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The Sculptor’s Residence Recreates a Home Fit for an Artist

02.18.20 | By
The Sculptor’s Residence Recreates a Home Fit for an Artist

What would it be like to live in an artistic haven in Stockholm, Sweden, surrounded by objects of craftsmanship, creativity, and comfort?

The Sculptor’s Residence, a private atelier in the center of Stockholm, was used as a stage for Norm Architects to carry out this exercise in creative imagination during Stockholm Design Week 2020. In four separate rooms, Norm Architects carefully placed designs from a swathe of studios to recreate a residence fit for an artist.

The apartment was a theatrical showcase in how designs from Menu and DUX, sculptural objects by British-born, Denmark-based maker Nicholas Shurey, ceramics by Sofia Tufvasson and Atelier Armand, as well as limestone and marble podiums by Östersjösten, and dolomite plaster plinths by St. Leo, can create the perfect artistic abode.

The almost theatrical staging of objects pays homage to the ateliers of great artists – from Picasso’s Parisian hideout to Cezanne’s untouched studio in Aix-en-Provence – and allows visitors a glimpse into the artistic process – on a larger scale. It’s a staged fantasy of sorts; pairing different creative partners to create one creative whole. Furthermore, the Sculptor’s Residence brings the city into play – beyond the four walls of the design fair.

– Norm Architects’ Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen

Warm natural materials were paired with objects with sleek, modern lines to create a timeless look that breaks down the barrier between imagination and reality, between a staged home and one that is lived-in. The exhibition never felt out of place or time with the original furnishings of the apartment itself.

To fully engage all the senses for an all-round immersive experience, the exhibition carefully placed Bang & Olufsen’s new Contrast collection – a limited, 8-piece series made in collaboration with Norm Architects—throughout the space. The color palette of Contrast is a sleek light grey and anthracite combined with brushed aluminum, which makes for a distinctive appearance that’s light yet weighted, subtle yet bold, silent yet loud; it plays with our sensory contrasts, just as its namesake implies.

Visitors feel a sense of continuity and calm when traveling through the hallways, never losing beat with the energy of the space. For, as we know, a creative needs their favorite objects to see and touch with comforting and concentrated creative beats to hear as well, to be fully immersed in their work.

Keshia grew up in Singapore and moved to the U.S. to attend Dartmouth College. When she was living abroad after graduation, a chance enrollment at the Architectural Association Visiting School led to her becoming enamored with door schedules and architectural écriture. She's particularly interested in design for aging, rural architecture, and Asian design heritage.