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Inspiration & Tips/Get to know/Get to know Cooee Design
Scandinavian design from Cooee. Here you see a close up of the Gry wide vase from Cooee, being held with bunch of wild spring flowers.

Life in harmony – Tactile Scandinavian design by Cooee Design

Characterised by minimalistic clean lines, that combine functionality with the beauty of nature and a playful edge, Cooee Design is an exciting brand on a mission to bring Scandinavian design to modern homes. We spoke to them about the designers they work with and where they get their inspiration. Get to know the brand behind your most tactile, Instagram worthy vase.
Tuesday. May 9th, 2023
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A MODERN DESIGN BRAND FOR THE MODERN SCANDINAVIAN HOME

A relative newcomer to the world of design, Cooee Design was founded in 2008 by the Åberg family in southern Sweden. A contemporary brand, rooted in nature, Cooee feels every bit as Scandinavian as the more established brands we all know and love.

Taking inspiration from the time in which we live, art exhibitions and the nature that surrounds us Cooee’s design language is clean, with an effortless air of sophistication. At the same time the designs are always cheerful, bringing with them a sense of playfulness into your home and with the concept of mix and match at the forefront, Cooee’s designs are the capsule wardrobe for your Scandinavian home.

Above all Cooee’s designs are tactile, encouraging you to reach out and touch, to interact with the object on another level.

Founded in 2008 Cooee’s products are designed to be mix and matched to compliment your home.

LIVING IN SCANDINAVIAN HARMONY

The founding principle of Scandinavian design is the creation of harmony in your home environment. Harmony is key to Cooee’s design philosophy. Born in the heart of Småland in southern Sweden, Cooee Design is inspired heavily by the Swedish nature. These elements are brought out in their use of colour and organic forms. We spoke to Catrine Åberg, one of the brands Co-founders, about the designers they work with and where they get their inspiration.

"The colour palette is harmonious, everything matches each other. The basic principle is that of "mix and match". Vases and candlesticks fit on the different trays and the trays fit together. The use of texture gives life to different products and there is significance in the use of matte or silky surfaces." – Catrine Åberg, Co-founder of Cooee Design

@vilmas_hem

This sense of unity can be seen throughout Cooee’s design process. “Sometimes a material itself can provide the basis for an idea. But often we feel that we wish to supplement our existing collection with a new product. Then we start working from there, we start sketching, working with colour maps and producing samples. The process can stretch well over a year from idea to finished product.” States Catrine. It is this carefully curated design language that can been seen so clearly across Cooee’s cohesive collection.

SEAMLESS INTEGRATION INTO YOUR HOME

We can see this design philosophy in action with the expansion of the Woody collection last year. Following on from the success of the Cooee Design has strengthened their collaboration with Swedish designer Eddie Gustafsson with the addition of several furniture items.

With the principles of simplicity and functionality at the forefront Eddie was keen to explore how combining various shapes creates new characters in one piece. The Woody Collection features clean lines with a sense of understated elegance. The pieces are designed to seamlessly integrate into any interior style making them both versatile and timeless.

“In mixing materials and shapes that boost each other I believe to have fulfilled the task.” Says Eddie Gustafsson, the designer of the Woody collection.

"My goal was to put together a collection that is playful yet elegant. Simplicity with character. I believe we succeeded, the collection is a mix of unique yet playful and simple furniture out of high-quality wood. Sophisticated luxury, just as Cooee’s own DNA.” Eddie concludes.

NORDIC DESIGN BY NORDIC DESIGNERS

Along with a carefully planned assortment and a distinctly Scandinavian design language, the secret to Cooee’s success lies in collaborations with a selection of some of Scandinavia’s most well-known designers and artists.

“Our first collaboration was with the sculptor, Kristiina Haataja. We had a feeling that sculptures were an upcoming trend and were very attracted to Kristiina's beautiful sculptures, which felt minimalistic and matched well with Cooee’s smoother surfaces such as Ball vases.” Says Catrine.

It is exactly this mix and match approach that makes Cooee’s assortment so intriguing. Combining the rustic texture of Kristiina’s Ollie sculpture with the smooth surface of the Ball vase and the clean lines of the Curved candle stick, one can create a focal point in the room that is both contrasting and complementary all at the same time.

“The collaboration with Kristiina has been very interesting, the products popular and therefore the collaboration between us has continued.” Catrine continues. “We work with several well-known designers and artists and where the collaborations have been long-lasting and constantly developing.”  She concludes.

Designer Kristiina Haataia in the process of designing one of her sculptures for Cooee Design.

Handcrafted sculptures from Kristiina Haataia

"Our products are both timeless and trendy."
Here you see the Gry vase 30cm and the Gry candle lantern both in the colour Smoke from Cooee Design standing on a sideboard in front of a print.

Timeless, seemless design for your home.

With its use of clean lines and unobtrusive colour palette Cooee Design follows the common conventions of Scandinavian design but the design language is equally modern and trend facing. “The products often sit in time, but at the same time you can preserve them and pick them up even if the years have passed.” Says Catrine.

The Curved candlestick and the floor stand for example, “has many years behind it”, Catrine continues. “[It] was created by Britt Åberg, (mother of the founders of Cooee), in the 90s and then forged by a local blacksmith. In 2022, the idea was picked up again in the collection with a few minor updates. Today it is a very popular product in our product range.” She says.

Designed in the 90’s, Cooee’s Curve candle holder got an update in 2022.

The Ball vase was the first product launched in Cooee’s ceramic series back in 2015 and has become somewhat of an icon and is now the backbone of Cooee’s vase collection. It is this ability to not only predict but also create trends that has put Cooee’s name on the map in the world of Scandinavian design.

The iconic ball vase is one of Cooee’s most recognisable designs.

COOEE’S TOP TIPS FOR CREATING A HARMONIOUS HOME

We all want to create a space in which we thrive. Naturally we were more than keen to hear Catrine’s take on a harmonious home and how we can all achieve that.

“I like when one decorates with a sense of personality and according to how you feel most yourself.” Says Catrine.

“Personally, I like when you enter a home and it is balanced, cosy and warm. I like to keep the colours in harmony in a room, to bring a sense of calmness. I enjoy adding accents with details and flowers according to season. I like to mix design classics with inherited items that mean a lot to me. I have several relatives who were/are good at arts and crafts. We like to have their creations on hand and mix them in with other products we like.” Catrine concludes.

Two versions of the Ball vase from Cooee Design stand on a coffee table in a Scandinavian living room.
Rebecca Sparling
Author

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