Shopping for Icelandic Design

Shopping for Icelandic Design

If you’re looking for a souvenir to take back home after a trip to Iceland, you’re in luck. Icelanders have a creative spirit, clearly visible in their design. Whether you’re after clothes, jewelry, lifestyle products or design items for your home, you’ll find what you’re looking for, probably along with a few items you didn’t know you needed.

Unique Ingredients

Icelandic nature provides some unique materials for Icelandic designers. The Icelandic wool is an interesting material, as the Icelandic sheep are a very specific breed, descended from the first sheep brought to Iceland by the settlers. Bred in isolation for a millennium, the Icelandci sheep have two layers of wool, one soft and insulating and another tougher and water-repellent. This leads to a warm, light and waterproof fabric, that can be knitted, felted or woven into several different creations. Check out the products of Vik Prjonsdottir and Farmer’s Market.

For hardier materials, Iceland does not have a lot of wood (the Icelandic forests are few and far between) which forces Icelandic designers to be creative. Pieces made of lava rock, animal horns or bones, fish leather and driftwood make for great souvenirs of your trip to Iceland.

Traditions Icelandic

Another common thread in Icelandic design is the Icelandic cultural heritage, folklore, superstitions, and traditional craft. The most famous Icelandic design item is the Icelandic woolen sweater of the lopapeysa. It has kept generations of Icelanders warm in the harsh Icelandic nature, earning its place in Icelanders’ hearts. If you want one, stop by the Icelandic Handknitting Association and get one that’s handmade in Iceland. If you like the look of them but don’t need a woolen sweater, the traditional sweater patterns have also inspired designers and can be found on everything from t-shirts to candles and plates.

Another popular motif in Icelandic design is the raven. In many cultures, the raven is an ominous creature, but in Iceland, it is considered a wise creature and a loyal friend. Farmers like to feed ravens scraps during the winter, as folk tales speak of ravens saving the lives of their benefactors, warning them of avalanches and leading them home when they’re lost.

A boutique in Iceland. Photo by Olga

Inspired by Nature

It’s impossible to live on a glacier-covered volcanic island, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and not be affected by it. Icelandic designers get inspiration from the majestic nature around them, whether it be from the glaciers, volcanoes, mountains or moss-covered lava.

There’s another factor of Icelandic nature that also tends to inspire designers; the weather. For Icelanders in centuries past, war and waterproof clothing wasn’t just a necessity, it was a matter of life and death. They’ve gotten pretty good at making warm clothing and an Icelandic jacket will keep you warm wherever you go. The Icelandic lopapeysa, woolen hats and mittens originate from the same desire, to keep warm in the unpredictable Icelandic nature.

Icelandic ingenuity

Of course, not all Icelandc design can be traced to elements of Iceland, some just spring fully formed from their creator’s minds. Icelandic design owes a lot to Scandinavian design, finding inspiration in its simplicity, clean lines and colours. If you step into Icelandic design stores, you’ll find for example items like the Pyropet candle, an animal shaped, pastel coloured candle, that will, when it burns, reveal a metal skeleton, or the NotKnot pillow, a knotted tube of stuffed wool that makes a pretty pillow.

The Museum of Design and Applied Art in Gardabaer

If you’re interested in learning more about Icelandic design and how it has developed over the years, stop by the Museum of Design and Applied at in Gardabaer. They have a collection of Icelandic design items and put on exhibitions that are a feast for the eyes. They also have a beautiful gift shop selling Icelandic design items, jewelry, books, furniture and decorative items for the home