ODD THORSEN

A family affair

ODD THORSEN AS is a family owned interior architecture and design studio and we are based in Oslo, Norway. It is run by Halvor Thorsen and his wife Jennifer Valone Thorsen, having taken over the business from Halvor’s father.

Halvor’s family has long traditions as industrial designers, and many of the principles of those who came before him are still present in the work we do today. After a while ODD THORSEN AS shifted focus to interior architecture, thanks to Jennifer, and we are benefiting from a varied set of design experience. After many years of working with both large commercial clients and private residential clients, we have found that being small is no hinderance to great results.

Our philosophy

As we are trying to do our part in making the world of interiors more sustainable, we are sourcing a lot of the furniture we use in our projects second hand. They often need a little love, and we reupholster the pieces in fabric produced in Norway. We also believe in supporting local manufacturers, and are only working with craftspeople in the greater Oslo area to realise our designs. This way we can be a bigger part of the process, and at the same time make sure things are not transported unnecessarily over great distances. We are constantly working towards bettering ourselves, and are currently finding ways to use old materials in new furniture and bespoke solutions for our projects, through our daughter company and furniture brand Thorsønn.

We believe that timeless designs are more sustainable, and are therefore careful to jump on new trends. Instead, we focus on materials and designs that can stand the test of time, both aesthetically and quality wise. We work closely with our clients during the design process, to ensure the space lives up to their expectations. This way our interiors can have a longer life, which benefits everyone.

History

Odd Thorsen founded the Design Studio “Odd Thorsen A/S” in the early 1980s. During his career the studio was involved in many great projects like train design for Norwegian Railways Systems (NSB), the design program for Oslo’s Public Transportation System, the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Oslo’s Airport Express Train and the Norwegian Pavilion at Expo 2000. The studio has always had a small core staff and is now run by Odds son, Halvor Thorsen. We continue to maintain the values of the past with an eye toward the future.