rock-a-bye baby

Innovation for the baby nation is one area of design that continues to throw up interesting products. Often these ideas are driven by creative parents that can’t find what they’re looking for so decide to develop something for themselves. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. The Mawok hanging cradle or sleep swing (sovgunga) is one such product.



Designed by Monica and Anders Landberg who run the Swedish entrepreneurial company Mony Inc, the Mawok aims to solve problems related to sleep during a baby’s first year. Available in fixed or mobile versions, the hammock can be positioned wherever convenient and has a simple mechanism that lets parents gently rock their baby to sleep.


Apparently rocking in a lateral motion is one of the most efficient ways of inducing sleep and helps reduce problems such as colic, restlessness and short sleep periods….

new drawer unit for String system

It’s a busy year for String with its 60th anniversary celebrations. To mark the occasion the Malmö based company released a limited edition pocket shelf back in February and has now followed on with a much needed addition to its system components. Like the rest of the collection this 2 drawer unit is available in white, black, oak and walnut.

Lisa Ericsson and the In Crowd

Earlier this year we commissioned Lisa Ericsson, one of our favourite Swedish graphic designers, to conjure up a unique wall scene for a new Funktion Alley showroom that will open in Malmö next month. Her brief was simple; create a buzz. That she has certainly achieved with her In Crowd. Here is a sneak detail preview.


Lisa, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, is a partner in design agency Wickmark Ericsson. The agency’s portfolio includes work for Habitat, IKEA, Greenpeace and Tetra Pak.

chess gets a new landscape

A level playing field it’s not but that’s what makes it all the more interesting. Finnish design group, Tonfisk, has disposed of the standard 2 dimensional chess board and replaced it with a terrain alterable version.


Terrain consists of a 3-dimensional board made of 64 individual walnut and white oak blocks that can be repositioned anywhere on the battle ground. The porcelain chess pieces are crafted by hand making each piece unique...

Studio Ballingslöv c/o Lindvall

One of the most popular stands at the recent Stockholm Furniture Fair was for luxury bathroom and kitchen company, Ballingslöv. With a fresh brand concept entitled Studio Ballingslöv, the Swedish manufacturers used the show to unveil a remarkable new collection by leading Scandinavian designer, Jonas Lindvall.


With an emphasis on Corian and traditional woods, Lindvall paired intelligent engineering with his trademark four-dimensional finish to conjure up beauty and order.


Superb detailing throughout with numerous eye-catching surprises.


The bathroom range will go into immediate production with the kitchen range to follow later this year... (JH)

la mamba studio

La Mamba Studio came all the way from Valencia to exhibit in Stockholm last month bringing with them some thought provoking designs. Established in 2008 this "creative collective" consists of 6 designers that specialise in working with new materials as well as reworking new products from older ones.



Drombo is a sofa and armchair collection that achieves its organic quality by hand-moulding. The seating is produced by coating a polyurethane foam structure with a vitreous ceramic mesh. Suitable for indoors and outdoors, the result is surprisingly lightweight and is intended to add a visual and functional reference to public spaces.



GrandmaLamp is series of four products made for the company, Panelate and was inspired by the classic floor lamp. Manufactured in coated or varnished MDF the designs use classic lamp silhouettes which are then adapted to new lines.


“It is more than a wooden lamp; when you display the light it opens the door to a forgotten childhood”...

La Mamba Studio designers: Juan Gasca, Pedro Rivera, Marcos Cifuentes, Ommar Uribe, Raul Durá and Rafael Zaragozá. www.lamamba.es

multi-storey magnificence from CKR

Etage, a new 9-level sofa table system by leading Swedish design triumvirate, Claesson Koivisto Rune, was unveiled by the OFFECCT team at the recent Stockholm Furniture Fair. In the current economic downturn some eyebrows were raised at its £5000 price tag but we think it’s a bit special.


Etage consists of 3 individual tables that can stand alone or be combined.
The tops are manufactured in laminated plywood with 9 shades of Formica High Gloss AR+. A future classic perhaps…