All posts tagged: Scandinavian design

Dalili Design – Made in Sweden, and why it’s so important

Published by Caroline

Why is Made in Sweden so important to me? When I started Dalili design four years ago it was a no-brainer, I wanted my products to be produced in Sweden. It might not be the smartest move financially. The margins are substantially smaller, even a small collection requires relatively big investments and because of this, things can some times take a lot longer. But it ensures that my products are ethically produced, in a country leading the way for efficient energy use and sustainability. Where emissions from long transportation routes is kept to a minimum. And I can focus my efforts on creating high quality products that lasts.

Philosophy

Dalili design is above all about beautiful design. Part of what makes the designs so beautiful, to me, is the conscious decisions of ethical and sustainable production. These are core values not only to me as a person, but also to my brand. I mean, how can you run a business that doesn’t share your values? Our products are industrially made, heightened by the craftsmanship of the final details. This way we combine the best of both worlds, and support our local industry and skilled craftswomen and men. I want Dalili design to be a brand that costumers can count on in all fields. Joining the movement of sustainable and ethical design, advocating to leave cheap throwaway products behind.

In the future

Looking to our future we want to work with new innovative materials and techniques. A lot is happening on the front of smart fabrics and ethical alternatives to leather. Not to mention the great wave of possibility the 3D-printing technology presents. Now, I realize we can’t expect all this to be made in Sweden alone. There are plenty of companies around the world that focus on ethics and sustainability, same as us. I look forward to find like-minded people and companies, and to work with skilled craftspeople around the world. Dalili design will always be a Swedish company with high regard for all life, human, animal and nature alike. For the share joy of it, we will keep producing in Sweden, but our doors are always open to new, exciting ventures and collaborations outside our borders too.  A Swedish brand on the global market, a thought that I find very exciting!

Do you know of any new innovative products and materials we should know about? I’d love it if you shared it with us in the comments below! Don’t forget to like this post if you did <3

All wrapped up in Terrazzo

Published by Caroline

I love myself some minimalist Christmas wrapping in monochrome colors. But this year I’d like to break things up with a big chunk of color! If you’ve seen Normann Copenhagen‘s Terrazzo wrapping paper then you know what I mean. It is such a fresh and edgy take on gift wrapping that I’ve gone totally bonkers for. As you can see on the images they have a whole range of stationary with the same theme called Daily fiction, but as it’s Christmas time I’m going all in for the wrapping paper and some glitter stickers. Read More

The Devil’s in the details

Published by Caroline

Never more so than in Scandinavian design are the details so important. I would even go as far as to say that they carry the whole. With the minimal color choice of black, white and different shades of grey and the clean cut lines there is little room for error. One shelf hanging off center will ruin the whole look. But when done right, the lines, curves and simplistic color scheme comes together to create a harmonious atmosphere. And a simple bottle of soap can become a beautiful decoration. So to break off from the multitudes of Christmas decorations this time of year I thought I’d give you some Scandinavian monochrome inspiration. Read More

DIY – Christmas tree advent calendar

Published by Caroline

We have recently decided to stay in Tel Aviv over Christmas. And since we don’t have any Christmas decorations with us and won’t have a Christmas tree we had to get crafty to get in that Christmas spirit. This advent calendar tree is made from black washi tape and some black paper. It’s super easy to make and your advent calendar will be filled with the gift of your words. I decided to fill each little card with a love note. But you can write a short story on them, fun for kids who are learning how to read. Or, if you do want to give something small each day, let there be a clue on the back of each card to lead the reader to the hiding place, a new one for each day. The possibilities are endless and it’s a great craft idea to do with the kids this 1st of advent and it looks real good too, if you ask me 😉 Read More

Let the countdown begin

Published by Caroline

The tradition of lighting candles in the time of waiting* and dark winter evenings is probably my favorite of all time. Even though technology has come a very long way with amazing lamps and lighting solutions, lighting advent candles is something I will never stop doing. Last year I found a beautiful Advent candelabra in brass at the local second hand shop in my mothers hometown in rural Norway. It looks a little bit like Lucia’s crown, only smaller, with a thick brass band and four minimalist holders for each candle evenly spread out around the circle. I payed almost nothing for it but I treasure it deeply! Having that kind of luck is not something you can count on, so here are some of my favorite Advent candle holders around the market this year. Read More

The dark side

Published by Caroline

As our days are getting increasingly shorter (even here in Tel Aviv) it got me thinking about the obsession we Swedes have for light and bright interiors. White is everywhere! We even have a color named Stockholm white, and you’ll find it on the walls of every other home in Stockholm. Try to find a real estate ad that doesn’t have the words “ljust och fräscht”* in the description of a newly renovated flat is as likely as finding a minimalist who doesn’t like the color combination black and white. And lets face it, it is the foundation of the Scandinavian design scene. But working with interiors, white does get a bit limiting and I’d like to mix things up a bit. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about dark interiors. Now this is a topic that can be a bit scary to bring up, because you never know what reactions you’ll get. But let me explain, and you can leave me your reactions below 😉

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Saving space

Published by Caroline

This is the longer version of the article I wrote for BoConcept on my top five space saving tips.

As a Scandinavian designer and a Swede I know a thing or two about practical home interiors and minimalist living. Swedes love being practical. So much so that we sometimes forget, or don’t care about, how things look, as long as they fulfill their purpose. We are also used to living in small spaces, especially in the cities. Hence the birth of Scandinavian minimalism.* However the design of an object and how it looks is all part of it’s practicality. Form is function in my opinion. So here are my five top tips on how to save space both practically and beautifully. Read More

Daily sketch – Silk carpets

Published by Caroline

I’ve been thinking about doing a carpet design for a long time. But I haven’t know exactly what I wanted to do. From my experience of selling carpets I’ve learned that many times the size of both rectangular and round carpets can be tricky to get just right for a specific layout in a living room. This is often due to the fact that the layout in which the furniture is placed is seldom symmetrical. This thought sparked an idea and inspiration struck. Read More

Formex Sthlm

Published by Caroline

Yesterday was the last day of the Formex fair here in Stockholm. As they say themselves, Formex is the largest meeting place for Nordic interior design. So what does this mean in terms of what is actually on display here? It is mostly interior accessories, not excluding furniture but it is not the main focus, and lifestyle brands, where you can find everything from chocolate covered licorice and table ware to fashion and personal accessories. There is also a kids section, body & bath and floral & garden. Although I walked through most of the fair, I kept mostly to the interior accessories area. Read More