| STYLISH SCANDINAVIA: KRISTIINA LASSUS RUGS GIVE NORDIC SIMPLICITY AN ETHNOGRAPHIC TWIST
Lassus infuses her designs with subtle, vague cultural references culled from everything from architectural elements to stone carvings. Photo: R. Sourander. |
MILAN -- Milan-based Kristiina Lassus, a trained interior architect and product designer, plans to continue to target U.S. audiences with her minimalist Scandinavian inflected modern rugs filling what she sees as a void in the market.
Officially launched to the American public this past summer via a presentation at New York City's annual high-end exhibition called The Rug Show at Javits, the Helsinki-born designer takes an understated, refined approach to her designs but infuses them with a subtle global twist.
Helsinki-born designer Kristiina Lassus continues to focus on the U.S. market for her chic minimalistic, Scandinavian-inflected hand-crafted rugs. Shown, the hand-knotted. limited edition Otane design.
Lassus and her hand-crafted rugs are perfectly in tune with contemporary design directions. Scandinavian design in the past few years has moved from niche to mainstream as consumers remain fascinated with this aesthetic that marries craftsmanship with elegant, simple lines and natural materials. The growing popularity of the Stockholm Furniture & Lighting Fair, held earlier this month, attests to the fact (see our exclusive report Stylish Scandinavia: Rug Trends at the Stockholm Furniture Fair).
Prominent Scandinavian design elements, such as natural materials and crafted by hand, remain significant to Lassus. Shown above, Uele in light beige and grey, crafted of wool and linen.
STYLE FUSION
"Rather than following trends, I want to differentiate my designs and offer a collection that has its own Nordic and Italian identity," Lassus said. "We wish to offer beautiful, handmade rugs that will endure time, something unique and personal that one never grows tired of."
Lassus has been quietly building a reputation for her collection of rugs, which, like the designer, exude a subtle elegance steeped in Nordic traditions, where natural materials, warmth and made-by-hand have become signatures of that region's contemporary designs.
Lassus works with a short pile for practicality and minimalism. Shown is the geometric Loom design by Johanna Gullichsen for Lassus.
Lassus, trained as an interior architect and furniture designer at the University Of Industrial Arts Of Helsinki, began her career as an architect and moved to Italy in 1997 designing for well-known contemporary home furnishings brands including Zanotta, Artek and Alessi.
In 2004, she began traveling extensively to India and Nepal, where she still spends much of her time. It is in these countries that she crafts her collection of rugs, knotted by hand, using traditional handicraft techniques. Kristiina Lassus rugs, available in 12 patterns with a low pile, are made of Tibetan wool, natural linen and silk. The wool is carded, spun and dyed by hand, to give each subtle variations in color and texture.
Throughout her career Lassus noticed the difficulty in finding high-quality rugs that coordinated with Scandinavian design and it was a seed that germinated until 2008, when she introduced her line during the home furnishing fair Salone del Mobile, in Milan.
"I am Nordic and the type of rug I am interested in is simple, quiet, elegant and practical," the designer added.
The range Lassus developed, which received a Red Dot Award in 2008 and 2011, is minimal in style but rich in historical references, with motifs offering a very vague, subtle connection to other cultures and times. For Lassus inspiration comes from everything from stone carvings to architectural features, and her three latest designs (Loom, Ululu, Koy) prove no exception to her oblique allusions.
"I like a fusion of style," she said. "The minimalistic is always there, but I also like vintage and antique as well. So I mix old and new. The phrase 'contemporary heritage' is what sums up my collection of rugs."
Rugs are crafted of hand-carded wool, silk, linen and bamboo silk. Shown: Akana in the dark grey, natural linen colorway.