trendey

The Swedish folk style is well-looked-after and continuously brought up to date by Gudrun Sjödén. Above and below are images from her latest home collection. IMHO, the collections get better each year, none of her past has been this nice. The choice of interiors for the photos – an old cottage far north in the country (Burträsk above), an industrial building in a Stockholm suburb (below) and a wooden house in the archipelago (Resarö) are all perfect, pure atmosphere-enhancers.

Textiles are crucial in this decor: curtains, rugs, hangings, table cloths and runners, chair cushions, throws, pillows…and characteristic wallpapers>s. The style is easy to apply – even in small doses – to get an ethnic/folklore touch.

Some say the traditional Swedish folklore style is dead. I say NO NO NO….It may not be the hottest trend in the broad masses of people, but it surely is in good health. A great example is this 50x70cm print below by the talented young illustrator Henning Trollbäck. He “lost himself in the old myths of the dalahorse”:

There are plenty of contemporary folklore fabrics. Among my fav’s is this metered fabric by Eva Jobs for Jobs Handtryck:

The Gudrun Sjödén Winter 2009 catalogue arrived to me today. It reminded me to check back on the lovely AW 2009 home collection. One of the themes (my favourite) is Burträsk, a tiny town in the far north of Sweden. Gudrun Sjödén was inspired by pictures in the book “Måla som förr” (“Paint like in the Old Days”) taken in a cottage in Burträsk. And so she went there, to a cottage with a colourful decor – a yellow ochre background and shades of Paris blue. Inspiring, I think!

Now to the Winter 2009 clothes collection “Bhutan/Stockholm”. Some may think Burträsk is far away, but this time Gudrun Sjödén has travelled to the Kingdom of Bhutan high up in the Himalayas. Here she found a fine tune: a blend of simple Scandinavia with the colourful Buddhist Bhutan. Message is: there is a link between folklore all over the world. Gudrun Sjödén created her first unique collection in 1974. Having grown up with Gudrun Sjödén-style as a concept as familiar as the stackable orange chairs in the school canteen, I think I haven’t seen the forest for all the trees. The clothes are mainly very colourful and bold, chunky and shapeless. It is, and has always been, homespun, coarse and comfortable. The concept is strong, almost overwhelming. However, looking behind the more than 30 years old stereotype, I can easily recognize there are some treasures! Here’s a few favourites from the Winter 2009 collection:

A spooted top in lyocell, £43, and a tiered cotton skirt, £53. I would match them a bit different though… The “Mountain avens” long knee-socks look soo cozy! It’s jacquard-knit socks that feature a pretty folklore pattern with a twisted braid and tassels. This is where Gudrun Sjödén meets Odd Molly and we find Swedish blended folklore style at its best.