Just before I start working on the design of a new collection, I’ld like to tell you a little about the design of my latest collection, and mostly focus on its inspiration. In contrast to COLORES collection, which was inspired by Mexican arts and folklore and incorporated a bright color palette and complicated techniques, this time I returned to my home field. No, I wan’t born in cold Scandinavia and my hair is not blond, but the Scandinavian aesthetics, with its clean and accurate lines, its gentle curves and delicate colors, is probably my favorite aesthetics of all.
I admit, I love almost anything that comes from the cold Northern countries, weather it’s huge and industrial as IKEA, retro and graphic as ferm LIVING or modern as Alvar Aalto’s architecture.
When I started thinking about designing my winter collection, it was clear to me that my inspiration would be Scandinavian. Before I even knew what it would look like, I already knew what I would name it – Northern Lights (the natural light display phenomena that takes place in the skies of Arctic regions). Slowly but surely my ideas became more crystallized and then I visited a jewelry show in Paris and was delighted to see a trend booth designed with Scandinavian inspiration, and all my unfinished ideas suddenly became clear and solid.
Scandinavian trend booth in jewelry show – Paris
Scandinavian design is characterized by modernism and minimalism, with the addition of a light color palette. The materials used by Scandinavian designers are mostly natural ones, such as glass and a lot of wood. The lines are clean and sharp, the design language is restrained and the emphasis is on functionality and not on decorativeness. The Scandinavians like to use white color and create natural looking spaces with lots of natural light.
THE INTERIOR COLLECTIVE
When I created my inspiration board, I was taken by images of Scandinavian scenery and nature. The snow, the mountains and the amazing deer, which I have been adoring for many years.
SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS |  Standing Deer Jewelry Stand
SCANDINAVIAN MOUNTAINS | Short Arctic Necklace
In the design process of the collection, I also related to the local culture and customs, and that’s how my Bicycle Series was born (I’ll tell you more about my thing with bikes in a separate post which will be dedicated to them). The bikes play an important part in the daily lives of Scandinavians and I was   happy to pay them my respect by dedicating a series to this 2 wheel vehicle.
Long Bicycle Necklace
PRETTY chic BLOG | Short Bicycle Necklace | Bicycle Bracelet
Apart from my emphasis on bicycle and daily life, I also focused on the city   culture and architecture. I didn’t visit Scandinavia just before I started designing the collection, but I have a brother who lives in Denmark and during my visits with his family, I fell in love with the colorful houses that have so many windows.
 Houses Jewelry Display | spring day in Copenhagen
One of the most important stages in the design of a new collection is the selection of a color palette. It’s true that most of the pieces are plated in gold or silver, and this is always the dominant color tone, but in every collection I make it a point to combine additional materials and colors, to add interest and beauty. In this collection the added material was wood of course, with a light color palette I used in painting or by use of formica elements – one of my favorite materials in the past few years.
ferm LIVING in upper image, and Polygons Necklaces in lower image
Jewelry from Northern Lights Collection
 Following the tedious work of creating a new collection, it was time to shoot the new catalog. I’ve already told you about the process of shooting a new catalog here, but each catalog has its own character and the work around it changes accordingly.
I created an inspiration board and turned to look for the right model. Ola didn’t come from Scandinavia, but she expressed exactly what I was looking for – a somewhat reserved and cold Nordic look, but not too cold.

 

Enid Earrings | Enid Brooch
After the last collection shoot in which we carried heavy custus plants to the photographer’s studio, the selection of a minimalist set was good news for all involved. This time I decided to add detail to the frames by delicate graphic work on the images.
Kim Bracelet |  Kim Necklace  | Malena Post Earrings
Long Copenhagen Necklace | Short Copenhagen Necklace
I think we were successful in presenting a look that speaks the language of Scandinavian design, don’t you think?
Have you fallen in love with Scandinavian design too? You’re welcome to visit my Pinterest board Scandinavian Inspiration for some more beauty. You can view the full collection here. I’m off to start working on my next collection.