Nordlys Story
Is a Nordic lifestyle brand, driven by enthusiasts.
We take our inspiration from the Nordic cultural heritage and mix it with a modern Nordic design language.
The company is family-owned and run by Tone & Elias. Both are passionate about design, tradition and sustainability.
We want to have fun in life and at the same time feel that what we live on gives something positive back to the world. For our customers, for our craftsmen and by extension for everyone else. We are proud of what we do and hope you will appreciate it just as much.
With craftsmanship and people in focus, environmental sustainability becomes a natural part of the process. Old days
artisanal production methods in combination with today's environmental awareness create the conditions for sustainable production.
Several ships sail under the flag of the Northern Lights. We do not just work with designing and selling beautiful things. But every year we carry out several exciting projects where we work as organizers and project managers. In addition, we work close to several museums, recreate grave finds and produce special orders through our extensive network of craftsmen.
We have super fun and hope you want to join us on our voyage through Nordly's own fairy tale.
Tone
already as a child Tone showed great interest in both design, architecture and crafts. Perhaps partly as a natural consequence of growing up in a creative family filled with art lovers and builders. Several trips around Europe, broadened the views early and contributed with a variety of impressions. This culminated in a Bachelor in Industrial Design from Lund University in 2022, when Tone had already worked with design through Nordlys for several years.
Tone wants to reach out to people and improve their lives with their design. Those who work in our production are especially important, their work should be safe and give them joy. But she says she is very happy if someone acquires an object she has designed and that object evokes an emotional bond.
Elias Story
grew up in Västerås and on Bornholm in Denmark. The family's great interest in nature led to many experiences with fishing, gardening and animals. It shaped him early on and gave him a big heart for everything that grows and lives. Being in touch with nature is still important for inspiration and recovery.
Uncle and Aunt went to Asia when Elias was growing up
long journeys during the winters. What they brought home was jewellery, textiles and handicrafts which were sold at markets during the summer months. Hearing the stories and experiencing exotic scents and colors created a sense of adventure already at a young age.
During the teenage years, live role playing was big in the group of friends, but then there were basically no sellers of costume accessories and
equipment. With his creativity and craftsmanship, Elias himself began to manufacture everything from latex masks to full suits and soft weapons. The other young people
wanted his creations and so Elias started selling his handiwork at only 16 years old. Over time, the know-how developed and also the interest in historical craftsmanship and our cultural heritage in the form of the Nordic sense of form and design. As inspired all over the world for over 1000 years.
Elias' empathy for other people, animals and nature is beyond the ordinary and has always shaped his life choices and path through entrepreneurship. A telling example is when he convinced an Indian producer of the importance of a good working environment. Above all, that his workers would not inhale polishing dust all day. The understanding of the impact of the work environment on health was minimal. The manufacturer could see that the workers did not stay more than a few years. But could not understand the connection with the work environment. Elias did not give up and in the end an extraction plant was built. Elias helped with planning, purchasing and financing.
Appreciating and supporting craftsmanship is also one
important life work. Enabling people to continue a living craft tradition, with all that it entails of inherited knowledge and tradition, is a matter of the heart. Many poorer countries are rapidly losing their craftsmen to modern industrial work. Where tradition and skill are lost, just as it also happened in Europe during the industrial revolution. Active work that raises the status, living conditions and wages of these craftsmen is extremely important, he believes, now and for future generations.