ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga

Kraum’s selection ranges from small decorative ornaments to practical clothing to full-sized furniture. Photos: Ingo
Kraum – a Paradise for Design Lovers
While walking in downtown Reykjavik,
you will probably notice an abundance of
energetic design products represented
in a wide variety of design shops. If you
visit the oldest quarter of the town,
beginning in Aðalstræti, you will find
a design store that fully represents the
bloom of Icelandic design, as you can
find products from no fewer than 200
designers in the store Kraum.
Kraum is actually located in the oldest standing
house in Reykjavik, built in 1762 by Skúli Magnússon,
a prominent figure in the history of Iceland as a
pioneer of industrialization. He is sometimes called
the father of Reykjavik as historians argue that
Reykjavik would not have become the capital of
Iceland if it had not been for Skúli’s enterprise.
Walking down Austurstræti from Lækjartorg you
will pass the more modern square of Ingólfstorg
on your way to Kraum. There, this oldest house
of Iceland will lay before you on the right side,
a black little house right next to some taller and
newer buildings. To enter the store you will go to
the right, up a small and charming road leading
to the “Grjótaþorpið,” a small, uphill area, where
most of Reykjavik’s oldest houses stand. Behind
the black house you will notice a connecting annex
made of glass, and then a newer extension to Skúli’s
old house. Enter the annex and enjoy the hidden
treasures you will find in Kraum.
12
The results of a design competition in the spirit
of the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson were
recently announced. This competition was held in
collaboration with the Reykjavík Art Museum and
the winning design was a 3D puzzle by the name
“My Ásmundur.” This design as well as few others
will be on offer both in Kraum and in the Reykjavik
Art Museum. “We had all sorts of different designs
in this competition, first of all the spectacular
puzzle, a clock, a vase and many more. Those
objects are certainly going to fit well with the rest
of the products in the store,” says Halla Bogadóttir
the owner of Kraum. Kraum’s selection of design
products, range from small decorative ornaments
to practical clothing to full-sized furniture. In
between, one can find clothing, glasses, bowls,
hangers and many more objects,
that could beautifully decorate
one’s surroundings. “We have
objects made of fish skin,
which always amazes foreign
travellers and hangers that look
like whale teeth. Last but not
least, we have a notepad which
emulates the volcanic activity
of Hekla and Askja, where each
page of the notepad represents
a particular layer of ash or lava
with the year of the eruption
indicated,” says Halla, who adds
that even though the ash cloud of
Eyjafjallajökull has caused much
irritation and even destruction for the farms around
the glacier and their animals, volcanos keep being a
strong motive in Icelandic art as well as fascinating
phenomena of nature.
The oldest part of the house, closest to the street,
houses an exhibition room run by the city of
Reykjavik. In this space there are always some
exhibitions going on, the next one being from The
Reykjavik City Museum, which will exhibit the
British occupation of Iceland 10th of May 1939.
Together, Kraum and the exhibition space produce
a charming entity, which is interesting, both
pleasurable and satisfying to visit.
More information is available on www.kraum.is
The winners of Kraum‘s design competition, which was in
the spirit of the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson.