Swedish Midsummer Design Weekend 2017
21 Jun 2017
We keep the Midsummer vibes going here. We explained earlier that we became a bit Swedish by working at IKEA. Now, we will be even more after spending some time in Sweden. At the end of March we received a special handwritten envelope in the mail. It turned out to be a personal invitation from the Swedish Midsummer Design Weekend. Sixteen Swedish design manufacturers invite several (interior) architects every year to spend a weekend in the capital of Sweden: Stockholm. Participants from Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands come together and get a tour along the organizing manufacturers and celebrate Midsummer. We are very curious about this weekend and look forward to it.
To get a little in the mood, we received a letter from the organization with some explanation about the backgrounds and traditions of the Midsummer. We like to share this with you.
“Midsummer is, in many cases, where families and friends gather to celebrate this traditional peak of the summer. Swedes like the world to be well organised, so Midsummer Eve is therefor always on a Friday.
People often start off the day by picking flowers and making wreaths to place on the maypole, which is a key component in the celebrations. The maypole is raised in an open spot and traditional ring-dances follow, to the delight of children and adults.
A typical Midsummer menu features different kinds of pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, sour cream and raw red onion. This is often followed by a grilled dish of some sort, such as spare ribs or salmon, and for dessert the first strawberries of the summer, with cream.
The traditional accompaniment is cold beer and schnapps, preferably spiced. Every time the glasses are refilled, sing- ing breaks out anew.
Midsummer is an occasion invested with certain nostalgia. Deep inside, Swedes all agree on what it should look like and how it should proceed.
On their way home, girls and young women are supposed to pick seven different species of flowers and lay them under their pillows. At night, the future husband will appear in their dream…”
Doesn’t this sound as a lovely tradition? We are honored to attend the Swedish Midsummer Design Weekend. We will make sure to tell you how the weekend was.
Credits
Cover image Picnic by the lake
Image Stockholm
Image Picnic by the lake
Image strawberry dessert
