INGEGERD RÅMAN / It's Nothing But It's Still Something

by IKEA

In this book you will meet designer Ingegerd Råman, whose design is driven by joy, inquisitiveness and a forwardlooking spirit.

224 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully-made book that conforms to IKEA's high standards of aesthetically pleasing design, if you're not putting together anything of theirs. Bo Madestrand's writing is as quietly elegant as the home-based design he profiles here.

[Melanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If reading about how creative makers and imaginative dreamers think about and develop their artistic skills is your jam, then you'll also love this book about Swedish designer, glassmaker, potter, and all-around visionary Ingegerd Raman. The artist creates extraordinary everyday objects, such as plates, bowls for tea and food, serving dishes inspired by the ripples of the pond near one of her studios, et. al., for some of the top designers around the world, including IKEA. Includes many color and black-and-white photos covering Ingegerd Raman's studio, her homes, and her creations over the past few decades along with a few coordinating paragraphs about when she crafted each item, where, and what they mean to her and to those who use her creations. A maker since the 1960s, Raman's reflections about her work and her continual recreation as an artist into her 70s inspired me so much that I kept stopping to take notes and to think about my own creative process. Highly recommended if you like interviews with artists of various media as well as ideas for making the utilitarian beautiful and meaningful. A charming book I'm glad to have stumbled upon this week.

[MacKenzie Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both visually beautiful and insightful about the process and mind of Ingegerd Råman. It was especially inspiring as a designer — a reminder to find the useful and thoughtful parts of life and pare them down when creating. There is beauty in a glass that fits in your hand perfectly. There is light in a vase that is perfectly balanced.

[Barbette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ingegerd Råman is a goddess to me.

The photographs (as well as the format of the book) beautifully reflect the quiet and minimal aesthetic of Råman's designs and Sweden itself. The text would benefit from a similar paring down.