Hasta La Ideas

More Icelandic fashion design: this time a series of concrete belt buckles by Sruli Recht of Reykjavík. (more…)

by Richard Prime

Causing a stir of excitement at the recent Stockholm Design Week, Icelandic design group Vík Prjónsdóttir showed its latest collection of wool blankets inspired by a mixture of myths, folklore and the lure of nature.

The collective, widely known for their Beardcap, dates back to 2005 and includes the founding designers Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, Egill Kalevi Karlsson, Guðfinna Mjöll Magnúsdóttir, Hrafnkell Birgisson, Þuríður Rós Sigurþórsdóttir and the knitting factory Víkurprjón. With a philosophy honoring their pedigree, Vík Prjónsdóttir sources ideas and materials from its surroundings, so that each product can be traced back to its Icelandic roots.

For its newest blanket project, the collective threw out all preconceptions of form and function to create a selection of conceptual designs, each challenging usability with a bold graphic identity and captivating set of colorways. Offerings range from a Michael Jackson homage (a black-and-white throw covered in handprints and leaves) to a blanket meant to create space for communing with the hidden world.

Having collaborated in the past with Henrik Vibskov for his A/W 2008 collection, Vík Prjónsdóttir seems to be coming into their own—potentially joining the likes of Maarten Baas or Jaime Hayón as a studio known for creating wild flights of fantasy in the interior design market. Prices start upwards of $200, check their
list of stockists for availability.

Architect Dietmar Koering of Arphenotype has designed these electricity pylons for a competition to envisage a new power transmission network in Iceland. (more…)