We are happy to announce the winners of the newly established Scandinavian Design Awards, selected by jury members from the architecture and design industries in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The award is an initiative to celebrate and draw attention to both established players and newcomers in architecture, interior design and design in Scandinavia. The Scandinavian Design Awards is a partnership between the publishing company It Is Media and Stockholm Furniture Fair.

The Scandinavian Design Awards consist of eight categories: Architecture of the Year, Furniture of the Year, Interior detail of the Year, Designer of the Year, Garden design of the Year, Producer of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Sustainability Award of the Year. The prize ceremony for Scandinavian Design Awards 2023 was held in the Blue Hall, in the Stockholm City Hall Monday February 6. The winners are also shown in a curated exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair, February 7-11.

Winners of Scandinavian Design Awards 2023 are:

Architecture of the Year Award 2023
The Plus by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)

The jury’s motivation: Vestre’s furniture factory The Plus is a forerunner and an outstanding example of how to take sustainability issues very seriously right down to the tiniest detail. With visual appeal incorporated as a matter of course. The Plus is set to become the first factory in the world to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating. The architecture takes its cue and its shape from the operations at the factory: a plus sign – representing everyone’s hopes for a positive future.

Furniture of the Year Award 2023
4PM chaise longue chaise longue and Self Build by Chris Martin for Massproductions

The jury’s motivation: The value of having created something yourself is undeniably rewarding. The fact that Chris Martin and Massproductions, following the tradition of Enzo Mari, have designed a simple, yet aesthetic lounge chair that is yours to build and evolve to something unique, is just brilliant. Are we possibly seeing the work chair for a new generation?

Interior detail of the Year Award 2023
The Soft Serve lamp by Crème Atelier

The jury’s motivation: Design and ice cream, the best of two worlds. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing, as it turned out, as the 3D-printed table lamp Soft Serve now brings light to the winter gloom. With its exquisite, undulating shape, this lamp is a perfect example of a classically designed interior detail created by using modern sustainable technology.

Designer of the Year Award 2023
Folkform

The jury’s motivation: In recognition of their meticulous research, close collaboration with production and compelling storytelling. Through their work, Folkform show how they both draw inspiration from, and challenge traditional techniques and design history. With a great sense of curiosity, they stay true to their own design philosophy and methodology – getting to know production, grasping its opportunities, and then challenging them, thereby creating something new and original together. The importance they place on explaining their products’ origins and manufacturing processes is exemplary, and something we wish to see more of in 2023 and beyond.

Garden Design of the Year Award 2023
Mariann Gundersen for ´Vill hageglede´ (owner’s private garden)

The jury’s motivation: Mariann Gundersen’s way of interpreting the approach of garden design legend Piet Oudolf and adapting his style to Nordic conditions has attracted attention both in Norway and internationally. The garden design has been adapted to the specific location on Justøy in southern Norway, where the planting interacts with the surrounding nature. It’s a garden that speaks to the senses, with its natural and ever-changing look, beautiful all year around. It is a sustainable garden design that benefits pollinators, wildlife – and humans. Mariann shares inspiration and her knowledge, promoting this naturalistic style of garden design and the plants associated with it.

Producer of the year Award 2023
Massproduction

The jury’s motivation: A street smart youngster determined to do things differently. Massproductions combine clever design sensibility with sharp business skills and a fair share of boldness. Since the start 2009, they have stood their ground and pushed their own way of doing things, without ever giving in to quick trends. With sustainable production and quality at the core, they have full control of their entire value chain – from initial design idea to the final packaging. This includes the launch experience of their products, which often include an unexpected element – a DIY book or an art installation. Massproductions stands out in the Scandinavian design landscape.

Rising Star of the year Award 2023
Antrei Hartikainen

The jury’s motivation: The emphasis on craft and materiality is evident in everything he does. By combining the skills of a master cabinetmaker with the skills of a designer Antrei Hartikainen create objects, furniture and installations that blur the traditional boundaries between function and fine art. His body of work is both elegant and sculptural, and it has the confidence that comes from skills and knowledge of a material. We look forward to seeing Hartikainen continue his poetic work with his material of choice, wood.

Sustainability Award of the Year 2023
Vestre for The Plus

The jury’s motivation: A role model for sustainability. A great dedication and determination in achieving ambitious sustainability objectives, while engaging over one hundred partners in a multidisciplinary collaboration, has resulted in the development of a variety of innovative solutions and the establishment of the most sustainable furniture factory in the world. There has been a strong focus on creating an attractive and beautiful building that is open to visitors and engage the local community. By setting high sustainability objectives and taking full responsibility for the entire value chain, Vestre serves as a role model for climate transition, with sustainability and business going hand in hand.

Scandinavian Design Awards
The awards are a partnership between the publishing company It Is Media and Stockholm Furniture Fair. It Is Media has previously been responsible for the Swedish Design Awards by Rum, which have been presented to Swedish designers and architects for ten years. Stockholm Furniture Fair has awarded the Editors’ Choice Awards. A new partnership has now been created to add greater weight and substance to both the awards themselves and the winners. The aim is to institute a major new set of accolades, based on a strong platform with an international outlook. Together, the awards will reinforce and spur on the design industry, supporting individual creatives and businesses alike.