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Friday Five with Vera & Kyte

Vera Kleppe and Åshild Kyte are the dynamic pair behind the Norwegian brand Vera & Kyte, where curiosity is the name of the game. The Bergen-based duo has a way of combining Scandinavian sensibility with a quirky playfulness that’s generally missing in design today. Their piqued curiosity drives them to experimentation when creating their furniture and products, which you’ll notice, are full of child-like wonder. Let’s see how their aesthetic relates to the five picks they selected for this week’s Friday Five.

Photo by Vegard Kleven/Astrup Fearnley

Photo by Vegard Kleven/Astrup Fearnley

1. Exhibitions
The photo above is from the Astrup Fearnley Museum’s Jeff Koons exhibition and represents one of our main sources of inspiration. Entering into a curated experience of someone else’s work and perspective is always interesting and at its best, surprising. We find the art world a good place to seek challenging impressions and discover unconventional approaches. Exhibitions are definitely our favorite productive escape from work.

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2. Office view
Even though we grew up by the coast we didn’t discover our fascination for boats, ships, and harbor life until we moved into our studio. The photo was taken from our window on an early winter afternoon and is one of many in our expanding collection of coastal observations. In spite of the dramatic landscape we are mostly fascinated by each vessel’s specialized function and the diversity in form and coloration this generates. So far we have had the pleasure of studying military vessels, submarines, tourist cruises, coast guards, tankers, and tow boats.

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3. Color combinations
We are always on the lookout for new combinations. The photo is taken on our recent trip to Stockholm where we took a snapshot of this muted pair on a stroll through Södermalm. Composing color palettes for our projects is one of our favorite processes. We find that the final character of our products is very much defined at this point. We love to experiment and observe how radically a product can be altered by its coloration.

Photo René Burri / Louis Barragán

Photo René Burri / Louis Barragán

4. Luis Barragán
One of Mexico’s most prominent twentieth century architects famous for his work with space, light, and coloration. During our studies we discovered his remarkable work through the photography of René Burri. As many before us we continue to admire his refined use of bold colors and light in the creation of truly inspiring spaces.

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5. Tracing paper
A super simple and super efficient everyday sketching tool.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.