This Norwegian Auction Just Made Us Excited for the Fall Design Season

In case you missed it, design auctions are pretty much our favorite thing in the whole world. For one, they hit so many of our sweet spots at once — the curated mix of vintage and contemporary objects and furniture; the frequent inclusion of material experiments and/or weird prototypes; and the emphasis on highly original work. But even more, they’re an invaluable source for people like us who are constantly on the hunt for new talent, curated as they often are by regional experts who know the designers and communities they’re tapping better than any outsider ever could.

Today we got word of a new auction launching in Oslo next month, which we hope will be the first of many: Called Unika, the event — held at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts from September 9-10 and online from September 1-10 — is a collaboration between the biennial event Designer’s Saturday, Oslo’s oldest auction house Blomqvist, and Klubben, the Norwegian designers organization. The theme for the auction is unique Norwegian design from 1945-2017 and will consist of prototypes, color and material tests, and hand-drawn sketches from the likes of Hunting & Narud, Vera & Kyte, and Hallgeir Homstvedt (not to mention the vintage gems like a Rietveld-inspired chair from 1982). We got wind of the auction from two of our favorite designers, Falke Svatun and Bjorn van den Berg, who not only helped organize the event but contributed the amazing photos below. Check them out and stay tuned for the auction to go live next month!

PHOTOS BY FALKE SVATUN & BJORN VAN DEN BERG

UNIKA011, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

From left: Ponny chair by Tormod Alnaes (1953); Lined Vessels by Bower x Bjorn van den Berg (2016); Test Keramikk A2 by Sigve Knutsen (2016); Tumble by Falke Svatun (2016)UNIKA012, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Prop-Up chair by Vera & Kyte (2014)

UNIKA004, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Stand In chair by Svein Gusrud (1982)

UNIKA009, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Lined Vessels by Bower x Bjorn van den Berg (2016); Syklus sewing table by Adolf Relling (1962); Moment glassware by Jenkins & Uhnger (2016)UNIKA010, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Manmade Nature Earthplanter by Pettersen & Hein (2017); Tapputi & the sea, Cape Town Edition perfume and glass container by Kaja Solgaard Dahl (2017); Gro watering can by Andersen & Voll, Petter Skogstad, and Hallgeir Homstvedt (2012)

UNIKA003, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Manmade Nature Earthplanter by Pettersen & Hein (2017); Galata upholstered footstool by Edvin Klasson (2017); Tapputi & the sea, Cape Town Edition perfume and glass container by Kaja Solgaard Dahl (2017); Syklus by Adolf Relling (1962); Gro watering can by Andersen & Voll, Petter Skogstad, and Hallgeir Homstvedt (2012)

UNIKA002, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Turntable by Nils Stensrud (2016); Rocks by Runa Klock (2013); Ponny chair by Tormod Alnaes (1953); Test Keramikk A2 by Sigve Knutsen (2016)

UNIKA007, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Turntable by Nils Stensrud (2016); Moment candlestick by Lars Beller Fjetland (2015)Totem (2011) coat rack by Hunting & Narud

Totem by Hunting & Narud (2011, prototype)

Stand In (1982) by Svein Gusrud

Stand In chair by Svein Gusrud (1982) Fauna (2015) bookends by Hallgeir Homstvedt and Hege Homstvedt.

Fauna by Hallgeir Homstvedt (2015)

Chair prototype by unknown designer

Chair prototype by unknown designerUNIKA006, Photo Falke Svatun & Bjørn van den Berg

Totem by Hunting & Narud (2011); Break by Petter Skogstad (2008); Onomik wall textile by Silje Nesdal (2008); chair prototype by unknown designer