have been felled due to elm disease, given a new life by the studio.

New Ventures: a new arena for young design brands
In 2024 the fair introduces New Ventures, a new arena bringing together young, progressive design brands and first-time exhibitors. “New Ventures fills a vital void, bridging established and emerging brands,” says architect turned designer Gustaf Westman. His brand, Gustaf Westman Objects, known for pop-ups in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Miami, will make its first appearance at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.

Other exhibitors in New Ventures include Stamuli, NM3, Niko June, Ekbacken Studios and design collective Swedish Girls.

Älvsjö Gård: showcasing the small-scale and experimental
Last year’s standout success, Älvsjö Gård, returns with a pop-up inside the fair hall in 2024. The platform is dedicated to small-scale, experimental and limited edition design, and includes exhibitions by the likes of Nick Ross, Humans since 1982, Gustav Winsth and Alexander Lervik. The two latter have collaborated using Virtual Reality to design an armchair of which three copies are made. While the armchairs are featured at Älvsjö Gård, the spotlight is on their VR design process. “For me it’s important that the future of design contributes something beyond the product itself. I’m inspired by new technology and innovation, and a platform like Älvsjö Gård is pivotal in pushing this agenda,” says Winsth.

Seminars with Disegno Journal and Pin-Up Magazine
At Stockholm Furniture Fair, the seminar program, developed in collaboration with Disegno Journal and Pin-Up Magazine, takes place in the design bar The Yellow Thread, conceptualised by Stockholm-based design studio Färg & Blanche in collaboration with The Swedish Federation of Wood and Furniture Industry. The stage is placed in the 500-square-metre space, framed by striking yellow arches, showcasing sustainable design and circularity principles.

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Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024 is held February 6-10 at Stockholmsmässan, and runs together with Stockholm Design Week February 5-11. For more information, visit www.stockholmfurniturefair.se