This year's new products

At the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020 we will be presenting this year's new products. There will be some completely new series, and some additions to series that have been seen before. What they all have in common is that through their attractive design they will help to make sustainable, sociable meeting places for users round the world.

Fun and games meet functionality in Stones

Vestre has worked successfully for years with the designers Espen Voll, Tore Borgersen and Michael Olofsson. The latest collaboration has produced the Stones collection, which consists of three basic modules supplied in two different heights. The modules function as building blocks, so it is easy to adapt the furniture to different requirements. The idea is that different combinations will be inspiring for play, rest, and – above all – meetings between people. Stoneshave steel frames and wooden seats.

- With furniture in the Stones collection the scene is set for greater freedom than with fixed, more traditional seating groups. The expansive form of Stones modules ensures that they can be combined to create seating that functions in large, architectural spaces, say Voll, Borgersen and Olofsson.

A free-standing series to extend the Folk collection

Like Vestre, the Front design studio is particularly concerned with function in urban spaces, and how furniture helps to create places where people can gather. A new, free-standing series has been developed to expand the Folk collection, to allow more flexible arrangements of the furniture. In turn, this means more ways to create meeting places. At the same time, the new shape is the ideal complement to the classically inspired collection.

The new benches and table both have similar forms to the original collection, and they can be placed in all types of surroundings. The furniture is made from hard-wearing materials that stand up to use around the clock in all types of weather. This is reflected, for example, in the seat surface, which is divided up so that rain water drains off.

- It is important for us as designers to include durability in the expression and form of a product. It must be usable for many years, in different conditions, and always fit into its setting. It is exciting to think how many people will be using an item of outdoor furniture in a public place during its lifetime, observe Anna Lindgren and Sofia Lagerkvist, the founders of Front.

New additions to the April GO series

The April GO collection of outdoor furniture has a characteristic, timelessly functional design. The series is now being expanded with a square table that invites conversation, and a new version of the classic bench – this time without a back.

April GO was designed by Espen Voll, Tore Borgersen and Michael Olofsson. The series was specially developed to fit into urban spaces that undergo changes, and the individual pieces can be moved and adapted according to the circumstances. The chairs in the series are also designed to be easily stackable. The forms of the new items harmonise with the rest of the collection and make it possible to set up new, specially adapted seating groups. April GO can be seen in Times Square in New York – one of the world's most popular tourist destinations – where the furniture fits in well because of its flexibility.

CODE now has smart new planters

Code is a fine example of Vestre’s vision of creating easily accessible, flexible and inviting places to meet in public spaces. With the new planters it will be easier to make them fresher and greener.

Code, designed by Hong Ngo-Aandal and Johan Verde, is a flexible system that allows landscape architects and building designers to create spaces for social activities in urban environments or close to nature. The basic system consists of right-angled and angular boxes that can be combined horizontally and vertically in various furniture formations and landscapes. It is easy to add armrests later. The idea is that the system must be easily accessible for all purposes, regardless of whether the user sits down to work on a tablet, have a chat over a cup of coffee, or just needs to relax for a while.

- Among the challenges in designing for use in outdoor settings is the need to consider all the external impacts, keeping up with how urban environments develop. and thinking how to change them for the better. Using plants to make the meeting places greener certainly adds a positive element, says Hong-Ngo Aandal, one of the designers of Code.

All the new products can be seen on the website and are ready for ordering. Please direct any questions to [email protected].