Aëdele VK1 Classic Edition headphones at Austere, Los Angeles.

Excerpts from the journal artist Brian Rea wrote in while he was traveling in Sweden adorn the storefront's glass.

Austere is retail, showroom, and event space celebrating Scandinavian design in Downtown Los Angeles.

Louis Poulsen's PH Artichoke Lamp hangs above a platform decked out with Quistgaard candlesticks and an ice bucket, Aalto stools, and a wine rack by Nissen Langaa Denmark. The pink stool by Marie-Louise Hellgren is made from upcycled textile waste from airbag production.

A wooden mold for an Aalto vase.

Lots of Scandinavian design goodness happening at the @theaustereco booth. #DODLA

In Downtown Los Angeles, Fredrik Carlström has curated a well-rounded collection of Scandinavian design at his concept shop Austere. "I imagined the physical space like if a lifestyle magazine with all my favorite things came to life," he says.

Books and vintage magazines atop a Poul Kjærholm coffee table by Fritz Hansen. The piece in the background is a PK80 daybed.

Fredrik Carlström, center, the owner of Austere, will host the Nordic Food Festival L.A. style.

What’s your go-to host gift? My new favorite is a leather apron from Böle Tannery. Few things age more beautifully than a great piece of leather. Leather apron from Böle Tannery, from $324.

What’s the best wedding present you’ve given or received? We got a ton of Iittala Essence wineglasses, which are getting a lot of use. Essence glasses by Alfredo Häberli for Iittala, set of two, $40.

Los Angeles purveyor of Scandinavian wares Austere created a lounge equipped with Alvar Aalto's classic Artek stools.

@dwellmagazine: A lounge filled with Scandinavian wares from @theaustereco at #DODNY

What’s your favorite kind of towel? Matouk. I also am a fan of the style of Scandinavian kitchen towel with simple blue or red stripes. I often use them as napkins at our country house in Wainscott, New York. They fit right in with the countryside aesthetic of Long Island’s East End. Bath towels from Matouk, $33.

Onstage, Fredrik Carlström, founder of Austere, a retail and educational space dedicated to Scandinavian design in downtown L.A., will discuss the under-celebrated masters of Norway. Louis Poulsen's PH Artichoke Lamp hangs inside the store.

Strategic Changes Make a Big Impression: Learn the key moves to create a big impact.

"In Rock Chair by Fredrik Färg, four pieces are together to become a low-level rocking chair that is really comfortable. Fredrik become the designer of the year in Sweden last year," says Färdig.

What is the best design book to give as a gift? Recently, Modern Swedish Design: Three Founding Texts. It’s the first English translation of three texts by pioneers of Swedish design that have been extraordinarily influential on international architecture and interior furnishings since the early 20th century. Modern Swedish Design: Three Founding Texts, edited by Lucy Creagh, Helena Kåberg, and Barbara Miller Lane (MoMA Publications, 2008), $35.

What is your everyday bedding? We rotate among Frette, Pratesi, and Yves Delorme. Flat sheets from Yves Delorme, starting at $250.

Pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable, and discover which of our four-legged friends auctioneer Richard Wright picks to do your bidding.

San Francisco–based contractor Clayton Hubbard brushes up on eco-friendly interior house paints and gives us the stroke-by-stroke on flow and coat coverage in various shades of green.

Farming Cuba: Biopesticide Expert This biopesticide expert, working at a cooperative farm in Havana, combats pests with artisanal pesticides made on site. Photo provided by Carey Clouse

Kryss-Stolen Chair by Fredrik Kayser Photo by Blomqvist for Norwegian Icons

The drafting room is austere, though well lit and full of impressive joinery. Photo by: Balthazar Korab

For his RE:Cover series, Swedish designer Fredrik Färg gives salvaged chairs a new lease on life with the help of sculptured, moldable felt.

The second annual Nordic Food Festival took place last month at several locations in New York, and included a beer dinner with complementary fare.

Austere is a retailer of Teenage Engineering's recently-reintroduced OD-11 speaker. First introduced in 1974, the OD-11 retains its minimalist styling but is updated to play cloud-based music.

Austere in downtown Los Angeles will serve as the forum for the pop-up NORTH Nordic Food Festival.

Architect Fredrik Nilsson and author Keshni Kashyap blend Scandinavian modernism with a measure of Indian style to create a thoroughly L.A. home.

The New York NORTH Nordic Food Festival featured a dessert and coffee tasting.

A Denmark Dinner was part of the New York festival; Scandinavian design was integral to the overall experience.

Gift Sets by Aesop, $60–$110 from aesop.comWhen it comes to grooming, no other company has as comprehensive a commitment to good design. Take for instance Aesop's architecturally savvy retail environments and impeccable packaging. This year, the Australian brand channeled the look of Italian Futurists for its seasonal gift sets. Four different groupings range from lip and body care to a geranium-scented trio to a quartet of the company's best-selling items. While the line is unisex, the Intensity trio of body cleanser, post-shave lotion, and deodorant is geared specifically toward men. Reliable sources tell us that the potent botanicals in the deodorant will leave you smelling like you've rolled around in the Australian bush (in a good way).

This show highlights wares from 2,400 companies hailing from 19 countries and regions, focusing on apparel, food, and home merchandise. Over 200,000 attendees, comprised of buyers from all over the world, will filter through Tokyo Big Sight over the course of three days.

Avoid unwanted surprises and dodge disappointment by following these six easy tips for buying furniture online.

Onstage, green lifestyle expert and media personality Danny Seo will speak about sourcing American kitchen products, and preview the kitchen renovation inside his 1950s rural Pennsylvania home, to be featured in the July/August issue of Dwell. Photo by David Englehardt.