We Love This: Nordic design bibles

Read these coffee-table books for a crash course in the Nordic region’s world-famous design logic. Spanning architecture, interiors and product design, the contents of these six tomes are guaranteed to spark the imagination and inspire your next project.

New Nordic Houses
– Dominic Bradbury

Divided into four chapters – rural cabins, coastal retreats, town houses and country homes – this survey of over 40 of Scandinavia’s finest and most innovative houses features work by a broad spectrum of leading architects, such as Jon Danielsen Aarhus, Tham & Videgård, Snorre Stinessen, Reiulf Ramstad and Todd Saunders. Structured by terrain to reveal the full diversity of the landscape and its architectural challenges, the book is full of fresh thinking about living spaces that are at once universal and distinctively Nordic.

Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing
– Beata Heuman

Swedish-born, London-based interior designer Beata Heuman founded her eponymous studio in 2013 after working for Nicky Haslam for nine years. In a short amount of time her lively interiors and custom furnishings have made her one of today’s most in-demand creatives. Heuman’s rooms, colourful spaces enlivened by exuberant elements and poetic inspirations, capture her signature quirkiness and Scandinavian attention to detail while staying rooted in practicality. This beautifully crafted volume presents Heuman’s innovative approach in book form for the very first time.

The Monocle Book of the Nordics

The Nordic region has long fostered a distinct set of values that have helped its nations excel in quiet diplomacy, thoughtful design and reasoned debate. Looking beyond the frozen expanses, thick forests and towering mountains, The Monocle Book of the Nordics uncovers the folks, firms and stories that help the region rank highly in everything from art and architecture to eating and living well.

The Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate, and Style Your Space
– Frida Ramstedt, illustrated by Mia Olofsson

This is a comprehensive bible of interior design, from a home-styling guru who has coached an entire Scandinavian generation in the art of creating a harmonious home. Frida Ramstedt believes in thinking about how we decorate, rather than focusing on what we decorate with. The Interior Design Handbook teaches you general rules of thumb – such as how to apply the golden ratio and the golden spiral, the proper size for a coffee table in relation to your sofa, the optimal height to hang lighting fixtures, and the best ways to use a mood board – complete with helpful illustrations.

Nordic Light: Modern Scandinavian Architecture
– Henry Plummer

The quality of light in the higher latitudes has given rise to some of the most important and influential architecture of the modern period. In the Scandinavian countries, the ethereal nature of light combined with natural resources and highly refined building techniques has provided the context for architectural acts of genius. This book celebrates established icons, newly discovered gems and contemporary masterworks that represent the highest expression of Scandinavian design and response to the environment. 50 projects are featured in detail, ordered according to the way in which different light conditions have imparted qualities to the buildings.

New Nordic Design
– Dorothea Gundtoft

This stylish publication celebrates the impact of contemporary Nordic style, featuring 50 notable interior and product designers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. Whether they are well established or up and coming, the designers all share a passionate commitment to an elegant design style with widespread international appeal. New Nordic Design presents a mood-board of names and looks that will inspire you to achieve your Scandinavian design goals.