The Nordic countries are shrouded in cold and darkness for more than half the year. The year’s closing issue of RUM International honours this blackness and we embrace the melancholy mood of the season as a creative premise that defines and drives the Nordic soul. From the wistful solitude of artists like Vilhelm Hammershøi, inspired by the gulf between darkness and light, to modern filmmakers like Lars von Trier, renowned for his deeply dark dramas, Nordic Noir has become known beyond the borders of the northerly countries. But how is it reflected in our interiors and in our minds?