Norwegian Design

Norway, famous for it's fjords, glaciers and black metal. However, in the past few years Norway has become an exciting and innovative country for design.

The Norwegian design culture thrives on it's natural resources. According to the Global Energy Network Institute 99% of the power used in Norway come from its 850 hydroelectric plants and a lot of their products are still being made with wood and ceramics.

The traditional Norwegian houses were built mainly from log constructed together to withstand the elements. This type of architecture was called Vernacular and was used to build houses suitable for the need and resources of surrounding areas. Another example of Vernacular architecture would be igloos.

This picture taken around 1890 shows the constructed log building that would have been used as storage on one of the many farms around the Norwegian landscape.




Now Norwegian products are designed to be timeless and functionality drives the design more than style and aesthetics. I love this bottle opener taken from Norway Designs website. Only after seeing this product you understand how uncomplicated it needs to be in comparison to previous products which offer the exact same function.