A Summer’s Day: Nordic Daylight
On the summer solstice, a complete and natural understanding of endless summer emerges when near 24-hour daylight glows over Nordic countries as they emerge from dark winters into limitless light.
Much like the fruits of this season, Nordic summer is meant to be savored—and daylight obliges by offering more hours to move from days at the beach, al fresco meals, and time spent in summer houses trod through with bare feet.
A Day At The Beach
With more time spent outdoors comes more time by the water, and the provenance of the Isle Glass Series is an essential narrative to understanding the Nordic approach to summer. Made locally on the small Danish island of Bornholm, the series of glass tableware is designed with this maker-community in mind, where the island’s history in craft parallels FRAMA’s approach to production from across the Baltic Sea.
Each piece is made with recycled glass; the glasses are stackable for portability and ease of storage. The pitcher is crafted in a generous size for a beverage, flowers, or water to take to the beach with a Light Sage Towel Poncho in tow and more towels back at home. A welcome addition to a season that demands light weights and mismatched plates, bowls, and cutlery to set the table with. Condensation gathers on foreheads on glasses in tandem.
Lunch Outdoors
In Nordic countries, summer’s arrival means the cities are filled with people coming out of hibernation to greet the sun. Whether on a restaurant’s terrace, in a city park, or out in nature on the way to the beach or the forest, the Tasca and Folding Flat Chairs move from arm to arm and table to table as one gathering leads to the next. The setting for lunch unfolds as another story or glass or bite is made time for in summer homes where the season’s fruits and vegetables are picked up on the road on the way. At the tables these chairs are pulled up to, soft bread is piled high for last bites long after the meal has ended. Fresh berries stud ceramics and Isle Glass Series shallow bowl and plates; bright summer color bursting through its transparent, smokey and bubbled tone in midday light, whatever the backdrop or the menu.
A Slow-Moving Afternoon
Nordic summer is a time to enjoy daily life and savor the brightest, sun-soaked days. After a long, grey winter, the reward is daylight that stretches well into night—replete with al fresco meals soundtracked by radio, fresh meals, and countryside summer houses where a Daybed invites stillness, a Farmhouse Table suggests a game of cards among friends, and laundry is hung to dry in the soft summer air. Time seems to move slower in the warmth of the season, and a towel in the grass invites an afternoon with a new book to stretch out as long as the day in a way that brings back childhood memories when responsibilities were a foreign concept.
Late Sunset
The time on the clock will be later than expected when the sun finally begins to drop around this time of year, and an impromptu meal back out in the sand will make the most of the last hours of the day. One more glass is poured and towels stretch over shoulders as the temperature begins to drop and Tasca Table and Stools are brought indoors for the night—the end of the night bringing a calm fatigue that only a long day spent in fresh air can bring.
A Collection For Summer’s Ease
As the longest day of the year arrives and passes past us, summertime nostalgia is palpable even as we are in the thick of it. The pleasure of Nordic summer is knowing how to make the most of this time in accordance with the sun: finding inspiration in daily life, human touch, and craftsmanship from nature and from our own collaboration with it while we can.
