Erik Bratsberg fills Persona restaurant with tactile materials
CategoriesInterior Design

Erik Bratsberg fills Persona restaurant with tactile materials

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

First full-height timber wind turbine opens in Sweden
CategoriesArchitecture

First full-height timber wind turbine opens in Sweden

The world’s first full-scale timber wind turbine has started turning in Sweden, with a tower built by wood technology company Modvion.

The 105-metre-tall tower, located in the region of Skara, is Modvion‘s first commercial wind turbine tower, and follows on from a smaller 30-metre-high demonstration project the company completed in 2020.

While its rotor blades and generator hub are made of conventional materials, the tower is made of laminated veneer lumber (LVL), a type of engineered wood made of thin veneer strips glued together and often used for beams and load-bearing building structures.

Portrait photograph of a tall wind turbine against a bright blue skyPortrait photograph of a tall wind turbine against a bright blue sky
The tower of a wind turbine in Skara is made of engineered wood

The company says that this type of wood is not only strong enough to withstand the forces of a turning turbine, it is much more environmentally sustainable to build with than the currently used steel.

While wind power plays an important role in providing the world with green renewable energy, there are still ample carbon emissions created during their construction — in part because of the steel towers.

Modvion describes its wood towers as reducing the carbon emissions from wind turbine construction by over 100 per cent, due to the combination of a less emissions-heavy production process and the carbon storage provided by trees.

“Our towers, just in the production of them, they emit 90 per cent less than a steel tower that will do carry the same work,” Modvion chief financial officer Maria-Lina Hedlund told Dezeen. “And then if you add the carbon sequestration, then you actually end up with a minus — so a carbon sink. This is great if we want to reach net zero energy production, and we need to.”

Photo of the inside of a large timber cylinder, with a ladder going up the middlePhoto of the inside of a large timber cylinder, with a ladder going up the middle
The type of wood used is laminated veneer lumber

Hedlund, who is also an engineer, describes LVL as having a construction “similar to carbon fibre”, with strips of veneer just three millimetres thick sandwiched and glued together, giving it a high strength-to-weight ratio.

This lightness is a benefit, reducing the amount of material needed overall. With a heavy material, there is a “bad design spiral”, says Hedlund, as the weight of the tower itself adds to the load that it needs to carry.

And while some LVL has all their veneer strips facing in the same direction, Modvion uses its “own recipe” specifying the directions of the fibres, improving the material’s performance even more.

Photo of three people in work gear on top of an incomplete wooden towerPhoto of three people in work gear on top of an incomplete wooden tower
The turbine tower is the tallest so far built by Swedish company Modvion. Photo by Paul Wennerholm

The production process involves timber boards being made to order in a standard LVL plant and then delivered to Modvion’s factory. There, they are glued together into larger modules and bent into a rounded form in a step called lamination, and then very precisely machined to fine-tune the shape.

“In the wood industry, you usually see centimetre tolerances, while we are in the sub-millimetre scale,” said Hedlund.

The modular nature of LVL construction addresses another problem Modvion has observed with steel: that with turbines getting ever bigger to give more power, it’s becoming impossible to transport steel towers to site.

They are built as essentially large cylinders and transported by truck, but the base diameter desired for the tallest towers is getting to be taller than some bridges and roads can allow.

Photo of a giant module of curved laminated veneer lumber being engineered in a factoryPhoto of a giant module of curved laminated veneer lumber being engineered in a factory
The timber is laminated into modules at Modvion’s factory

“We’re now reaching a point where they will not get through anymore,” said Hedlund. “So we will see a transition in the wind power industry to modular construction, because this is the way to get them there. And one of the big advantages of building in the material we do is that it’s naturally built modular.”

While steel could also be built modular, it would require bolts rather than glue to join it together on site, which Hedlund says is a disadvantage.

“Bolts are not very nice when you have so much dynamic loading, because it will loosen over time,” she said. “So first of all, you have to have to put them in place which is a lot of work, and then you have to also service them over the lifetime.”

Photo of a worksite with a man in hi-vis operating machinery in the foreground and a large curved module being lowered into place in front of himPhoto of a worksite with a man in hi-vis operating machinery in the foreground and a large curved module being lowered into place in front of him
The modules were assembled and glued together on site

The Skara turbine has a capacity of two megawatts, which represents the maximum power output the turbine can achieve under ideal conditions. This is a bit lower than the average capacity for new turbines built in Europe.

On the outside, the tower has a thick white coating that makes it look similar to steel, and it’s rotor blades and generator hub, which are not supplied by Modvion, are made of conventional materials like fibreglass. This may change in the future, however, with another company, Voodin Blades, working on the technology for wooden blades.

Modvion was founded in 2016 by university peers David Olivegren and Otto Lundman. While its current focus is wind turbines, it is dedicated to wooden technology more broadly, and Hedlund told Dezeen that the team believes it has “the world’s strongest joint for timber construction”, which could also be put to other uses.

Another recent milestone for wind power came in the form of a wind-powered cargo ship, which had been retrofitted with two 37.5-metre-tall sails.

Reference

Bentley curates Scandinavian architecture and design travel experience
CategoriesInterior Design

Bentley curates Scandinavian architecture and design travel experience

Promotion: in 2023 Bentley Motors launched an architecture and design-centred travel experience around Scandinavia, with highlights that included a stay at Wingårdhs’ forest hotel in Sweden and a tour of BIG’s studio in Copenhagen.

The Extraordinary Journey Scandinavia tour was one of a series of curated travel experiences presented by Bentley in 2023, offering the opportunity to explore attractive destinations from behind the wheel of its luxury cars.

The five-day, four-night tour started in Stockholm, where guests were collected from the airport in a chauffeured Bentley and taken to their first night’s stay in the world-renowned Ett Hem hotel.

Photograph of a sitting room at the Ett Hem hotel in StockholmPhotograph of a sitting room at the Ett Hem hotel in Stockholm
The first night’s stay was at Stockholm’s Ett Hem hotel

With interiors created by designer Ilse Crawford, the hotel is known for merging luxury with a feeling of home, with spaces that encourage guests to relax and mingle as if at a manor house.

The hotel hosted a welcome reception, dinner in the library and a nightcap for the small party of guests on day one to get to know each other.

On day two, attendees took the wheel of one of several Bentley models on offer and began the journey south through Sweden’s forests, with Scandinavia’s finest architecture and design destinations guiding the way forward.

For lunch on day two, attendees stopped at NaturehouseFor lunch on day two, attendees stopped at Naturehouse
For lunch on day two, attendees stopped at Naturehouse

For lunch, the tour stopped at Naturehouse, a sustainability-focused lakeside spa by Tailor Made Arkitekter that merges the forms of a barn and a greenhouse, before continuing to reach the Trakt Forest Hotel in Småland in the afternoon.

Designed by Wingårdh architecture studio, the hotel features just five suites that are raised high into the treetops on stilts, giving guests the chance to feel immersed in nature.

The suites are “a true representation of Bentley’s design values of sustainability, materiality, and innovation” said the brand, and guests had the opportunity to relax in the sauna or hot tub before joining the hotel owners Sandra and Mattias Sälleteg at a drinks reception.

The evening also included dinner in a forest near the hotel, which was made by Michelin star chef Niklas Ekstedt and celebrated natural ingredients coming together “to create something greater than the sum of its parts”.

Photo of Wanås Hotel and Sculpture ParkPhoto of Wanås Hotel and Sculpture Park
Lunch on day three took place at Wanås Hotel and Sculpture Park

Day three saw the group continue the drive south through Sweden’s forests and stop for lunch at Wanås Hotel and Sculpture Park, built around two converted stone barns with interiors by Kristina Wachtmeister.

They then drove on through Malmö and across the Öresund Bridge, the longest bridge in Europe, connecting Sweden and Denmark, before switching to chauffeured transport once again for the final stretch of the journey to Copenhagen.

With accommodation at the Nimb Hotel in Tivoli Gardens, guests had ample opportunity to explore Copenhagen, including dinner at a world-renowned Nordic restaurant and then a city tour hosted by the Danish Architecture Centre.

Photo of a big group of people having lunch and sharing a toast at BIG's studioPhoto of a big group of people having lunch and sharing a toast at BIG's studio
Day four included a tour and lunch at Bjarke Ingels Group’s studio

There was also a tour of Bjarke Ingels Group’s studio, hosted by a member of the team who gave insights into their creative practice. Lunch was also held within “the beating heart” of the office.

Bentley‘s Extraordinary Journey continues in the UK in 2024 with a programme where attendees will experience a scenic route starting at Crewe, the home of Bentley Motors, to The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. The UK programme runs from 19 to 22 August and 2 to 5 September.

For more information and to register interest, visit the Bentley website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Bentley as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Reference

Eight immersive saunas in peaceful settings from Sweden to Canada
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight immersive saunas in peaceful settings from Sweden to Canada

A floating sauna and a cavernous coastal grotto feature in our latest lookbook, which collects eight sauna interiors that provide a warming antidote to colder months.

Usually contained within a single room, a sauna is a sealed place where visitors experience dry or wet heat produced through a variety of mechanisms that are designed to clean and refresh the body – a ritual that is reported to date back to as early as 4000 BC.

Saunas are typically made of wood due to the material’s ability to absorb heat but remain cool to the touch. The following projects demonstrate how architects and designers have interpreted this longstanding practice in contemporary settings.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cosy living rooms, retro eateries and dining rooms with built-in seating.


Sauna in Sweden
Photo is by Filip Gränström

Big Branzino, Sweden, by Sandellsandberg 

The Big Branzino is a floating sauna by Swedish studio Sandellsandberg that was topped with a distinctive bow-shaped roof.

Designed to drift against the shifting backdrop of the Stockholm archipelago, the sauna features a red cedar-clad interior including a bespoke stove flanked by two-tiered seating.

Find out more about Big Branzino ›


Grotto sauna by Partisanas
Photo is courtesy of Partisans

Grotto, Canada, by Partisans

Canadian studio Partisans designed a cavernous cedar interior for a private burnt-timber sauna that was created to emulate a seaside grotto.

Situated on a craggy spot on the shore of Lake Huron, north of Toronto, the structure features skewed porthole windows and a curvy alternative to traditional geometric stepped sauna seating.

Find out more about Grotto ›


The Bands sauna
Photo is by Jonas Aarre Sommarset

The Bands, Norway, by Oslo School of Architecture and Design students

A trio of staggered timber bands forms this student-designed sauna, which also functions as a picnic terrace and has a sunken hot tub on its exterior.

The building has three different gabled roof profiles, as well as glass and translucent polycarbonate plastic windows that illuminate the larch-clad interior.

Find out more about The Bands ›


Haeckels-designed sauna in Margate
Photo is courtesy of Haeckels

Sauna, UK, by Haeckels

Skincare brand Haeckels took cues from traditional Victorian bathing machines – wooden carts that provided privacy for people to change clothes at the seaside – when creating this sauna on the beach of southeast England’s Margate.

The brand used materials that were as close as possible to those that would have been used to design original bathing machines. A wood-burning stove features inside, while timber benches provide seating with a sea view framed by an external wax-cloth awning.

Find out more about this sauna ›


Tullin Sauna by Studio Puisto
Photo is Riikka Kantinkoski

Tullin, Finland, by Studio Puisto

Finnish practice Studio Puisto paid tribute to the concept of the late nineteenth-century korttelisauna, or neighbourhood sauna, when designing this communal complex in the city of Tampere.

Throughout the complex, the interior is characterised by rough concrete finishes layered with warm local pine – a material used in saunas all over Finland.

Find out more about Tullin ›


Löyly sauna
Photo is by Noé Cotter

Löyly, Switzerland, by Trolle Rudebeck Haar

Designer Trolle Rudebeck Haar built a prefabricated floating sauna on Lake Geneva while studying at the Lausanne University of Art and Design.

Created to explore the concept of micro-architecture, Löyly spans 2.2 square metres and features a Japanese sliding door – known as a shōji – made from ribbed translucent glass.

Find out more about Löyly ›


Timber-lined sauna interior in Gothenburg, Sweden
Photo is by Raumlabor

Gothenburg Public Sauna, Sweden, by Raumlabor

German studio Raumlabor worked with local residents in Gothenburg to design this public sauna, which is raised over the water in the Swedish city’s Frihamnen port and accessed via a wooden bridge.

Thin larch strips line the interior and create texture across the curved and angular surfaces of the ceiling and walls.

Find out more about Gothenburg Public Sauna ›


A black timber sauna
Photo is by Riikka Kantinkoski

Saunaravintola Kiulu, Findland, by Studio Puisto

Studio Puisto designed the Saunaravintola Kiulu wellness centre to combine a duo of saunas and a restaurant.

Characterised by dark wood cladding and red epoxy flooring, the smaller of the two saunas is contained within its own independent timber cabin.

Find out more about Saunaravintola Kiulu ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cosy living rooms, retro eateries and dining rooms with built-in seating.

Reference

fria folket organizes house in sweden around an extensive library
CategoriesArchitecture

fria folket organizes house in sweden around an extensive library

Library House by Fria Folket

 

Architectural studio Fria Folket has designed ‘Library House’ for a ceramist and a lawyer with an extensive book collection. Located on the edge of a sparse pine forest by Lake Voxsjoen in Sweden, the building is organized around a library that frames a small courtyard and is designed to provide spaces for comfortable living, working, and creative activities.

‘Having different needs and rhythms and at the same time enjoying each other’s company and presence – the couple wanted a house where they could find peace to work individually without entirely screening each other off.’ lead architect Hanna Michelson explains. 

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
the building is organized around a library that frames a small courtyard | all images courtesy of Fria Folket

 

 

a library that acts as the heart and bloodstream of the project

 

In response to the couple’s wishes, Fria Folket (find more here) composed a house with a centrally located library in the form of a book gallery. The north, east and west facades are closed off from the surroundings with a few carefully selected views, while the south side opens onto the lake.

 

Four gabled buildings complement the central library, each solving its own specific part of the program in accordance with the adjacent area. The east building houses the cooking and gardening areas, while the south building serves as the arts and crafts area. The western building covers law, science, and music, and the northern building houses the areas for rest and recreation, meditation, and self-development. By linking the volumes together – both thematically and systematically – the library acts as the heart and bloodstream of the project.

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
the small courtyard in the heart of the residence

 

 

following the course of the sun

 

The four houses are arranged in the order of the sun’s course, with the beginning point of the house, that is, the entrance, coinciding with the beginning point of the day in the east. Moving through the house, the sun finally rests in the north, just like the house.

 

The degree of privacy follows the same loop. From the most social rooms, hallway and kitchen, to the most private rooms at the end of the circle. The clockwise movement is encouraged by the arrangement of the windows, which give a view of the surroundings when you walk clockwise, while counterclockwise you see the closed bookshelf walls. Four doors, one in each corner of the book gallery, provide access to the courtyard from all parts of the house, making it easy to move between inside and outside.

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
four gabled buildings complement the central library, each solving its own specific part of the program

 

 

simple materials complement the library’s broad color spectrum

 

 

The strong square boundary provided by the bookshelves and the transparency of the glazed enclosure of the courtyard reinforce the impression that the library transcends the climate envelope, making the courtyard an open-air reading space – A space defined by its purpose rather than its physical boundaries.

 

Given the library’s broad color spectrum, the interior materials are spare and simple. From the blonde palette of white, whitewashed pine and natural pine, the ceramic tile floor stands out with its warm brick-red color. In the pursuit of sustainability, the home was adapted to the family’s existing furniture to reduce the need for new purchases and replacements. For example, the iconic Ikea ‘Billy’ bookshelf played a key role in determining the dimensions of the home, as it houses the existing library.

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
the four houses are arranged in the order of the sun’s course

 

 

 

To reduce the ecological footprint, the walls and roofs were built without plastic and insulated with flax fiber, as is common in the area. The facade is clad in untreated pine from a local sawmill, and the concrete-free foam glass foundation was made from recycled glass.

 

Rainwater from the roof is collected in an underground tank that supplies water to the greenhouse. Following old Nordic building traditions, one of the studios was constructed in such a way that it can be separated from the rest of the house in terms of heating. This provides the opportunity to downsize the house when the temperature drops. A certain rhythm permeates the house, as the grid of the structure is reflected in the load-bearing glass partitions, which were made by a local window carpentry store. ‘Like bar lines in a sheet of music, the mullions divide the bookshelves like beats in a bar.’ the architects share.

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
given the library’s broad color spectrum, the interior materials are spare and simple

emerging from a swedish forest, fria folket's house is organized around an extensive library
glass openings connect the interior to the courtyard which serves as an open-air reading space

Reference

Global Innovation Spotlight: Sweden – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Global Innovation Spotlight: Sweden – Springwise

Reflecting our global Springwise readership, we explore the innovation landscape and freshest thinking from a new country each week. This week we are heading to Sweden…

Sweden Innovation Profile

Global Innovation Index ranking: 3rd

Climate targets: Zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045

Sustainability issues

Baltic sea pollution – The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. And a recent study has found that wastewater discharged from ships’ scrubbers (systems for treating exhaust gases) accounts for a significant proportion of carcinogenic chemical emissions. In response, the country is considering a ban of open loop scrubbers in its waters.

Impact of mining – In February 2022, the UN warned Swedish authorities not to issue a licence for an iron-ore mine in the country’s Gállok region. The organisation argued that the development would lead to large quantities of toxic waste that would impact eco-systems linked to the reindeer migration. The licence, which was ultimately granted, has also been criticised by the World Wildlife Fund.

Forestry practices – Sweden is the world’s third largest exporter of pulp, paper, and sawn wood products. The country is known for its sustainable forestry practices and its forests have actually doubled in size over the past 100 years. Nonetheless, many argue that Sweden’s model of replacing old-growth forests with monocultures is bad for biodiversity.

Sector specialisms

– Fintech

– Gaming

– Music Tech

Source: Startup Universal

Photo source Cling Systems

A SMART TRADING PLATFORM FOR WASTE EV BATTERIES

According to the IEA, the number of electric cars on the world’s roads by the end of 2021 was about 16.5 million, triple the amount in 2018. While this may seem like great news for the environment, it is not all positive. That is because the current recycling rate for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is extremely low, with some estimates putting it at just five per cent. For electric mobility to represent a truly sustainable solution, this needs to change, and Stockholm-based Cling Systems is one of the organisations working on a solution. The company has developed a platform that connects vehicle manufacturers and buyers of end-of-life batteries to vehicle scrap yards and dismantlers. Read more

Photo source Cellfion

BIO-BASED MEMBRANES FOR ENERGY STORAGE

While the transition to renewable energy is picking up pace all the time, there are still several technological challenges facing those looking to build a fully sustainable future. One of these is the need for a more efficient way to store energy. Many renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent, and it is vital to find ways to store this energy when it is not needed. Redox flow batteries are among the most efficient energy storage technologies. Now, Swedish startup Cellfion is working to make redox flow batteries even more efficient with a unique, bio-based membrane. Read more

Photo source Steven Kamenar on Unsplash

CARBON INVESTMENTS BACKED BY AI AND SATELLITE DATA

A fintech platform Earthbanc helps farmers attract investment in carbon credits for regeneration projects. But one issue with regenerative land programmes is transparency – it is very difficult to verify that a scheme is actually sequestering a specified amount of carbon. Without having this information, it is impossible to effectively use carbon credits to contribute to land regeneration schemes. Earthbanc’s platform solves this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI), trained on satellite remote sensing data collected in collaboration with the European Space Agency, to automatically audit the carbon reduction impact of land regeneration projects and to verify carbon credits. Read more

Words: Matthew Hempstead

To keep up with the latest innovations, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.

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