Ingegerd Råman for Örum 119

For Ingegerd Råman, the legendary Swedish glass and ceramics designer, breakfast is a simple affair consisting of nothing more than a glass of warm water followed by a cappuccino a few hours later. It’s a way of life that has translated into Råman’s latest collection. A five-piece porcelain tableware set made in collaboration with Örum 119, a boutique hotel in Löderup, Sweden. With the design finalised, the original models safely in Råman’s studio, and production on the range well underway, the tableware will be central to Örum 119’s breakfast service, where it will be used to help the hotel and its guests embrace the concept of långfrukost, or long breakfast. 

Featuring two cups, one small and one large, a saucer, a plate with a raised edge, and a small bowl, the sets will be available in black or white, Råman’s signature colours.  

And while there is symmetry to every piece in the set, every item has been designed to stand on its own; to be used as the user wishes it to be used. So, while the small cup can sit nicely on the accompanying saucer, the saucer can also be used as a plate.

“These five pieces, it’s very important to me that every piece can stand by itself,” says Råman, her eyes taking in every inch of detail. 

Between the designer’s patient and measured approach to life and art, and Örum 119’s focus on taking things slow, the collection was a natural synergy of simplicity. 

It also demanded a keen eye. Because after seeing a prototype of the set, something seemed a little off on the larger cup for Råman. The shape, as it turns out, was approximately 1 mm out of proportion when compared to her drawing of the piece. And so, a discussion was had and the larger cup was put into production in the exact manner visualised by Råman.

And while the untrained eye likely would not catch such details, they make all the difference, says the designer, whose career spans more than five decades and has led to her work being displayed in museums including The National Museum in Stockholm, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Stedelijk in Amsterdam. 

“It has to sing,” she says. “The proportions (have) to have the right rhythm.” Because those everyday items you use, “you both feel (them) and use (them). And your eyes see (them), too.” 

“It’s useful art,” she adds with a laugh.

Certainly, with Råman’s passion not just for every piece she creates, but for the impact it can have on everything around it, it made sense for the designer to work with Örum 119, such has been their focus in creating an indulgently slow and memorable breakfast experience that extends beyond the food itself. 

This summer, when the weather is warm and inviting, Råman, who has a house located a short drive from the hotel, will try out the long breakfast for herself, using the cups and plate and bowl created especially for the scene. 

And for the woman who has spent a lifetime making the ordinary extraordinary, what does she make of the everyday items she designs being worn down and, perhaps, chipped over time and repeated use? 

“I (hope) they (Örum 119) will do it as long as people want (it). It’s been a nice (process) and I am very happy to do this for them.” 

“(And) as long as people love the (sets) and use them, I don’t care. I’m just happy.”