The spring-summer 2020 collection from Northern

Happy Monday everyone! I’m currently on my way to Stockholm for the city’s annual Furniture Fair – always a great opportunity to soak up lots of Nordic design inspiration. It will also give me the chance to see some of the new-season collections in person, and one I’m particularly looking forward to catching is this from Northern.

The Norwegian brand’s latest range reflects a wider desire to move away from the artificial and temporary, and towards the organic and enduring. With that in mind, many of the pieces combine contemporary expression with traditional craft, and were conceived to last for decades both in form and function. I love the timeless colour palette, which offsets grey, white and black with eye-catching metallics and warm oak, and the intriguing way the press photos have been styled with sand, sawdust and foliage to offset the sleek lines.

Among the brand-new designs is the ‘Mass’ side table, whose striking silhouette appears different from every angle. It was created by Tel-Aviv-based Roee Magdassi and is available in brass, black and stainless steel, with openings for storing books and magazines. It looks to be a very versatile piece, and its compact size is ideal for areas where space is at a premium.

Also being launched is a collection of hand-loomed rugs called ‘Row’. The work of siblings Antonia and Silvia of Berlin-based Studio Terhedebrügge, their design takes its cue from a bird’s-eye view of a rural landscape and features rows of parallel lines that represent the deep furrows of ploughed land, with changes in orientation suggesting the boundaries between fields. They’re made from soft New Zealand wool and come in beautiful nature-inspired shades such as light grey, brown and green, with a choice between round and rectangular shapes.

There are new additions to a few existing product families, too. Johanna Forsberg’s stunning ‘Heat’ pendant, whose bulb is encircled by a shimmering cloud of golden mesh, has been joined by a silver option, and both it and the original will now be available in a smaller size. What’s more, the sleek black ‘Balancer’ lighting series is being extended with a wall lamp on a pivoting arm, and Rudi Wullf’s height-adjustable ‘Granny’ candlesticks (a great name!) will now come in brass as well as black. I also spied a lounge-chair version of the ‘Oaki’ dining chair, designed by Stine Aas and inspired by Japanese joinery, with the rear legs angled backwards as if taking a step. It’s crafted from solid oak, with a choice between lightly oiled, black-stained and smoked finishes.

Last but not least, the minimalist ‘Snowball’ lamp – Northern’s very first product when it first launched as a lighting-focused brand back in 2005 – is getting an update to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. It’s a beautiful design, with a slimline aesthetic, an understated frosted-glass shade and an elegant geometric base, and both the floor and table versions will soon be available in brass and matte black as well as the existing steel and white.

All the new products will be available to buy from spring onwards, and you can sign up for alerts on Northern’s website.

All photography via Northern