Episode 66 Show Notes
Joining me this week on the podcast is Thomas Jonsson with Scandinavian Spaces. The Jonsson family has been the last decade helping Swedish manufacturers market their products in the U.S. and he’s here to share more about the journey and their business.
Function is the main focus of Nordic Design. Sweden has a huge bevy of natural resources, but rather than diminish those resources, they focus on making products that last. If a tree is cut down to create a piece of furniture, they know that the furniture will last for decades, not years.
This mentality and the beautiful and functional designs is what Thomas’s family is so passionate about bringing to the U.S. They help to curate products and connect manufacturers to dealer partners here in order to connect with buyers. As Thomas stated, one of the most minute things that they do is convert centimeters into inches.
They meet the U.S. market right where they are and make it easy for their providers to connect with buyers.
Listen as Thomas shares their journey and why they are so passionate about connecting Nordic design to the U.S. market. He’s also providing insights into their booth for NeoCon this year and why they focus on creating a carefully designed space.
This was a fantastic conversation that you won’t want to miss if you’re looking to incorporate sustainable and functional furniture into your projects that are absolutely beautifully designed.
In this episode:
[02:12] Welcome Thomas Jonsson to the show to chat about Nordic design.
[02:39] Thomas shares more about his story.
[04:32] What is Scandinavian Spaces and what do they do?
[07:36] On the simplest level, they help to convert from the metric system to standard.
[08:40] Is it by accident or design that most of their products come from one area of Sweden?
[11:32] Sweden is great for natural resources and domestic supply.
[13:05] Function first is the overall motto for Swedish manufacturing.
[14:33] Why was it so important to him and his family to bring Nordic design to the U.S.?
[18:29] How have they grown their business and gotten to where they are today?
[20:23] What was the catalyst for them to get a permanent showroom at the Mart?
[24:45] They also won an award that first year.
[25:57] The one thing they’ve done really well as their company has grown.
[28:13] What have they done to make their marketing so strong?
[30:47] How often do they go back to Sweden?
[32:52] Thomas shares what we can expect to see at NeoCon this year.
[35:50] Connect with Thomas and Scandinavian Spaces.
Links & Resources:
Episode 41: Rethink, Redesign, Repurpose with Brandi Susewitz
Connect with Thomas:
Scandinavian Spaces on Instagram
Thomas on LinkedIn
Connect with Sid:
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
The Trend Report is proudly sponsored by INDEAL. Partners in progress in the commercial interiors industry. To learn more about INDEAL, please visit their website at https://www.indeal.org/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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