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Field research 
Iceland



→ North of Iceland
→ Ljós / Light
→ Icelandic bathing culture
→ Blue hour

Words Michelle Site
Photography miljaemilia

StilIcelandic winter means laying in a hot pool, face up to the sky in a swirl of snow.  It means learning to love the darkness and the cold.    




︎︎︎ North Iceland




Norður



The North of Iceland shimmers with snow-capped peaks, lava fields and thick ice. White, soft blues and greys come together in breathless landscapes all year long, whether in the depths of winter or the peak of midnight sun.

Norður means North in Icelandic. In the years we spent there, we traveled through open landscapes of pure snow. These colors and shapes inspire one of the sets in our first collection.




︎︎︎ Lava fields in South Iceland







︎︎︎ At the top of Askja volcano crater

︎︎︎ At the base of Askja volcano crater



Icelandic bathing culture
In Iceland, bathing culture is an essential ritual of everyday life. Public pools are in every town and a fulcrum of social life and daily routines. They are a way to enjoy the present moment and relax outdoors in harsh conditions of wind, snow and cold. 




︎︎︎ North Iceland along the Diamond Circle

︎︎︎ South Iceland on the Ring Road in February 

Blue hour



The phenomenon of blue hour is special in Iceland. Blue hour is a period of twilight when residual, indirect sunlight glows blue. The sun is below the horizon so the light takes on a gentle, subsuming quality. In most places around the world, this lasts for about an hour. Because Iceland is so far north, blue hour stretches across several hours for most months of the year.




︎︎︎ At the beginning of a winter sunset at 2 PM

Ljós



Iceland is just below the Arctic Circle. The high latitude determines its unique sunlight patterns. Living with the seasons in Iceland means living with ever-changing light – adapting to summer nights without darkness and winter days without sun. Extreme contrasts of light and dark inspire our first collection.
K

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