Lisa Hilland’s Lumi Pouf for NK Inredning promotes creative collaborations

During Stockholm Design Week 2022 Lisa Hilland’s new Lumi Pouf was launched at NK Inredning alongside owner Kadi Harjak who will introduce Together – a new design collaboration project that aims to show how we all can inspire each other and build a sense of community.

Lumi means ‘snow’ or ‘light’ in Finnish, and inspiration for the pouffe was drawn from ice and snow formations in nature.

The core of the pouffe is made of wood, and the padding is based on recycled PET bottles.

A smart construction process keeps padding at a minimum, with small pockets sewn into the fabric, rendering the pouffe firm and comfortable. Moreover, the small pockets form a beautiful pattern that resembles a snowflake. 

The fact that Lumi means ’light’ in Finnish suits the project, as it will function as a guiding star for NK Inredning and all the creators involved, and how they aim to inspire more locally produced and sustainable projects while fostering creativity, new friendships, and cross-border collaborations.

Lumi Pouf is crafted in Sweden in collaboration with Elmo Leather, Eke-Möbler/Medvind in Glimåkra

The idea of inviting other creators to craft their own versions of the pouf was born when multi-award-winning designer Lisa Hilland presented Lumi Pouf to the owner of NK Inredning, Kadi Harjak.

In addition to Lisa Hilland, designers such as Magniberg, Pia Wallén, Maxjenny, and Remake/Stockholm City Mission have created their own unique versions of the Lumi Pouffe. 

“Following the pandemic, we are looking for new paths forward and are longing for innovative, energising projects and forms of collaboration. The aim of Together is to put the spotlight on compelling encounters and collaborations between different designers, with a focus on good design, sustainability, and quality,” says Kadi Harjak.

Several unique versions of the pouf 

Several different designers were given carte blanche to design their interpretation of the Lumi Pouf, resulting in markedly different versions that nonetheless retain the pouf’s distinctive identity in terms of shape and character. 

Lisa Hilland always has a strong focus on quality and sustainability in her work.

When designing the pouffe, she wanted to create a beautiful, new shape using innovative sewing techniques, pattern construction, and minimal padding.

She went through many prototypes before arriving at the pouffe’s present form, choosing to design it in the softest Elmo leather.

Leather is one of Lisa’s favourite materials to work with, and in the Lumi Pouf, leather is shown at its most beautiful. 

“The reason I like leather so much – besides that it is beautiful and smells lovely – is that it ages so well with a gorgeous patina and lasts for generations. Elmo has worked with water based tanning and dyeing since the end of the 80s and has developed a pioneering method for purifying wastewater in their own treatment plant,” says Hilland. 

“The water used in the process is so pure that you could drink it. The raw material – in other words, the skin – is a by-product that is processed into a beautiful and sustainable end product, instead of being thrown away or used for energy.”

The Swedish bedwear brand Magniberg chose to cover the Lumi Pouf in two different patchworks that combine leftover pieces of fabric from the Magniberg collections.

One is inspired by the blue stripes of classic business shirts, and the other features soft colours reminiscent of flowers, tulips, and a garden full of roses.

Luxury clothing brand owner and designer Maxjenny finds colour extremely fascinating and an inexhaustible source of inspiration that can be explored in infinite ways.

She often uses motifs from nature and for the Lumi Pouf, Maxjenny developed a specially designed fabric, inspired by the Northern Lights.

Pia Wallén chose to use her highly popular ”Cross Blanket” pattern in organic cotton, a distinctive graphic pattern that is also her hallmark.

Her original Crux blanket in felted wool from 1991 with a cross motif and Cross Blanket are from the same family.

The idea behind using Cross for the Lumi Pouf is based on the emergence of surprising new effects that break up the cross pattern like a kaleidoscope, thereby further strengthening the three dimensional shape of the pouffe.

According to Swedish tradition, the cross symbol stands for hope, a fitting tribute to the Lumi Pouf and the entire Together project, which aims to inspire and create new, exciting collaborations.

The material that Remake Stockholm uses for the Lumi Pouf, comes from gifts donated to the Stockholm City Mission.

Using recycled fabric has become a signature expression for the brand – something that also makes everything they create as unique as snowflakes – even if the pattern is the same.

The pouffes will be presented in NK’s display window during Stockholm Design Week, alongside new products from other leading design brands such as Cappelen Dimyr, Monica Förster, Frama, and Established & Sons. 

Profits go to design scholarships 

Each designer’s version of Lumi Pouf is unique and sold in single copies, and each of the individual designers donated their time and the material for their version in order to inspire and help put the spotlight on young designers.

Profits from Lumi Pouf sales will go to the newly established Together NK Design scholarship for young Swedish designers. 

“The creative industries have had a tough time during the pandemic, and creating a fund for design scholarships is a way to strengthen the design industry and at the same time create unique experiences for NK’s customers.

The plan is for the winning project in the contest to be showcased in NK’s display windows during Stockholm Design Week 2023. We look forward to picking the winner and continuing to work on the project during the year,” says Kadi Harjak.