Design

The Logic of the Loom: Massproductions on Designing Their First Rug Collection All images courtesy of Layered and Massproductions text Ulrika Linqvist When Massproductions was invited to design a rug collection, the Stockholm-based studio approached the task much as they do their furniture: by looking closely at how things are made. The result is Cord, a series of handwoven wool rugs in which the stripe is embedded within the structure itself. In conversation with Odalisque, founders Chris Martin and Magnus Elebäck discuss the value of industrial thinking, the challenge of designing in two dimensions, and the enduring appeal of a well-made stripe. Ulrika Lindqvist: Could you start by telling us a bit about your company, Massproductions? What was the original idea behind founding the company? Chris Martin: We wanted to take control of our ideas and to present them in our own way and at our own pace. It was a bit of a high-risk strategy, but we felt like we had some good products to get started with and 17 years later it seems to have paid off! Besides all of the challenges involved, there is a great sense of freedom and ownership of our ideas. Magnus Elebäck: After working together for nine years as a design studio we came to the conclusion that something had to be done. We felt the need to create the perfect environment in which great furniture could be developed. The standard set up with freelance designers and producers didn’t seem like the perfect way forward. Instead, we wanted to control the complete process; from idea to the produced item. UL: What would you say are the core ideas and values that define the brand today? CM: I have quite a lot of ideas every year, most of them are unpresentable but me and Magnus pick out the good ones, the ones we find exciting and develop them into products that we hope will be strong enough to last a long time on the market. We believe that the efficiency factory production is the best way to make furniture, industrial processes are inspiring but also give better quality, better priced and more durable products. ME: Not much has changed really. We believe in adding long-lasting cultural values to the world of furniture. If an idea does not live up to certain criteria, we do not pursue that idea. We do this because of our love for this industry and our belief that furniture can/should be a cultural expression (as well as serving its function). But we also believe that this approach is a viable business model. Surely selling the same product year after year must be a sustainable way to do business.  UL: Have you designed rugs before? How does designing rugs differ from designing furniture such as seating, storage, or tables? CM: This was the first time designing a rug for us. Its a different medium for us and requires a different way of thinking to designing a three dimensional object. Even though the rugs are handmade, we thought of them as an industrial weave and tried to work with the structure of the rug itself, the way the war and weft interact together.  ME: This is the first time entering the world of rugs (even if I personally can’t see myself living in a house without them). The (close to) two-dimensional nature of a rug makes it quite different from the 3D world that furniture is.  UL: How did this collaboration first come about? CM: We are neighbors here in Stockholm and had gotten to know each other over the years. Layered asked us if we would be up for a collaboration and we said yes since rugs weren’t in our plans for Massproductions.  ME: Being two progressive Stockholm based companies, our paths have crossed many times. Finally, it seemed like the right move to do a collab. UL: What was your approach to designing the rugs? Where did the process begin? CM: Initially, I was thinking of the rug as almost a canvas, and working with repeated shapes. It gave some success but I think mainly it inspired Magnus to think of a new direction and work with the design of the weave being the focus. It seemed to be clearly the right direction so we ran with that, refining the cord weight and spacing, colours details, etc. ME: Stripes… People can spend their entire life dedicated to stripes. It’s such a basic pattern that still offers endless possibilities. It’s also the easiest pattern to incorporate in a woven textile. We just wanted to make the stripe in an slightly unorthodox way by letting it run lengthwise instead of across the carpet.  UL: Were there any particular challenges or unexpected discoveries during the design or production process? CM: The main challenge was finding the right concept to start with. There’s quite a lot of freedom with a rug, but finding something that’s original but still has the right qualities is a challenge. ME: We didn’t know of this extremely thick and rich wool yarn until later in the process. I think the way this yarn is made adds a lot of tactility to the carpet. UL: Could you tell us a bit about the color palette and how you developed it? CM: Colour combinations should delight. They should surprise. And they should still feel right even after many years. We chose our colour palette for Cord with these thoughts in mind. ME: Something happens when you mix the very natural hues from the wool with a more vivid (almost artificial) colour. Initially we wanted the effect of a nylon strap wrapped around a hay bale but decided to tone it down slightly to be more pleasing to the eye. UL: Looking back on your careers, are there any projects or moments that stand out as especially memorable or formative? CM: Our first product was a chair in metal wires named “Tio”. I designed it for a German company who later dropped out. I put a lot of thought into it and came up with a solution where every wire was necessary for

Leica Launches the Cine Compact 1 – a Mini Projector Built for the Home Leica Smart Projection, a subsidiary of Leica Camera AG, has launched the Cine Compact 1 – a mini projector designed for flexible home use that carries the brand’s optical heritage into the home cinema space. The projector delivers 4K images at up to 1,700 lumens and a maximum projection size of 220 inches, using Triple RGB laser technology, a Summicron zoom lens with aspherical elements, and Leica’s proprietary image processing system LIO. Dolby Vision is included for contrast and brightness handling. What sets the Cine Compact 1 apart from most projectors in its category is a 360-degree rotation system that allows projection onto walls, ceilings, or any surface without a fixed screen. Automatic zoom, autofocus, keystone correction, and screen framing handle setup without manual adjustment. An optional Leica stand or ceiling-mount tripod thread extends its placement options further. The projector runs on the VIDAA operating system with built-in access to Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, and connects via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Apple HomeKit, HDMI, and USB. Sound is handled by an integrated system with Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS Virtual:X, expandable to external speakers via Bluetooth 5.4 or HDMI. The solid aluminium Bauhaus-style housing with glass front is designed for long-term use, the laser technology is rated for consistently high brightness over many years. The Leica Cine Compact 1 is available from 18 June 2026, priced at €1,645, in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and across Asia.

The Redgert Edit debuts at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen Redgert Comms is strengthening its presence in the Scandinavian design scene with the launch of The Redgert Edit, a curated showroom and exhibition concept debuting during 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, between June 10 and 12. Hosted across two floors at J Regnbuepladsen 7 in central Copenhagen, The Redgert Edit will bring together a selection of leading and emerging Scandinavian designers and brands, including Niklas Runesson, Gustav Winsth, Fredrik Nielsen, Emma Stocklassa, Alexander Lervik, Erik Bratsberg, Kajsa Melchior, 91-92, House of Bolon, Harriet Allure and Desenio. Rather than a traditional fair stand, The Redgert Edit is conceived as a living showroom where each designer becomes part of a larger curated experience. The focus is on personal expression, craftsmanship and the meeting point between design, art, fashion and contemporary culture, reflecting how design is experienced and consumed today. “Our two-floor showroom in central Copenhagen is an intrinsic aspect of Redgert’s local presence. During 3 Days of Design, it becomes a natural meeting point where we invite creatives, media and industry professionals to experience the designers in a more intimate and curated setting,” says Julia Haugland, Country Manager Denmark, Redgert Comms. The initiative marks Redgert Comms’ first large-scale move within the design world and underlines the agency’s commitment to supporting Scandinavian and Danish design. With offices and showrooms in Stockholm, New York, London, Berlin, Helsinki, Oslo and Copenhagen, the global agency network aims to use The Redgert Edit as a platform for creatives and designers working at the intersection of art, design and culture. “The design industry is going through a fascinating shift, where the boundaries between design, fashion, art and culture are increasingly blurred. With The Redgert Edit, we want to create a platform that feels contemporary, inclusive and culturally relevant,” says Liam Möller, Senior PR Account Executive at Redgert Comms.

Rörstrand Marks 300 Years with a Dinner at Stockholm City Hall Rörstrand celebrated its 300th anniversary on Wednesday evening with a dinner at Stockholm City Hall, one of Sweden’s most significant design events in recent memory. Founded in Stockholm in 1726, the brand is one of Europe’s oldest porcelain manufacturers, and the evening drew 220 guests from across Swedish creative life, including architects Thomas Sandell, Andreas Martin Löf, and Note Design Studio; fashion designers Carin Wester, Lars Wallin, and Sofia Wallenstam; designers Gustaf Westman, Jonas Bohlin, and Fredrik Färg; and cultural figures including Martina Bonnier, Fares Fares, and Alicia Agneson. The evening was hosted by Emilia de Poret and produced by Grand Relations. Guests were first welcomed into the Blue Hall, transformed into an immersive installation interpreting Rörstrand’s universe through the lens of Swedish summer: birch trees, seasonal florals by master florist Johan Munter, and archival displays tracing the brand’s history through collections including Mon Amie, Swedish Grace, and Blå Eld. The Blue Hall also offered a first look at Cobolti, a new collection set to launch later this year. Dinner was then served in the Golden Hall on Rörstrand’s classic Ostindia collection with Swedish Grace water glasses, with a menu built around asparagus, Arctic char from Storuman, and elderflower. “Rörstrand has always been part of the moments where people gather, celebrate and create memories together. For this anniversary evening, we wanted to create an experience where Swedish summer traditions, craftsmanship and contemporary creativity could meet around the table,” says Annika Tickle, Creative Director of Rörstrand. The evening opened with Adolf Fredrik’s Boys Choir and closed with a performance by artist Cherrie, who sang the graduation anthem “Den blomstertid nu kommer” before ending with “Stockholm i natt.” The connection to Swedish collective memory was deliberate, Mon Amie, one of Rörstrand’s most iconic collections, was itself born from a rainy midsummer evening in the late 1940s, when designer Marianne Westman sketched the small white flower that would become one of the most recognisable motifs in Swedish design history. “This is not only about history, but about how design continues to bring people together around the table,” says Daniel Lalonde, CEO of VITA, Fiskars Group. Rörstrand is part of VITA within Fiskars Group, alongside Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Wedgwood, and Waterford.

Mateus Opens an Archive Exhibition in Stockholm Mateus, the Swedish ceramics brand founded in 1993 by Teresa Mateus Lundahl, is opening a short-run archive exhibition at Konst Gallery in Stockholm from today, 27 May, through to 30 May. Open daily 12.00–18.00, the show brings together more than 30 objects from across the brand’s 33-year history, pieces that have not been widely seen before and which trace the development of the brand from its origins in colourful Portuguese craft meeting Scandinavian restraint. “The exhibition offers a glimpse into Mateus’s creative universe and our archive. We’re showing older objects and products from earlier years – ones that still deserve to be experienced,” says Teresa Mateus Lundahl. Each piece in the exhibition is handmade and hand-painted by craftspeople in Portugal, where the brand’s production still takes place today. The show functions as a visual timeline, not of product launches, but of a design sensibility that has evolved in layers while remaining consistent in its core idea: that objects should be built upon rather than replaced. The exhibition runs 27–30 May, 12.00–18.00, at Konst Gallery, Rörstrandsgatan 28, Stockholm.

Clarion Hotel Sign Opens Hidden Gem – a Rooftop Bar Built Around Swedish Glass Clarion Hotel Sign has opened Hidden Gem, a new rooftop design bar in the pointed apex of its Wingårdh-designed building in the heart of Stockholm. Developed in collaboration with Orrefors and Kosta Boda and shaped by designer Lena Bergström, the bar places Swedish art glass at the centre of the experience, not as decoration, but as the defining material of the space itself. The concept draws on Bergström’s Carat series, whose cut forms take their cue from gemstones and Nordic nature, and integrates art glass pieces by Bergström for Kosta Boda throughout the room. Light enters from multiple directions and refracts through glass surfaces, shifting the atmosphere as the day moves into evening. The result is a space in constant visual motion, one that changes character depending on the hour. “In Hidden Gem, our art glass meets architecture and light in a way that really allows it to live in the room and contribute to a larger, more beautiful whole,” says Isabella Jansson, CEO, Orrefors & Kosta Boda. For Clarion Hotel Sign, the opening continues a long-term investment in Scandinavian design, the hotel’s interiors reference Arne Jacobsen, Bruno Mathsson, and Alvar Aalto, and a recent collaboration with Bernadotte & Kylberg preceded this one. General Manager David Viklund describes Hidden Gem as a natural next step: “We want to let material and form become an even clearer part of the overall experience,” he says. Hidden Gem is open to hotel guests and Stockholm visitors alike, from after-work drinks to late evenings above the city skyline.

Grythyttan Expands the Libelle Series with a Bench and Larger Table Grythyttan Stålmöbler, the Swedish steel furniture manufacturer with roots going back 130 years, has added two new pieces to its Libelle series: a larger rectangular table and a backless bench. Both were designed by award-winning Norwegian designer Andreas Engesvik, who created the original Libelle chair and smaller table on the same constructive principle, solid steel and sheet metal welded in one piece, finished with electro-galvanising and solvent-free powder coating in green, graphite grey or grey. The new table seats four to six, with chairs placeable on both long and short sides, making it suitable for gardens, hotel terraces, restaurant terraces and resort environments. The bench is sized to replace two chairs along the long side of the table, but also works independently along façades, in entrance zones or wherever informal seating is needed. “It always comes down to balancing weight and strength in relation to function. Libelle is characterised by a stripped-back form and an all-metal construction,” says Engesvik. The bench’s versatility as a standalone piece was something of a discovery in development, as marketing director Bo Hellberg explains: “We found that it works beautifully both in a traditional garden and in more modern settings. That wasn’t the original intention, but it became clear with the finished piece.” All Libelle pieces are manufactured at Grythyttan’s factory in Grythyttan and powder-coated in Degerfors. Each piece is manually inspected by craftspeople before leaving the factory, a quality standard the company maintains across its entire range, and one it backs with spare parts for models discontinued in the early 1960s. The Libelle bench is available through Grythyttan Stålmöbler’s retailers and online.