Canvas by Nicholai Wiig-Hansen

Colours from left to right: Cherry Tomato, Snorkel Blue, Wetland Green, Cuban Rum

Nicholai Wiig-Hansen, raawii’s Artistic Director, created the Canvas collection as a blank slate for creativity. The new series stays true to raawii’s mission as a design platform: creating a space for inspiration and collaboration. As its name implies, Canvas serves as a basis for playful creation – either by combining the items or by interacting with their surface. Their triangular-shaped profile and bold colours allow the elements to be intuitively mixed and matched into new compositions.

The three ceramic objects making up Canvas have no pre-determined function, hosting anything from flowers to kitchen utensils. The sharp lines of the glazed ceramics are rendered perfectly imperfect by the hand-made process.

The seven colourways are inspired by hues found in subway stations in Moscow, London and other cities, observed from the moving cars. The choice of colourways was made with an intention beyond aesthetics:  the hues are meant to spark memories and emotions. Nicholai Wiig-Hansen explains: “The choice of colours was made with an intention beyond aesthetics: the bold tones will activate different emotions, imagination and memories. This, I believe, is the role colours should play.” It is a very personal – and yet relatable – experience. As for all raawii products, the designer also closely considered the shapes’ surface play with light and reflection.

Canvas’ basic form looks simple at first sight. It is, however, the result of a long iterative design process. For Nicholai Wiig-Hansen, all designs are the result of a lifetime of observation and distilling – and not just of one creative moment. How people live and interact with his designs is what inspires him most. He shares: “I was imagining the objects’ presence in people’s homes, every day. I wanted the experience to become personal and the objects to open a dialogue with the user.”