Industriens- og Eksportens hus is an iconic brutalist building from the 1960s in the centre of Oslo. We designed a new personell restaurant and lobby, and focused on social aspects of these spaces. The design intension was to soften the brutalist architecture while accentuating the beauty of the existing design details. We wanted to create places where people could take a break from their offices, in a casual 3rd space. We designed lighting and sound solutions to make the spaces feel more comfortable and chose colours and materials that complimented the existing materials and artwork. We also found and re-finished furniture from the era of the building and paired it with our own custom designed furniture from our brand Thorsønn, to create a modern-retro expression within the space.
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
SÅDD is a pilot project for our work with reused materials in interiors. We aimed a buying as little as possible new, and succeeded in producing almost everything out of preloved furniture or discarded materials. The front of the main counter is adorned with pieces of concrete sourced from a different building site across campus, the bases for the benches came from old school chairs, and the wood panelling on the walls would have otherwise been considered trash. The purple lamp cords are reused from lamps previously hanging in the location. The lampshades are made by Osloleire, who salvages clay from construction sites around Oslo which is usually destined for the landfill. Even old, broken tiles were repurposed in the countertop for a table and disposal station.
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
More than a cafe, the Union Blindern is designed as a restaurant, bar, café, meeting place and gaming lounge with table tennis, billiards, shuffleboard or boardgames. It can also be adapted to activities such as pub quizzes or concerts. The custom table tennis tables can be used as a dining table, curtains can be drawn for private parties. When the stage is not in use, it can be used as seating and the furniture can be re-arranged for a banquet with seating for up to 200 guests. In other words, the design contains a flexibility that should satisfy any social need. We sourced most of the furniture and lamps from old storages at the Blindern campus, and reupholstered and refinished chairs, sofas and tables to extend their life. We made some coffee tables out of concrete and old books, which adds a quirky charm together with our open book lamps. We designed seating along the windows, as well as bookshelves that work as space dividers.
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
A cozy environment for both felines and humans to interact while sipping on a “cat-tuccino”. The stained timber walls feature custom illustrations by Ace Creative as well as hidden niches for the cats to lounge in. Custom furniture was made for the concept, that feature scratching surfaces for clawed friends, while the two-legged can sit comfortably on custom made bench seating.
Locations in Stockholm and London.
Photography by Elisabeth Aarhus
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
Co-working space Ö for Höegh Eiendom in the iconic brutalist building IndEkshuset at Solli plass. We created 11 offices for between 2-12 people, several meeting rooms and social spaces that can meet the varied sets of requirements of modern work life. Mid-century references that nod to the buildings architecture are added through reupholstered furniture classics, large house plants and warm wood tones. The sofas, round coffee tables and leather floor pouf are all designed by us through our sister company Thorsønn, locally produced in the Oslo area. The rest of the loose furniture is second hand. We also designed custom solutions for storage, like shelving, media units and integrated waste bins in the stationary area. The kitchenettes beautiful wooden terrazzo worktop is from Foresso and is made of waste materials. We paired it with oak cabinets, a classic gray wall colour and brass handles to tie it all together in an elegant way. Details like custom designed hangers with the Ö logo engraved adds a touch of exclusivity to this co-working space.
Graphics by Ace Creative
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
A renovation of a 5-story home on the Oslo fjord. Our challenge was to create a functional home for a young family while softening the hard-edged feeling of the house's modern architecture. Our concept was to use natural elements in the interior palette, including wool, leather, wood, stone and sea grass. We reorganised the plan creating larger bathrooms on the top level and an open kitchen that flows into the dining and living areas on the main level. In the lower levels we designed spaces for entertaining including a party room with a pool table, wrap around sofa and bar, a cinema room, a kids room, a spa area with a sauna and outdoor areas for dining and lounging. This project was published in Bo Bedre as home of the month, July, 2014.
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
Photography by Elisabeth Aarhus
A renovation of a 1960s office building in the centre of Oslo. The scope of the project included a new personnel restaurant for the building’s tenants as well as a complete renovation of the public spaces within the building. We were inspired by the buildings existing architecture and tried to create an interior that was coherent with the buildings exterior. We’ve used materials that reflect the time that the building was build but have detailed them in a modern and minimalistic way. The restaurant has been designed to be flexible and is used throughout the day, breakfast meetings in the morning, lunch and lectures in the afternoon, as well as events in the evening.
Photographs by Aarhus & Andenæs (http://www.aarhusandenaes.com/)
http://www.wergelandsveien7.no/
Industriens- og Eksportens hus is an iconic brutalist building from the 1960s in the centre of Oslo. We designed a new personell restaurant and lobby, and focused on social aspects of these spaces. The design intension was to soften the brutalist architecture while accentuating the beauty of the existing design details. We wanted to create places where people could take a break from their offices, in a casual 3rd space. We designed lighting and sound solutions to make the spaces feel more comfortable and chose colours and materials that complimented the existing materials and artwork. We also found and re-finished furniture from the era of the building and paired it with our own custom designed furniture from our brand Thorsønn, to create a modern-retro expression within the space.
Graphics by Holi Design
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
This project was featured in the magazine Hytteliv. Text written by Annicken Vargel:
Halvor Thorsen og kona Jennifer Valone Thorsen visste akkurat hvordan de ville ha det. I 40 år hadde familien til Halvor hatt en avtale med en bonde på Geilo, der de leide en seter mot at de pusset den opp og vedlikeholdt den. Seteren hadde verken innlagt vann eller strøm – og doen lå ute. Det førte til noen utfordrende påskeferier for amerikanske Jennifer.
– Jeg elsket seteren på Geilo, men det var veldig uvant for meg å ha 25 meter bort til utedoen, sier Jennifer.
Da leieavtalen ble avsluttet, var det naturlig for paret å lete etter noe eget. De ønsket seg en hytte med de samme kvalitetene som seteren hadde hatt – men kanskje med en brønn i tillegg. Det viktigste var egentlig å ikke ha vintervei.
– Med en gang det er vei, kommer det folk – og du er ikke lenger alene. Vi ville ha noe helt annet enn det livet vi har i byen. Det motsatte. Vi ville ikke ha lyd av biler og folk, sier Halvor.
SLOW-TV
Da han og Jennifer endelig fikk et treff på Finn som førte dem til Valdres, dro de opp og bodde en uke i området for å forsikre seg om at de likte det. Så bestemte de seg for å vente til sommeren kom, for å sjekke om tomten lå på en myr.
– Og det gjorde den jo, sier Jennifer og ler.
– Men vi kjøpte den likevel!
Deretter kunne arbeidet med hytta begynne. Jennifer og Halvor jobber henholdsvis med interiør- og industridesign, og hadde klare ideer om formgivningen.
– Tomten er en utsiktstomt, du blir helt lamslått av utsynet her. Så det var viktig for oss å kunne nyte utsikten – også om vinteren når det er kaldt og vi sitter inne i sofaen, sier Jennifer.
Først vurderte de å bruke glass i hele frontveggen.
– Men vi fant fort ut at det ville gjøre mer inntrykk om vi hadde ett stort vindu, der vi rammet inn utsikten som et kunstverk. Å sitte og se utover er litt som å se på slow-TV. Nedenfor oss er det tre daler som møtes, og dalene har med seg ulike værtyper. Det er et evig skiftende maleri, sier Jennifer.
EGENDESIGNEDE MØBLER
Også de andre vinduene i hytta ble møysommelige plassert, og deretter skulle møblene velges.
– Vi hadde designet noen møbler til vårt eget brand Thorsønn som vi visste at vi ville ha på hytta. Vi tok utgangspunkt i en treseters sofa, en køyeseng og en dobbeltseng med nattbord, og brukte dimensjonene i planleggingen. Størrelsen på sofaen tilsvarer lengden på stueveggen, som igjen tilsvarer bredden på peisen. Vi sjekket også hvordan vi ville sitte i sofaen for å se ut av vinduet, forklarer Jennifer.
– En venn av oss spurte om vi hadde designet sofaen for hytta, men det var jo omvendt – vi designet hytta rundt sofaen, legger hun til.
Paret var også opptatt av å ha god plass til gjester.
– Noen hytter har en definert spisesone og en egen stuesone – som begge fort blir for små om man er mange. Vi ville lage et skikkelig hjerte i hytta, hvor mange kunne sitte sammen, sier Jennifer.
Hytta på 65 kvadratmeter er bygget i massivtre levert fra Norsk Massivtre, en lokal produsent i Valdres. Alle delene er prefabrikkerte og fraktet opp for montering. Underveis fikk paret gode råd fra arkitektene i Oslo Tre, og fra byggekyndige folk i Vang Bygg. At hytta ble holdt relativt liten, var både for å være effektive under byggingen, men også for å holde budsjettet.
– Likevel tror jeg vi overskred det ... Hytta virker enkel, men den inneholder bare det beste. For eksempel bruker vi bestikket som Halvors bestefar designet, i stedet for rester herfra og derfra, sier Jennifer.
SOLCELLEPANEL PÅ TAKET
Hytta har alt familien på fire behøver, men ingen fasiliteter som «ring hytta varm». Den jobben er det vedkomfyren som gjør, den ligger midt i hytta og varmer opp alle rommene.
– Vedkomfyren er det eneste varmeelementet, men på ekstra kalde dager, når det er minusgrader inne i hytta, tar vi med en parafinovn. På slike dager kan det nesten ta 24 timer før hytta er varm, sier Jennifer.
– Men etterpå kan du gå i t-skjorte, repliserer Halvor.
Lys og strøm sørger solcellepanel og brukte elbilbatterier for, og klosettet må tømmes bare en gang i året, fra en tank utenfor hytta.
– Så egentlig har vi all luksus som vi har hjemme, det synes bare ikke så godt. Dessuten lager luksusen et veldig lite fotavtrykk, sier Halvor.
Hytta passer best til familiens to voksne og to barn, men ved hjelp av hemsen og litt velvilje kan de få inn dobbelt så mange.
– Men der går grensen. Ellers blir det altfor mye oppvask!
Photography by Elisabeth Aarhus
A coffee bar and study lounge at the hub of University of Oslo's campus Blindern. The location was originally a canteen with a large closed kitchen and our objective was to open up the space. We designed a new entrance, a large 4 sided coffee bar and custom fixed furniture. We also created a self service bar so that when the bar is closed the students can keep working.
Graphics by Ace Creative
Photography by Elisabeth Aarhus
Eilert is an eatery at Blindern campus where we designed a large buffet area, various seating options like tables with benches, booths and custom seating along the wall, in addition to creating a warm and welcoming feel. Large planters separate the spaces and bring life to the interior. The light fixtures over the buffet area add visual interest and frame the area from above.
Graphics by Ace Creative
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
This on-campus coffee shop features varied seating options, from laid back lounge to flexible bar seating. Paper lampshades of different sizes offer both visual interest and ambient lighting, as well as an illusion of lower ceiling height. Warm hues in both wood and upholstery helps to soften the hard materials of the existing space. For this project we repurposed parts of an old corian bench top for the tops of coffee tables.
Graphics by Ace Creative
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
In this renovation of a Oslo Apartment with beautiful exiting classic details our challenge was to reorganise the plan to create more usable spaces. We removed a small bedroom behind the kitchen to make a large open kitchen/dining area. Then we divided one of the large bedrooms into two creating a small tv room and extra bedroom. We also removed all of the walls in the bathroom to create large open space with a classic english bathtub at the centre. We designed some new furniture, like the dining set and the headboard/drawer unit, as well as reupholstering some of the clients existing furniture.
Photographs by Elisabeth Aarhus
A new line of stainless steel sinks for public and semi public areas.
Used in our interior project at Indekshuset, with a custom fitted wooden frame.
http://www.intra-teka.com/
