‘Amaranth’, by Lars Beller Fjetland and Bottega Ghianda
Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland was not entirely convinced when we approached him about contributing to this year’s love-themed Handmade exhibition. ‘You encounter so many love-related clichés while digesting your daily dose of media,’ he says. ‘It is a word many associate with ads for life insurance, fizzy drinks and even cat food, so you can easily argue that it has lost some of its potency and magic.’
Luckily, our floundering courtship righted itself as Fjetland decided to rise to the challenge and began ‘looking for something real and untainted’. While researching wedding rituals, he stumbled upon a pair of ducks, a romantic token given to couples during traditional wedding ceremonies in Korea. Mandarin ducks, Fjetland explains, are believed to mate for life, and to Koreans they represent peace, fidelity and offspring. ‘I felt these ducks evoked feelings of joy, passion and realness,’ he says. The natural world, fauna in particular, has been a recurring element in Fjetland’s work – such as the Turned collection he designed for Hem, a series of stylised bird figurines made with leftover wood. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by animals that live in monogamous lifelong partnership,’ he says. ‘It seems like a man-made construct, but there are several species that live this way.’
Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av Wallpaper.
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Denne historien er fra August 2019-utgaven av Wallpaper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
POLE POSITION
A compact Melbourne house with a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentation
URBAN OASIS
At an art-filled Mexico City residence, New York designer Giancarlo Valle has put his own spin on the country's traditional craft heritage
WARM FRONT
Designer Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
BALCONY SCENE
A Brazilian island hotel offers a unique approach to the alfresco experience
ENSEMBLE CAST
How architect Anne Holtrop is leaving his mark on the Middle East
Survival mode
A new show looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)
FLASK FORCE
A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
BLOOM SERVICE
A flower-shaped brutalist beauty in Geneva gets a refresh
SECOND NATURE
A remodelled museum in Lisbon, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, meshes Japanese and Portuguese influences to create a space that sits in harmony with its surroundings
Guiding light
Designer Joe Armitage follows his grandfather's footsteps in India, reissuing his elegant midcentury lamp and creating a new chandelier for Nilufar Gallery