Raawii
Nicholai Wiig-Hansen
About The Designer
Nicholai Wiig-Hansen, born in Denmark, has forged a prolific career as a designer, marked by a profound curiosity and an innate drive to create. His artistic upbringing undoubtedly played a significant role in his path, as he is the son of accomplished ceramic artist and potter Leila Sallyman and world-renowned painter and sculptor Svend Wiig Hansen. Surrounded by art from an early age, Nicholai developed an intuitive understanding of form and expression.
He embarked on his design journey at a young age, establishing his own design studio in 1990 at just 26. Before this, he gained valuable experience as an industrial designer through an apprenticeship with Niels Gammelgaard and worked as a freelance designer for IKEA starting in 1989. His approach to design is often characterized by creating for himself or his close circle, believing that if he designs something he needs or desires, others likely will too. This personal connection to his work has led to the creation of archetypal products with a distinctive twist.
Throughout his career, Wiig-Hansen has focused on designs where proportions and colours are meticulously considered, and details are only incorporated if they serve a functional or aesthetic purpose. He draws inspiration from everything around him, including art, food, nature, and machinery. His work often seeks to imbue objects with the ability to affect the space around them, much like a work of art.
His portfolio boasts a diverse range of products, from chairs and tables to lamps and ceramics, for internationally renowned brands. Notable designs include the popular Jules desk chair and the PS Locker for IKEA, the Sintra table for Frama, the Night Owl lamp for Fritz Hansen and the Geo vacuum jug for Normann Copenhagen. He has also collaborated with brands such as Molteni and LondonArt.
In 2017, Nicholai Wiig-Hansen co-founded the Danish brand raawii with Bo Raahauge Rasmussen, where he serves as Artistic Director. This venture allowed him to take the lead in creating, making, and distributing products through his own brand, reflecting an independent approach to development and production. The Strøm Collection, a ceramic series with inspiration from early 20th-century Cubism, became a foundational part of raawii, paying homage to Danish modernist painter Vilhelm Lundstrøm. This collection, like others from raawii such as Pipeline, showcases his refined simplification of geometric shapes and colours into functional, sculptural everyday objects. The Thing Table, a collaborative product with George Sowden, further exemplifies raawii's independent spirit and focus on versatile, multi-use objects.
Nicholai Wiig-Hansen continues to challenge himself and inspire others, even teaching future designers at institutions like ECAL (École cantonale d'art de Lausanne) in Switzerland. His prolific career is a testament to his innate talent, dedication to clear and functional design, and his continuous exploration of how objects can enhance daily life and spark curiosity.
About The Product
The Strøm Bowl, a captivating creation by Danish design house raawii and conceived by the talented Nicholai Wiig-Hansen, is more than just a bowl, it's a vibrant sculptural object. Drawing inspiration from the Cubist art movement, the Strøm Bowl boasts a distinctive, geometric form that plays with light and shadow, making it a compelling focal point in any space.
Crafted from earthenware and finished with a rich, uniform glaze, each Strøm Bowl possesses a substantial and satisfying weight. Its bold, monochromatic colour palette, available in a range of captivating hues, allows it to stand alone as a piece of art or to beautifully complement your existing decor.
Perfect for showcasing fruit, holding cherished trinkets, or simply admired for its inherent beauty, the Strøm Bowl embodies a perfect balance of art and functionality. It’s a testament to raawii’s commitment to producing objects that are both aesthetically powerful and a joy to live with.