When it was announced that the 2026 editions of the Stockholm Furniture Fair and the adjacent Stockholm Design Week would be cancelled, it felt less like a pause and more like a reckoning. Established in 1951, the Stockholm Furniture Fair has long been the most important industry fair in the Nordics. The event is taking a year to look inwards and plans to return in 2027 with a “fresh start”.

For now, that vacuum has been filled by a citywide event called Stockholm Design Days, which is unfolding in showrooms and galleries across the Swedish capital this week. The drama surrounding its emergence seems to have galvanised the scene, with brands putting on grand demonstrations to show that Stockholm is still a force to be reckoned with. String Furniture, for instance, has taken over an entire 15th-century building: one floor is dedicated to new editions of its shelving system and a trolley, while the remaining levels have been given over to local studios that have turned the space into a compelling group exhibition. Elsewhere, Stockholm Creative Edition (pictured), which gathers the work of young and emerging designers, has brought forward its annual showcase from May to bolster the week’s programme.

There is, undeniably, unease – and chatter – about what next year will hold. But there is also a new frankness in how people speak about the state of Swedish design. Conversations turn to the need for established brands to become bolder custodians of the country’s legacy – here comes the inevitable, if bittersweet, comparison with how Danish furniture brands have pulled this off so successfully, helping to bolster the 3 Days of Design festival in Copenhagen. In practice, people speak about the need for a more assertive use of Sweden’s design history, alongside support for a new generation of designers. The aim is to build a unified and distinctive narrative that compels visitors to make the trip north in a frigid February 2027.

At a dinner on Monday evening, an editor from a local magazine told me that he believes it will take a tide-shifting “cultural phenomenon” for Stockholm to reclaim what he referred to as its lost status as Scandinavia’s design capital, though he could not define what that might be. And that, perhaps, is the crux of it. The fair’s pause has exposed a gap but also an opportunity. What happens next is less about formats and calendars, and more about whether the Swedish design industry can decide what that phenomenon should be – and have the confidence to build it.

Gabriele Dellisanti is a Copenhagen-based journalist and Monocle contributor. For more news and analysis, subscribe to Monocle today.

This week, some 1,500 exceptionally athletic residents are moving into a newly finished development in Milan’s Porta Romana neighbourhood. Located on the site of a former rail yard and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the Milano Cortina Olympic Village features six new residential buildings; the ground floors of which will house recreational and support areas for the athletes. To celebrate the area’s industrial heritage, two newly renovated historic structures have been fully restored to expose the masonry, wood and iron that defines their interiors. 

While the eyes of the world might be on the development in the coming weeks, what makes this project significant is its post-Games plan: it will be transformed into student housing. “We were compelled by the opportunity to design a project that is purpose-built for one use and that then will transform for another permanent purpose,” says SOM partner Colin Koop. With this in mind, consideration was given for how the site connects with the surrounding neighbourhood, with new public pathways making it accessible to pedestrians for the first time in decades and linking it with the surrounding streets. “Ultimately, the village will become a vibrant, self-sustaining neighborhood,” says Koop. “It’s built around principles of social equity, environmental commitment, wellness, inclusivity and resilience.”
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For more on the legacy of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, pick up a copy of Monocle’s winter newspaper, Alpino, which features a special report on the Lombardy capital’s recent developments.

You can also follow our Olympic coverage, where we’re on the ground in Milan, on Monocle Radio.

Joyce Wang is the founder and principal of her namesake interior-design practice. Born in Hawaii, raised in Hong Kong and educated at MIT in the US and at the RCA in London, her work reflects her passion for a broad range of cultural influences. We recently caught up with Wang for The Monocle Book of Designers on Sofas. Her perch of choice at her Hong Kong studio? A bespoke settee by furniture-maker Jackson Law. Here she tells us about the significance of the sofa and shares her views on the industry.

What role does your sofa play in your studio?
It’s a standalone piece. As you come into the foyer, it’s a kind of nook at the end of the space. It fits four people at a squeeze but I feel like conversations happen better when you’re tucked in a corner. People come and say, ‘Oh, this feels like home.’

Which designer has influenced you the most?
With an American, British, European and Chinese upbringing, I’ll name a figure from each culture who has influenced me. Frank Lloyd Wright, for erasing the boundary between architecture and interiors. Ilse Crawford, a star-studded designer who still humbly and relentlessly searches for what makes spaces human and joyful. Vincenzo De Cotiis, who labours with his hands to stretch the possibilities of materials. And both my Shanghainese grandmothers – spirited, entrepreneurial to the core and still boasting an inimitable zest for life.

The sky’s the limit: which piece of furniture would you love to own?
Vincenzo De Cotiis’s bar cabinet, which is forged from silver, white cast bronze and hand-painted fibreglass. I once told him that when I’m finally free from the clutter of kids’ toys, I hope to have it in my living area. It will be home to my prized espresso machine, grinder and barista tools.

A recurring source of inspiration?
Theatre productions and stage and set designs that are impactful and experiential. They are escape rooms that can transport you with minimal intervention. I’m also inspired by books and films, particularly science fiction and anything by David Lynch. I love to explore cities and connect with creatives. And, no matter how many times I return, London always gives me new ideas.

A favourite project that you’ve worked on?
The Magarigawa Club, which was our studio’s first foray into a holistic resort experience. It’s a motor enthusiasts’ clubhouse in the Chiba prefecture of Japan, complete with villas, a spa and pool, a restaurant, a bar, state-of-the-art pit lanes and drivers’ lounges.

A dream commission?
A resort that redefines travel and luxury. We want to partner with patrons who are truly visionary and share our values for design, stretching us to do better.

A priority for you and the industry going forward?
To create spaces that I’d personally want to spend time in and connect with. We’re a boutique studio and time is precious; with every commission we become deeply involved and invested. It’s important that these are places my team and I will find joy in and be proud of.

Which city has the best design scene? And where should we visit?
Hangzhou. Go for the hikes and tea plantations, then seek out Sunyata Wenyutang, a boutique hotel just outside the city. Don’t miss Rong Design Library, Liangzhu Museum by David Chipperfield Architects and OōEli Art Park (Tianmuli) by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

For more from Joyce Wang’s sofa, pick up a copy of ‘The Monocle Book of Designers on Sofas’.

The name of the man who changed Czech design in the 20th century, Jan Vaněk, is largely unknown. Born into a family of woodworkers in 1891, he studied in Germany before returning to expand the family business into the country’s first modernist furniture factory. It grew into UP Závody, an abbreviation for The United Arts and Crafts Works, which produced modernist furniture that most Czechs could afford.

This armchair, designed by Vaněk in the 1930s, features minimalist webbed fabric upholstery and bent beechwood armrests. The remarkable thing about the design is that despite the company changing hands and the country turning to communist rule, it remained in production with only minor changes. Vaněk is best known today for having produced most of the fixtures for Villa Tugendhat, the famed Mies Van der Rohe villa in Brno. But he deserves just as much praise for transforming the homes of regular Czechs. 

To hear from some of the best Czech designers of the 21st century, including architects Chybik + Kristof, tune in to ‘Monocle on Design’ on Monocle Radio. 

Among the settings for this year’s Olympic Winter Games are two headline acts – Milan, the capital of Lombardy, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Queen of the Dolomites. It’s the latter that Paris- and Amsterdam-based photography duo Arturo + Bamboo are exploring in their newly published book, Cortina. Available in a limited run of 100 editions, it’s a photographic celebration of the sights, colours and textures of one of Europe’s most famous mountain towns. “The village carries that special something,” says Arthur Groeneveld, who co-founded Arturo + Bamboo with his work-and-life partner Bamboo van Kampen. “Somehow it has this rare ability to feel both cinematic and real. What we love is the balance: historic buildings beside everyday life and primary colours against snow.”

The book chronicles its namesake town and its Olympic legacy as host of both the 2026 and 1956 Games. “Its sporting history and glamorous past – take the James Bond movie [For Your Eyes Only] shot there – played a part in drawing us to create this book,” adds Van Kampen. “Cortina stands out due to its stunning landscapes, Italian elegance and undeniable charm.” Those who can’t visit would do well to purchase a copy of Arturo + Bamboo’s 80-page book, whose full-bleed, large scale images put readers at the heart of the action.
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Listen out for our new radio programme, ‘Monocle in Milan’, in partnership with Allianz. It’s airing live from the 2026 Winter Olympics, daily from 09.00 London time on Monocle Radio.