INTERESTING TIMES GANG x SHIMBER
A limited-edition design collaboration exploring energy and Nordic material innovation
At Stockholm Creative Edition 2026, interior architecture and circular design studio Interesting Times Gang presents a new collaboration with material innovation and design studio Shimber, a Helsinki-based company pioneering pigment-free, wood-based structural colour for design, architecture, and industry.
Together they unveil one limited-edition piece – the award-winning Kelp Chair biocomposite – coated in Shimber’s iridescent, wood-based surface and handcrafted in Sweden and Finland.
Already part of the Nationalmuseum collection, the Kelp Chair has established itself as a contemporary design object beyond trends. In this collaboration, Interesting Times Gang and Shimber use the chair as a design-led testbed for material innovation, demonstrating how forward-thinking material companies and designers can work together to push form, craft and circularity.
This unique version of The Kelp Chair features a vibrant mosaic-like patchwork surface composed of shimmering Shimber fragments, amplifying the chair’s flowing form.
The collaboration was born out of Interesting Times Gang’s ongoing work as interior architect for The Arctic Center of Energy (ACE) in Skellefteå, a global competence center accelerating the electrification of society, and offers a first glimpse of the upcoming Interesting Times Gang x Shimber for ACE Powerhouse collaboration.
“We were searching for Nordic material innovations for ACE Powerhouse when we discovered Shimber. The way they transform residual wood fibers into a surface that feels both organic and charged, reminiscent of fish scales or the iridescence of butterfly wings, immediately resonated with us. It mirrors the energy flowing through ACE,” says Anna Eliasson, Head of Business Development & Innovation at Interesting Times Gang.
“We are incredibly proud to see Shimber presented in this context, in dialogue with Interesting Times Gang and a contemporary design classic like the Kelp Chair. Our ambition is to offer a scalable, sustainable material with high design integrity, and this collaboration shows exactly where we want to go,” says Monika Nars, CEO of Shimber.
“The Kelp Chair already has a very strong identity, it’s all about flow and movement, so the new material really had to add something extra. We didn’t want a pattern or a finish that just sat on top of the chair. Shimber becomes part of it. You see the structure, the curves and the material working together. It reflects the light in different ways, from quiet to intense iridescence. As you move around it, the chair comes alive.” says Alexander Westerlund, CEO and Head of Design at Interesting Times Gang.
The collaboration is presented exclusively
during Stockholm Creative Edition 2026.
Opening Night Cocktails – February 3rd | 18.00–21.00
at Hudiksvallsgatan 4A, third floor.
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Hudiksvallsgatan 4A, third floor.
Tuesday: 12.00-17.00
Wednesday-Friday: 11.00-19.00
Saturday: 11.00-17.00
Exhibition – Interesting Times Gang (est. 2020),“Kelp Chair – Iridescent”, chair, 2026.3D-printed in bio-based polymers, finished with Shimber wood-based coating.Colour: Iridescent (structural colour, no pigments or dyes).
H. 90 cm, W. 45 cm, D. 55 cm.