Dezeen has teamed up with Oak Publishing and Phaidon to give away five copies of The Red Thread: Nordic Design – a comprehensive look at objects designed "for a practical lifestyle" from Scandinavia and Finland.

The book showcases the diversity of past and present Nordic design through more than 200 objects, from furniture and homeware, to textiles and ornaments.

It contains 250 colour illustrations, and every object has its own full-page spread to allow readers to "truly appreciate the beauty of each item".

The book is organised into three chapters, Design to Improve Life, Design to Improve Spaces, and Design to Improve Relationships.

Featured designs include furniture from iconic figures like Arne Jacobsen and Verner Panton, as well as creations from contemporary designers like Ingegerd Råman and Andreas Engesvik. Similarly, historic brands like Marimekko sit alongside new companies like IKEA.

Notable additions include a washing-up bowl by Ole Jensen, which was designed to counteract the hardness and inflexibility of traditional sinks, and Alvar Aalto's Stool 60 for Artek, which became one of his bestselling designs.

The Red Thread is authored by independent Copenhagen-based publisher Oak Publishing, which also produces the biannual Oak – the Nordic Journal, "a celebration of inspiring talent and Nordic culture."

The book's title is a translation of the Swedish phrase "den röda tråden", which is a metaphor for the essence of a story or the starting point for an idea. This resulted in a clothbound book with red stitching across the cover.

The Red Thread is published by Phaidon and can be purchased online for £49.95. It is the latest addition to Phaidon's growing collection of international design surveys including Wa: The Essence of Japanese Design, and Sar: The Essence of Indian Design.