Mikael Löfström Forages for Brushes in Stockholm’s Forests

When interior designer Mikael Löfström set out to make a new class of household brushes, he turned to his backyard, the forests of Stockholm. “When thinking about brushes, I started with the possibilities in the nature surrounding us; for us Swedes, the woods and the forests are boundless,” says Löfström.

A graduate of Lund University and University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Löfström approaches design as an investigation. This particular study is about materials–Swedish foraged woods, like birch, beech and elm–and reused bristles that he salvages from other brushes. Keeping the materials clean and natural is important to Löfström; he washes and prepares each fiber before threading it onto its hardwood base. The brushes are in production at Löfström AB for €40 each and can be ordered by contacting [email protected].

N.B.: Löfström’s work, including the brushes, can be found at Mint Design in London, England, Tom Design in Torino, Italy, and according to the designer, the brushes may be available at Anthropologie in the US soon.

Above: The brushes make use of the natural shape of each branch. “They can be decorative,” Löfström says, “or used as cleaning tools in the greenhouse, at the workbench, or by the fireside.”

Above: The designs make use of bristles repurposed from old brushes.

For classic domestic science brushes visit our previous posts: Brushes Handmade in Buckinghamshire Since 1840 and Redecker Brushes from Germany.