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Design, innovation, sustainability, culture, society: a potpourri of thoughts, discourses, creative visions and their umpteen manifestations now unfold in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Over the span of five days, from February 4 - 8, 2025, the Stockholm Furniture Fair inundates the city with events, exhibitions, open showrooms and curated conversations. Goaded by the ingenuity of designers and industry professionals in the region and beyond, the design fair attracts audiences from across the globe; at the heart of the initiative is a commitment to harbour and offer furtherance to the Scandinavian design industry for professionals and connoisseurs in tandem.
In its ongoing iteration, the design event unveils a series of exhibitions that traverse a variety of subjects through innovative design that reimagines the extant boundaries of the discipline. Emerging and established creative voices converge in a captivating ensemble of furniture, products, lighting design and more, splayed out across the city. From the simmering creative bustle in Sweden, STIR brings a selection of shows that highlight the five-day-long festival, exhibitions that one should not miss.
Light Doesn't Exist by Alexander Lervik
What really is light, its nature and our perception of it? Alexander Lervik's exhibition, Light Doesn't Exist ushers visitors into an exploration that reveals the different properties of light. In cahoots with Stockholm Lighting Company, the Swedish designer harnesses light and colour to render four cubes in the exhibition space, each allowing visitors to experience daylight, darkness, reflection and colour differently. “There is no real light, it is a phenomenon that occurs in the eye of the observer, just as colour only occurs when the eye is reached by the reflection from an object,” says Lervik. “Daylight is vital for us humans, while the existence of darkness is crucial for us to be able to perceive light,” the official release reads.
Practice Unfiltered by Olsson Lyckefors
Practice Unfiltered takes visitors on a trip behind the scenes of the finished products of architecture. In the show, Swedish architecture firm Olsson Lyckefors presents the practice of architecture raw and unpolished through incipient sketches, incomplete ideas and the many manoeuvres inextricable from the process. Johan Olsson and Andreas Lyckefors reveal these formative stages to the audience, offering them glimpses rarely accessible to the public, in hopes of rousing a better understanding of the craft. The exhibition will be displayed in a pavilion originally designed by Olsson for Papershell, rebuilt for the fair using sustainable materials. “Architecture is not a straight path; it is a journey full of challenges, surprises and discoveries. It is in these moments of uncertainty that true creativity and expertise are put to the test, often leading to unexpected and remarkable results,” the architects say.
Plastic Perspectives by Lund University
In modern society, plastic is omnipresent—impossible to be entirely eliminated. But how can the human relationship with the material be enhanced? Plastic Perspectives, curated by Julia Hertzman from Formprocess, ponders about the (ideal) future of plastic. From bio-based raw materials, circular systems to the smart use of plastic, works by 10 designers and researchers spanning design, art and architecture, question how and why plastic should hold space in the future. The works stem from the research program STEPS (Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways) at Lund University with the exhibition design conceived by Hertzman in collaboration with Astrid, Bolon, Polykemi and Toniton.
Italia Geniale by ADI Design Museum and the Italian Cultural Institute
Following its debut at Dubai Expo 2021, Italia Geniale makes an appearance at the Stockholm Furniture Fair. Curated by the ADI Design Museum, the exhibition is a celebration of the legacy and innovation of Italian design. Historical classics and contemporary projects bring to the fore Italian creativity and craftsmanship through five themes: mobility, health and well-being, imagination, relationships and work. Both iconic and contemporary objects from the ADI collections, many of which have been widely acclaimed, partake in the show alongside works from over 60 brands including Ferrari, Poltrona Frau, Flos, Artemide, Olivetti, Arduino and Mogu. The exhibition is an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Sweden, the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).
Greenhouse 2025
Greenhouse, Stockholm Furniture Fair’s dedicated platform for emerging designers, returns in 2025 with designers with an impactful innovative vision. Furniture design, lighting and product design contrived by several designers come together to celebrate sustainability, traditional craftsmanship and cultural expression. Projects such as Parallel Forest by London-based designer Mingyu Xu, hand-carved furniture pieces by OMI Collective, a stackable chair design made from biocomposites by Bundle Studio and industrially manufactured furniture by Helsinki-based designer Roosa Ryhänen, challenge conventions with innovative materials and methods.
Greenhouse 2025 also features 20 prominent design and architecture schools, a design bar created by All Matters Studio and the design exhibition Ung Svensk Form. “Greenhouse not only presents new perspectives but also gives these talents the opportunity to make valuable connections with key people in the industry, which is crucial to shaping the design landscape of the future,” says Anya Sebton, designer and chair of the Greenhouse jury.
Älvsjö gård
The Älvsjö gård platform was brought to life at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2023, bringing visitors vis-à-vis different perspectives and approaches in design. Now a valued component of the design festival, Älvsjö gård, curated by The New Era Magazine, presents a selection of 14 designers and makers who epitomise an experimental flair in their creations. The participants for this edition include craftsman and designer David Taylor, whose work moves between art and function and Jenny Nordberg, who presents a furniture series created from discarded office equipment in collaboration with the Soeco factory. Furthermore, Simon Skinner showcases a series of brand new works and Simon Mattisson brings aboard Animism, a collection of colorful, functional sculptures created using 3D printing.
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