Clean lines, functionality and playful use of colour are just some of the trademarks of Scandinavian design, one of the most influential recent design movements. Marshall Rugg's interest in the movement began during his time working in Europe, and he now gets to be surrounded and inspired by beautiful Danish design every day. He is the store manager at Auckland design boutique Design Denmark, which sells everything from Verner Panton "panthella" lamps to Woofy, a dog-shaped cable holder to LeKlint's donut lamp.
1 Robert Capa's photograph
Taken of Picasso, his companion of 10 years, Francoise, and eldest son, Paulo. Francoise was the mother of Picasso's children Paloma and Claude. This photo is a work of art.
2 Eames chair
The Aluminum chair by Charles and Ray Eames is probably one of the most significant furniture designs of the 20th century.
3 Birgit Ostergaard B Glow floor lamp
Birgit believes the creation of light is about space, light and universal sculptural value. Working with sailcloth, the Glow floor lamp forms an interaction between the light source and material which makes the piece a sculpture.
4 Henri Matisse Bathers by a River room divide screen
Henri Matisse is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century whose stylistic innovations (along with those of Picasso) fundamentally altered the course of modern art and affected the art of several generations of younger painters, spanning almost six and half decades. I fell in love with the original oil on canvas at the Art Institute of Chicago.
5 The Tivoli chair
By iconic Danish designer Verner Panton. This was Verner's first chair, designed especially for a restaurant in Tivoli in 1953. Prestigious Danish furniture manufacture Fritz Hansen produced the first series of these chairs. Panton was married to the step-daughter of designer Poul Henningsen and worked with Arne Jacobsen, so the chair tells a wonderful story.
6 The Panthella floor lamp
By Verner Panton for Louis Poulsen, created in 1971; Panthella is one of the more popular Verne Panton designs and shows his great design flexibility. The slender shaft and hemispheres shade contribute to a brilliant balance and form.
7 Wong Sing Tai artwork
Artwork acrylic on perspex by Wong Sing Tai, Kaipara Plane. I love its hard-edge pop idiom. Winner of the first Benson & Hedges Art Award in 1968, Wong Sing Tai, was one of 10 artists featured in the exhibition section of the Auckland City Art Gallery Ten Big Paintings Project which also featured work by Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, Don Driver, and Milan Mrkusich.
8 Medusa marble head
I purchased this from an antique shop in Assisi, Italy. It will always remind me of a month's holiday in Libya in the 80s and the amazing Roman Ruins of Leptis Magna, east of Tripoli, a Unesco World Heritage site and considered to be the best preserved Roman ruins in the world.
9 Smeg FAB 40P1 fridge/freezer powder blue
Technology with style. Just love the idea of a domestic appliance born from collaboration with a leading architect, showcasing characteristic 50s style.
10 Photo frame
Tortoiseshell photo frame with a much cherished photo of Mum and Dad celebrating 60 years of marriage.
Scandi man
Marshall Rugg. Photo / Babiche Martens
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