Many of us associate the term “Swedish Design” with minimal lines, blond wood, and absolute functionality. In other words, nice, but a little … boring.

That perception is about to change, however. Three new exhibitions in conjunction with New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair demonstrate that Sweden is emerging as a hotbed of daring and innovative furniture design.

“Right now is a very interesting moment in Swedish design,” said author and curator Bradley Quinn, whose exhibition “Designed in Sweden,” which opened yesterday at Felissimo Design House, showcases the latest work from contemporary Swedish talent. “The country is experiencing a design renaissance, which has blown the cobweb off the dusty ‘Scandinavian’ label that has cocooned Swedish design for decades.”

Mr. Quinn’s exhibit incorporates the work of more than 60 young Swedish furniture designers who are currently reinventing the Scandinavian modern legacy with warmth and humor. For example, design duo David Andersson & Martin Lasson has created a decorative and organic-looking barbecue, where the grill itself is made of a floral pattern in laser-cut steel.

Another emerging trend is the use of design as artistic expression. “Swedish design has a long history of emphasizing functionality,” Mr. Quinn said, “but now that tradition is taking a backseat. Many furniture designers have started to address concepts that would normally only be addressed in art.”

One of those designers is Kajsa Oberg, whose oak table, “Invited Home,” features cutout shapes of four table settings instead of a traditional tabletop. “I wanted to get away from the archetypal shape of a square table,” Ms. Oberg said, “so I let the ritual of a family dinner set the template for the design. I wanted to focus more on behavior than function.” “Designed in Sweden” is being shown on the top two floors of the five-story Felissimo Design House, as part of Felissimo’s annual “Wow! Design” exhibit.

Another Swedish design event this week showcasing the country’s playful and slightly experimental side was Design House Stockholm’s installation, “Design Box,” which was unveiled at the Park Avenue residence of the consul general of Sweden in New York, Kjell Anneling, yesterday in a “one-day exhibition.” The event celebrated the American launch of Design House Stockholm’s new products, which will be sold at MoMA Design Store, Scandinavia House, Crate & Barrel, and the Conran Shop.

The exhibition, by Swedish curator Synnove Mork, took the concept of “thinking outside the box” quite literally. The objects were artfully presented on the floor on top of what looked like a giant gift box that had just burst open at the seams. “I wanted to make something that would show more than just objects,” Ms. Mork said. “I wanted to create a context that expressed humor and esprit, something that moves the viewer. I also thought that idea was indicative of what is happening in Swedish design right now.”

While Design House Stockholm’s products are firmly functional, they feature both whimsical and cutting-edge concepts. For example, Nanni Holen’s laser-cut metal coat hanger looks like a cartoonish silhouette of a giant comb, but is both practical and easy to integrate into the average modern home. The company is a producer of contemporary Swedish design, whose designer relationships and manufacturing methods are modeled after that of a literary publishing house (objects even come with a black-and-white portrait of its creator and a quote describing the meaning behind the design). Working on a long-term basis with a mix of Sweden’s best-known talents and freshly graduated students, Design House Stockholm produces its own exclusive range of design products that are sold in prominent shops all over the world.

As contemporary Swedish design continues to gain international recognition, it only seems fitting that the country’s manufacturers are looking to expand their distribution. Hence, 12 leading companies will join forces at the ICFF showcase “Swedish by Design” this weekend to display their most exciting products in a striking setting. Besides presenting innovative new designs from well-known manufacturers such as Swedese, David Design, Orrefors, Kosta Boda, and Scandinavia form, the exhibition booth itself will feature flooring by Pergo and a design concept commissioned by Bradley Quinn (working double duty as the project’s creative director in addition to his role as curator of “Designed in Sweden”) from Toshiko Mori and select graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. This is the first time Swedish manufacturers are making a consolidated effort at ICFF, which could mean that the Swedes are ready to dust off that old “Scandinavia modern” label and show the world a new Nordic era of fresh and fun loving furniture.

“Swedish by Design” at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, May 14 to 16 (trade only), May 17 (trade and general public), Booth 1048, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 W. 34th St., 800-272-7469, www.icff.com.

“Designed in Sweden,” through June 4 at Felissimo Design House, 10 W. 56th St., 800-565-6785, www.felissimo.com.