Terrazzo floor at Persona
CategoriesInterior Design

Erik Bratsberg fills Persona restaurant with tactile materials

Terrazzo floor at Persona

Interior designer Erik Bratsberg has created unique artwork for the interior of the Persona restaurant in Stockholm, which also features asymmetrical terrazzo and patinated brass details.

Bratsberg, who worked in finance before moving into interior design, wanted the fine dining restaurant in Stockholm’s upmarket Östermalm neighbourhood to have a warm and welcoming feel.

Terrazzo floor at PersonaTerrazzo floor at Persona
Persona is located in Stockholm’s Östermalm area

“The inspiration is drawn from a mix of personal experiences, subconscious imprints from admired styles, particularly mid-century Italian design, and a desire to integrate a homely warmth into a hospitality environment,” he told Dezeen.

“The design philosophy centres around creating a timeless, inviting space that enhances the dining experience while maintaining a sense of personal touch and intimacy.”

Bar in Stockholm restaurantBar in Stockholm restaurant
Green tones feature throughout the interior

Green hues are used throughout Persona‘s 120-square-metre interior, complementing its cream-coloured walls and numerous wooden furniture pieces and panelling.

“Green is my go-to when I want to arouse a sense of calmness and comfort,” Bratsberg explained.

Soft white chairs in front of curtained windowSoft white chairs in front of curtained window
Designer Erik Bratsberg used furniture pieces with rounded and organic shapes

“It’s a tertiary colour, a mix of a cold and a warm colour, which allows it to go well with both warmer and colder hues and materials – a yin and yang of colours somehow,” he added.

“Green also brings the mind to nature and I guess my love for green relates to the joy of seeing the leaves back on the trees after a long Swedish winter.”

Wood-panelled wall in Östermalm restaurantWood-panelled wall in Östermalm restaurant
“Honey-tinted” oak shelving is filled with crockery and art

The restaurant, which feels more like a living room than an eatery in parts, also features plenty of natural materials such as stone and wood, which are interspersed with terrazzo and brass to create tactile interest.

This material mix was chosen to evoke a sense of “casual elegance”, Bratsberg said.

“For the floor I played around with the possibilities of terrazzo, using shades of green and warm greys and whites forming an asymmetrical pattern,” the designer explained.

Bratsberg clad the walls of the Persona restaurant in an off-white plaster with a mottled surface, designed to contrast the “silky honey-tinted oak” used for the wall shelving and tables.

“Patinated brass together with details in yellow ochre acts as an accent,” Bratsberg added. “Sheer curtains, patinated leather and textured textiles round it all off.”

Living-room like corner in Persona eateryLiving-room like corner in Persona eatery
Bratsberg created his own artworks for the restaurant

Custom-made abstract artworks also decorate the interior. Bratsberg made these himself from watercolour paintings that he had made, which were then screen-printed onto acoustic panels.

“In my multidisciplinary practice I strive to interrelate my art, design and interior work – why not make a lamp into sculpture, or a bar front as a painting, or a plain wall a relief?” Bratsberg said.

Jagged shapes decorate Stockholm restaurantJagged shapes decorate Stockholm restaurant
Cut-out geometric details add extra interest to the bar

Also notable in the interior is the variation of shapes, with the angular tables and counters contrasting against round and jagged lamps, cut-out geometric details and smaller tables made from organically shaped burl wood and stone.

“Perfectly straight lines and symmetry bring order and calmness for the eye, but never have I been particularly intrigued by squares and straight lines,” Bratsberg said.

“On the other hand, too much asymmetrical geometries and organic shapes can bring the feeling of disorder. But balancing the two – as with many opposites or contrasts – can create an interesting harmony,” he added.

Bathroom of Persona restaurantBathroom of Persona restaurant
The bathroom features undulating mirrors and a mix of different shapes

In the bathroom, undulating mirrors match a wavy sink and are juxtaposed against square wall niches and angled, jagged cut-out wall decorations.

“Forms, lines, colours and materiality speak to us in mysterious ways, but an interior without any sculptural form and asymmetries is like a language without exclamation marks, gestures or emotional expression to me,” Bratsberg concluded.

Other Stockholm restaurants with interesting interiors featured on Dezeen include an “unexpected” restaurant in a historic food hall and a decadent Italian restaurant located in a former cinema.

The photography is by Erik Lefvander.



Reference

Hem exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair
CategoriesSustainable News

Stockholm Furniture Fair exhibition stands designed to cut down on waste

Hem exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair

Is it possible to stage a trade fair without producing excessive waste? Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson explores eight approaches that were all on show at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair.

The trade show format is increasingly under scrutiny, with environmental concerns prompting many to reconsider the material cost of building large exhibition stands that are only used for a few days.

Stockholm Furniture Fair has pointed a way towards how trade fairs might become more eco-friendly. The majority of exhibitions and stands at this year’s edition of the fair were designed to reduce waste and promote circularity.

“A new layout to promote less construction”

Hanna Nova Beatrice, director of Stockholm Furniture Fair, said that numerous strategies were set out to reduce the carbon footprint of the fair.

“First and foremost, we updated the halls with a new layout to promote less construction,” she said.

Nova Beatrice and her team also drew up “very strict guidelines” that were applied to all of the in-house exhibitions, and worked closely with exhibiting brands to help them find more sustainable solutions.

“We had many discussions about how fairs can be more sustainable, promoting less construction and less waste, both within the organisation and with our exhibitors,” she explained.

Here’s a look at eight approaches that featured:


Hem exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture FairHem exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Photo is by Erik Lefvander

Create island stands without walls

The new fair layout made it possible for some brands to create “island stands” formed simply of a floor surface that could be easily repurposed or recycled.

Brands adopting this approach included Hem, whose stand was defined by bold chequerboard flooring. The result was a space that became a de facto public plaza.


Nola exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture FairNola exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Photo is by Sanna Lindberg

Use products to frame space

Swedish outdoor furniture brand Nola put its own spin on the island stand by making clever use of one of its new products, the Moiré pavilion by designer Mattias Rubin de Lima.

By installing two of these pergola structures, Nola was able to create a simple frame for its stand. This was accompanied by a floor formed of recycled bricks, making the space feel like a garden patio.


Pholc installation at Stockholm Furniture FairPholc installation at Stockholm Furniture Fair

Build an installation rather than a stand

The fair organisers encouraged some brands to find ways to exhibit using no construction at all. “Think Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, which used only tape to divide the different areas,” Nova Beatrice explained.

One of the most successful examples came from Pholc. The Swedish lighting brand worked with design agency Nineties to create a multilayered scenography out of stacked packing crates.


Lammhults exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture FairLammhults exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Photo is by Erik Lefvander

Creatively repurpose an old stand

Many Stockholm exhibitors chose to reuse a stand they had already used before, either for a previous edition of this fair or for one of the many others on the furniture design calendar.

One of the most simple and effective approaches came from Swedish furniture brand Lammhults, which reuses the same stand every year but simply paints it in a different colour. For this year, the cobalt blue of 2023 was replaced with a bold shade of red.

Other noteworthy examples included fellow Swedish brand Mitab, which opted for transparency. Its stand featured a counter that made clear how it had used the same stand for the last five years. “This is the same bar we used last year. And we will use next year,” read text printed on the front.


Minus Furniture exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture FairMinus Furniture exhibition stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Photo is by Felix Odell

Work with waste materials

Minus Furniture made its fair debut with a stand built entirely from recycled materials, in line with the Norwegian brand’s ambitiously eco-friendly business model.

Interiors studio Omhu went to great lengths to source everything. Together with a rented scaffolding system, the design included items sourced from construction sites, second-hand stores and municipal waste.

“Not every company wants to put in the work to think in this manner. It takes time and research to demonstrate and source supplies of a circular nature,” said Poppy Lawman, designer at Omhu.


Reading Room by FormafantasmaReading Room by Formafantasma
Photo is by Andy Liffner

Find a new home for everything

All of the fair’s own exhibitions were designed for circularity, which meant rehoming every component once the fair was over. The Reading Room installation by guest of honour Formafantasma was one of the best examples.

Both the fabric curtain that framed the space and the books displayed inside have been donated to design schools, while the Flos lighting has been gifted to a bookshop. The Artek furniture is meanwhile being sold by retailer Nordiska Galleriet as signed limited editions.


The Yellow Thread bar and stage by Färg & BlancheThe Yellow Thread bar and stage by Färg & Blanche
Photo is by Andy Liffner

Adapt an old design for a new purpose

The bar and stage installation by Stockholm-based Färg and Blanche was first created for Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which took place in the first six months of 2023.

The design duo adapted the components into a new configuration so that they could be reused here, along with flooring that manufacturer Tarkett plans to repurpose at its factory in Ronneby.


New Ventures area at Stockholm Furniture FairNew Ventures area at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Photo is by Andy Liffner

Keep things simple

Young brands exhibiting for the first time were invited to make use of ready-made booths designed by designer Nick Ross, rather than building their own.

This “nude edition” was built from recycled materials – an aluminium truss system created freestanding wall modules in untreated MDF – that are now being recycled again.

“The entire area can be disassembled and reused for other events,” explained Ross.

Reference

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
CategoriesInterior Design

Folkform installs The Museum of Masonite at Stockholm Furniture Fair

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair

Swedish design duo Folkform has presented a series of furniture pieces made using Masonite hardboard sourced from a factory that closed down over a decade ago.

On show at Stockholm Furniture Fair, The Museum of Masonite centres around a patented type of engineered wood board that is made by steam-cooking and pressure-moulding wood fibres.

Folkform founders Anna Holmquist and Chandra Ahlsell first started experimenting with this material 15 years ago, in collaboration with Sweden’s last remaining Masonite producer in Rundvik.

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture FairThe Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
The Museum of Masonite features furniture made from a patented type of wood board

When the factory closed in 2011, the pair took all the remaining stock.

“I felt a responsibility to tell the story of what happened to this material,” explained Holmquist, who has since completed a PHD exploring the cultural significance of Masonite.

“It created the Swedish welfare state in the 1930s, 40s and 50s,” she told Dezeen.

“It was made from leftover wood from the Swedish sawmills so it became bigger here than anywhere else. Everyone was using it, for everything from boats and caravans to houses.”

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture FairThe Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Works on show include the Masonite Chair, a collaboration with Åke Axelsson

The Museum of Masonite follows the release of the Production Novellas, a book published by Folkform detailing the results of Holmquist’s PHD research.

Folkform is showcasing this book alongside some of their favourite Masonite designs created over the years.

Works on display include the Masonite Chair, a 2021 collaboration with Åke Axelsson based on an experimental design the Swedish interior architect produced in 1978.

Older pieces include a chest of drawers and a bedside cabinet, both created in 2012, which feature different material samples arranged in geometric collages.

“We combined materials with different ages, with this idea that the furniture becomes an archive,” said Holmquist.

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture FairThe Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
The exhibition follows the release of the book Production Novellas

The most recent designs in the show explore a more minimalist approach, suggesting how the material can create the suggestion of solid blocks.

“I feel like the compositions will be never-ending because we still have more of this board,” added Holmquist.

The works are presented alongside photographs, illustrations and artefacts that tell the story of the factory.

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture FairThe Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
The exhibition includes photos from the factory. Image by Amy Frearson

Later in the year, the exhibition will move to the Laurel Museum of Art in Mississippi, the city where Masonite was patented in 1924 by William H Mason.

Masonite is distinct from other engineered wood fibre boards, such as MDF, because it is made without glue. Holmquist believes the material could have a future in manufacturing.

The Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture FairThe Museum of Masonite by Folkform at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Masonite is made from pressure-moulded wood fibres. Image by Amy Frearson

“It’s a beautiful material and it’s very sustainable,” she concluded.

“We are already seeing a shift in food, where people increasingly care where the things they eat come from, so maybe it will also happen for furniture and objects.”

At Stockholm Furniture Fair this year, visitors could also enjoy the Wekino With exhibition by South Korean furniture designers and British designer Faye Toogood’s collaboration with Finnish company Vaarnii.

The photography is by Erik Lefvander unless otherwise stated.

The Museum of Masonite is on show at Stockholm Furniture Fair, which is open to the public from 7 to 11 February 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for more Stockholm Dezeen Week exhibitions in our dedicated event guide.

Reference

Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2023
CategoriesInterior Design

Get listed in Dezeen’s digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2024

Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2023

If you’re hosting an event during Stockholm Design Week, you can get listed in Dezeen Events Guide’s digital guide, which highlights the key events taking place during the week.

Stockholm Design Week runs from 5 to 11 February 2024 and includes exhibitions, installations, talks, fairs and open showrooms.

One of the largest events taking place during the week is Stockholm Furniture Fair, which takes place from 6 to 10 February 2024, showcasing furniture, lighting, technology and textiles from over 150 brands.

The event welcomes designers, architects, journalists and purchasers, as well as design enthusiasts.

This year, Dezeen published digital guides to Stockholm Design Week, Milan design week, Salone del Mobile, NYCxDesign, 3 Days of Design, London Design Festival and Miami art week, contributing to Dezeen Events Guide’s success in generating 800,000 page views for the section.

Get listed in Dezeen’s digital Stockholm guide

Dezeen offers standard and enhanced listings in its Stockholm guide.

Standard listings cost £100 and include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event.

Enhanced listings cost £175 and include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing’s page and an image in the listing preview on the Dezeen Events Guide homepage. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.

For more information about partnering with us to help amplify your event, contact the team at [email protected].

About Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.

The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.

For more details on inclusion in the Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to Stockholm Design Week, email [email protected].

The illustration is by Rima Sabina Aouf.

Reference

Bedroom interior of Clermont Residence
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight quiet luxury interiors from Biarritz to Stockholm

Bedroom interior of Clermont Residence

Our latest lookbook focuses on quiet luxury and features projects including a French hotel and a Swedish Grace apartment that exemplify the trend for discrete, yet sumptuous interiors.

Classic, hardwearing materials and simple, neutral colour palettes characterise these eight quiet luxury interiors, which convey an elegant feeling without being over-the-top.

Gleaming marble decorates bathrooms and hallways, while polished wood and soft, tactile textiles add an exquisite touch to bedrooms and living rooms.

To create these quiet luxury interiors, designers have focused on the contrast and texture of different materials and added details such as sprigs of flowers and timeless designer furniture pieces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring airy loft conversions, kitchen islands with waterfall countertops and art-filled living rooms.


Bedroom interior of Clermont Residence
Photo is by Gokul Rao Kadam

Clermont residence, India, by FADD Studio

This multi-generational home in Bangalore, India, is a prime example of how the right material choice can make an apartment feel sophisticated without needing to splurge on many additional features.

Designer FADD Studio clad the bathroom in veiny marble for a striking effect, underlined by the contrast with the dark wood floor of one of the six bedrooms.

Find out more about Clermont residence ›


Dining room interior of Republique apartment by Hauvette & Madani
Photo is by Yannick Labrousse

Republique apartment, France, by Hauvette & Madani

While this Paris apartment has a striking wine-red kitchen, the rest of the colour palette was kept neutral, but clever material use has given it a decidedly upmarket feel.

In the dining room, chromed cantilevered dining chairs have been combined with a marble table. A lustrous herringbone parquet floor adds a natural feel, while a playful modern chandelier in smoke-coloured glass completes the interior.

Find out more about Republique apartment ›


Bathroom in Biarritz hotel
Photo is by Mr Tripper

Regina Experimental, France, by Dorothée Meilichzon

Located in a Belle Epoque-era hotel in the French seaside town of Biarritz, the Regina Experimental hotel has a number of luxurious touches.

In this bathroom, combining the colour of the doorframe and shelving with tiles in the same hue creates a coherent, stylish interior.

Fluted panelling at the top of the walls, classic porcelain sinks and shell-shaped soap holders add a nautical vibe.

Find out more about Regina Experimental ›


Interior of Stockholm apartment
Photo is courtesy of Note Design Studio

Habitat 100, Sweden, by Note Design Studio

A calm hallway with patterned marble floors welcomes visitors into Habitat 100 in Stockholm, which was designed to resemble the original interior of the 1920s apartment.

Note Design Studio also used greyed wood and stained oak to create a quietly luxurious feel inside the flat, which is located in a building built during the Swedish Grace era, a romantic, refined style movement.

Find out more about Habitat 100 ›


Wooden walls in Mayfair residence
Photo is by Felix Speller and Child Studio

Mayfair residence, UK, by Child Studio

The interior of this Mayfair house was informed by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s home and features a number of custom-made pieces.

These are combined with mid-century modern furniture, including a glassware cabinet and coffee table in dark, glossy wood. A marble side table and a brass wall sconce add more interesting material contrasts.

Find out more about Mayfair residence ›


Bedroom in Twentieth house by Woods and Dangaran
Photo is by Joe Fletcher

Twentieth House, US, by Woods + Dangaran

Twentieth House, a three-storey home in California, features a bedroom with a material mix that conveys a sense of restrained elegance.

Soft brown velvet seating along with a rug colour match the panelled wooden wall, creating a cohesive and relaxing interior. A modern chandelier adds a frivolous touch.

Find out more about Twentieth House ›


Dumbo loft with mezzanine
Photo is by Seth Caplan

Dumbo loft, US, by Crystal Sinclair Designs

Interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs renovated this loft apartment in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood (above and main image) to retain its industrial look while adding some “European flair”.

The result is a home that feels both cosy and elegant, with a practical mezzanine floor and stylish details, including a rough-hewn vase and a classic mushroom-shaped Artemide Nessino table lamp.

Find out more about Dumbo loft ›


Interiors of Fisherman's cottage
Photo is by Gavin Green

Fisherman’s Cottage, Australia, by Studio Prineas

This former fisherman’s cottage in Sydney was extended with a concrete tower. Inside the home, a mirrored bathroom feels both industrial and upmarket at the same time.

Veined green marble was used for the deep bath, while minimalist white sinks and chrome taps add a modernist touch.

Find out more about Fisherman’s Cottage ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring airy loft conversions, kitchen islands with waterfall countertops and art-filled living rooms.

Reference

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm
CategoriesArchitecture

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm

‘Fenced Maximalism’ stands on a coastal area of Sweden

 

Swedish architectural studio Byggfenomen takes over a domestic villa program congested inside a fence-like facade located in a coastal area of Stockholm. Standing on the eastern waterfront region of the capital, the residence is surrounded by weathered pine trees that divide the landscape plane into vertical strips while the low and harsh ground cover gradually transforms into naked bedrock towards the waterline, a typical disposition of seafront topography. Emerging from the dense vegetation, the wooden cladding enclosing the structure expands vertically fusing with the woodland and leaving specific external surfaces uncovered. The openings set up glass frames overlooking the scenery. Deviating from conventional villa-type structures spreading the program on the site, ‘Fenced Maximalism’ assembles all functions within the defined plan, namely the lawn, flowerbed, pond, gravel, breakfast terrace, evening terrace, conservatory, social space, guestroom, bedroom, bathroom, wine cellar, kitchen.

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm
all images by Henrik Nielsen

 

 

The layout spreads ten levels treated with specific materiality

 

To avoid the elimination of trees and plantation on the site, the plot condenses all indoor and outdoor functions inside a strictly defined plan forming a fence structure that applies wood cladding throughout the exterior. The double-skin facade blends with the surrounding nature allowing open views from specific parts where the hedge subsides and through the vertical slits of the sheltering formation. The project by Stockholm-based studio Byggfenomen distributes ten levels laying out each zone on the plan treated with specific materiality.

 

The planes overlap and connect in a spiral-like circulation and the intersections are emphasized in different ways to allow sensory negotiations between the environments. The different layers of the construction present convenient spaces and features, such as the ‘Bacchus’ temple that shapes a folding framework stored beneath the building cooling the wine naturally before it is elevated into the common dining area. Another sufficient element is the rainwater collector holding the water on one floor and draining it as a natural shower in the pond below.

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm
the wooden cladding enclosing the structure expands vertically merging with the woodland

wooden hedge facade enfolds villa on the coastline of stockholm
the double-skin facade allows light to pass through the vertical slits of the sheltering formation

Reference

Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2023
CategoriesInterior Design

Get listed in Dezeen’s digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2023

Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide for Stockholm Design Week 2023

Are you putting on an exhibition, talk or other event in Stockholm next month? Get your event listed in our digital guide to Stockholm Design Week on Dezeen Events Guide, which will highlight the key events taking place from 6 to 12 February 2023.

Stockholm Design Week hosts hundreds of events, including exhibitions, open showrooms, talks and parties, as well as the trade show Stockholm Furniture Fair.

Dezeen’s guide, which will be published a week ahead of the design week, will provide visitors with all the key information about the festival with listings for the must-see events.

The Stockholm Design Week guide follows on from the success of our digital guides to Milan design week and London Design Festival last year, which received over 60,000 page views combined. In total, Dezeen Events Guide received over 400,000 page views in 2022.

To be considered for inclusion in the guide, email [email protected]. Events will be selected by the Dezeen team to ensure that the best events are included.

Get listed in Dezeen’s digital Stockholm guide

Dezeen offers standard, enhanced and featured listings in its Stockholm guide.

Standard listing: For only £100, you can feature your event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event.

Enhanced listing: For £150, you can include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing’s page and an image in the listing preview on the Stockholm guide page. These listings can also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.

Featured listing: For £300, your listing will feature everything as part of an enhanced listing plus inclusion in the featured events carousel and accompanying posts on Dezeen Events Guide social media channels. These listings can also feature up to 150 words of text about the event and can include commercial information and additional links to website pages such as ticket sales, newsletter signups etc.

For more information about partnering with us to help amplify your event, contact the team at [email protected].

About Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen Events Guide lists events across the globe, which can be filtered by location and type.

Events taking place later in the year include Nomad St Moritz 2023, Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 and Design Shanghai 2023.

The illustration is by Rima Sabina Aouf.

Reference

White desks and chairs in white-walled room by Form Us With Love
CategoriesInterior Design

Form Us With Love designs perforated steel furniture for Stockholm studio

White desks and chairs in white-walled room by Form Us With Love

As part of Stockholm Design Week, Swedish design firm Form Us With Love has opened the doors to its new studio space featuring modular furniture informed by pegboard walls.

Perforated steel units are dotted throughout Form Us With Love‘s (FUWL) Stockholm studio, which is housed in a former travel agency.

White desks and chairs in white-walled room by Form Us With Love
Form Us With Love’s Stockholm studio has furniture made from perforated steel

“We’ve been dealing with this space for a good year and a half, and thinking about it for a good ten years,” FUWL co-founder John Löfgren told Dezeen.

“It’s definitely a place that is a catalyst for what we’re doing – and we’re doing quite a lot of different things, so we need a really flexible space and we need a mobile space,” he added. “We tried to be smart about how you store things and logistics in general, really being economical with each square metre.”

Floor-to-ceiling hangar doors in design studio by Form Us With Love
Large hangar doors can be used to divide the interior

The 200-square metre studio space, which was created in collaboration with architecture studio Förstberg Ling and branding studio Figur, was designed to suit the needs of the FUWL team.

Large floor-to-ceiling hangar doors hide an office area, workshop and kitchen while allowing the front of the studio to be sectioned off from the remainder of the space.

Wheeled cabinets on a wooden floor
The studio is showcasing material experiments on wheeled cabinets

This allows the area to be used as an exhibition space, where FUWL is displaying some of its ongoing projects during Stockholm Design Week.

Among these is a project that explores how toxic glass – a waste material from the glass industry – can be treated to separate the toxins from the glass.

Five low, wheeled cabinets made from perforated steel were used to display the projects.

Plastic containers showcased on steel cabinet
FUWL has created multiple different storage units

These are just some of the storage units and room dividers that FUWL has made for the studio, drawing on materials found in its own workshop.

“We have these boxes that were derived from the workshop, like ones you would have in the garage,” Löfgren said.

“We started wondering what would happen if we move these things out in the open,” he added. “It started off as dividers and walls, but add some wheels and all of a sudden we are in the open space.”

The studio is currently using the modular units as a material library, a tool wall and storage for personal and studio use, as well as experimenting with new functionalities.

Produced by Tunnplåt – a company that normally supplies lockers to schools, gyms and other public-sector interiors – the containers have a pattern of symmetrical holes.

White drawers in a metal cupboard that contain material samples by Form Us With Love
A material library is housed in their drawers

This was designed to make the reference to pegboard walls immediately recognisable.

“We definitely experimented with patterns,” Löfgren said. “We still wanted people to have a smile on their face like: I can see where it derives from.”

White wall with door that opens up to workshop by Form Us With Love
The pegboard-style furniture was informed by tool walls

Realising that the perforated steel units could be used to create a flexible interior was just a coincidence, Löfgren said.

“I think it’s definitely a tool that incorporates how we want to work in the interior,” he said. “And I think that’s just been a coincidence.”

“We were always looking for something that would help us have this kind of full flexibility, and still be able to do something both fun and functional,” he added.

Grey perforated steel storage cabinets
The studio was designed to be both practical and flexible

In the future, the studio said it might also create the units in other colours. For its own office, soft grey tones were chosen to aid concentration.

“We worked with tones of grey as a backdrop throughout the space to put focus on the creative processes taking place within,” architecture studio Förstberg Ling said.

Form Us With Love has previously launched products such as Forgo, a soap designed to minimise carbon emissions and an IKEA chair made from recycled wood.

The photography is by Jonas Lindström Studio.

Form Us With Love’s studio is open to the public between 5 September and 9 September 2022 as part of  Stockholm Design Week. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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