
Last spring, two friends with a shared passion for all things Nordic—film colorist Crystal Pei, who splits her time between Greenpoint and Reykjavik, and singer-songwriter Elliot Rayman, who fell in love with Scandinavia while on tour there—scouted the region for locally crafted design pieces, taking direction from a third friend, Oslo-based aesthete Rut Hermannsdóttir. Starting February 15, many of those finds, including colorful bunad-inspired wool blankets ($360) and deluxe snuggies made from Icelandic sheep’s wool ($475), will make their Stateside debut when the trio open Budin (114 Greenpoint Ave., nr. Franklin St., Greenpoint; 347-844-9639). The minimalist mecca is stocked with other Nordic goods like wood-and-ceramic teacups by Tonfisk of Finland (two for $55) and iconic Artek pendant lamps ($320). Up front, the much-hyped café will offer brews from Stockholm’s Drop Coffee and Oslo’s Tim Wendelboe.