While the rest of the world is busy debating whether beige is still a neutral, Iceland is out here making lamps from fish skin and wrapping entire buildings in highway road barriers. Honestly? Respect.
The 18th edition of DesignMarch - held in Reykjavik from May 6 to 10 - pulled together over 100 exhibitions spanning architecture, design, and fashion, and Dezeen was there to document the chaos. The beautiful, inspired, slightly unhinged chaos.
Why this matters (and it really does)
Iceland has always been the quietly weird cousin of the Scandinavian design world. Where Denmark gives you clean lines and tasteful minimalism, Iceland gives you volcanic landscapes, near-constant existential weather, and apparently, a very creative approach to materials you'd normally just throw away.
Fish skin as a lamp material sounds like a punchline, but it's actually a fascinating example of what happens when designers work with hyper-local resources and circular thinking. Iceland's fishing industry is enormous - using the byproducts in design objects isn't just quirky, it's genuinely smart sustainability.
Then there's the housing wrapped in road barriers, which sounds like a dystopian nightmare on paper but is probably some sharp commentary on infrastructure, urban space, or just what happens when an architect has a very good idea at 2am in December when the sun hasn't risen in weeks.
More than a design fair
What makes DesignMarch stand out from the endless parade of design weeks cluttering the global calendar is that it's not trying to be Milan. It's not chasing the luxury market or courting the same fifteen international brands everyone else is. It's doing something rarer - platforming a genuinely distinct creative identity rooted in a specific place and its specific weirdness.
With over 100 exhibitions across architecture, design, and fashion all crammed into five days, the event manages to feel both intimate and overwhelming in exactly the right proportions.
The takeaway
If you've been feeling like the design world has gotten a bit... samey, Iceland is here to remind you that there are still corners of creative culture where people are genuinely doing whatever they want - and it looks incredible.
Full highlights are available over at Dezeen, and they are worth your time. Consider this your sign to start planning a May trip to Reykjavik for next year's edition before everyone else figures out it's the coolest design event you've never been to.
