True Blue Limited Collection

Longing for blue

We travelled to India to create a limited design collection directly on the factory floor. The collection is based on the sought-after colour blue. A colour we are familiar with from indigo-dyed textiles, batik, Chinese ceramics, Portuguese and Dutch tiles, workwear, denim and chemistry bottles from days gone by.

“We have not seen the colour blue for a long time in an interior design context. It was last popular in the 1980s. But now we’re in the mood for blue again,” says Mats Nilsson, range strategist.

Something that glitters

We wanted to make something that surprises, something out of the ordinary.

“In terms of material we have worked a great deal with textiles and paper, because those materials are exciting and interesting. And also things that glitter! India is known for its brass for example, and in the Indian culture there is a lot that glitters,” says Lars Dafnäs, range strategist.

The BURGSVIK tray table is made from hammered brass. The BJERREDE rag-rug is made from recycled waste and has been given a stamp in Hindi to show its origin.

Collaboration...
on the factory floor

Travelling is a source of inspiration and new ideas. We worked with the suppliers to develop the ideas we had brought with us from Älmhult.

In northern India we found wood, metal and glass factories, in southern India we found textile factories. Here we created the BACKAMO table with a built-in cloth, and the BOHÅKAN armchair which is both austere and soft at the same time.

”Jon Karlsson designed the armchair in metal, and I designed the seat cushion. I wanted several cushions to form one seat cushion and was inspired by the cushions at the factory,” says Nike Karlsson, designer.

Follow the blue thread

The collection features many patterned textiles which are woven in southern India. Cushions in pleasing shapes intermingle with rugs, bedspreads, curtains, sarongs and a hammock for relaxing moments. We created new patterns during our journey, inspired by what we saw around us.

“We found an embroidery machine in the factory, so we designed the nice embroidered pattern on the BLÅSKLÖVER cushion, inspired by the lively traffic in India’s cities. I created the pattern with Pratima Khagke, a local designer who travelled with the Swedish design team,” says Nike Karlsson, designer.

A world of paper

In northern India we went to a factory that can make amazing things from paper.
The patterned BABBLA storage boxes are decorative and double up as gift boxes.

“The boxes are like a Russian babushka,” says Nike Karlsson, designer. “A box in a box in a box … Paper is a material of the future, and is also eco-friendly as it can be recycled.”