The simply and mysteriously mathematical name 1+1+1 covers an experimental design project growing from a collaboration of three Nordic countries. Three designers/studios set out to produce a line of mirrors together, yet apart. The resulting 27 unpredictable-looking mirrors were presented at the Stockholm Design Week. Hugdetta from Iceland, Petra Lilja from Sweden, and Aalto + Aalto from Finland developed their unique collaborative platform last year. They came up with the idea that each of them designed a single object on their own, that is constituted from three adjustable parts. Once the three designers meet, their objects can be disassembled and assembled together to random combinations, namely 27 versions.




While there are a set of rules each participant has to follow, there is no information flow between the groups. This ensures that the result are, if not in all cases beautiful, but completely unexpected and always exhilarating. The project premiered at Design March in Reykjavik last year, where the chosen topic was the floor lamp. The unexpected material and formal clashes inspired the designers to carry on, and introduced a second phase at Helsinki Design Week last September, seeing a variety of mismatched cabinets built from three parts. The Stockholm presentation with the shapely mirrors is a beautiful round-up to the project, demonstrating the best of Nordic design ethos.















Source: Domus