My process usually starts with something quite simple: a material, a gesture, or a construction principle. I like it when a project grows out of something direct, working with a material, testing something unexpected, or following a simple idea and seeing where it leads. I am very influenced by craft and craft techniques: what can you do with the material you have, and what else could this material become?

A typical day moves between thinking and making. I often work with sketches, models, material tests, 3D drawings, images, and prototypes. Some days are very practical and studio-based; others are more about writing, editing photos, answering emails, or sending things out.

I am interested in materials that already carry cultural or tactile associations. All the materials we surround ourselves with create different associations, and by using a certain material or technique, you can strengthen the story and the associations for the viewer. I like when a familiar material can be shifted slightly, so it becomes both recognizable and strange, or unexpected.

For example, in the project Crayon Pine, which I made together with Siri Svedborg last year, pine and wax crayon are two simple, everyday materials that most people have some kind of relationship to on their own. But together, they create an unexpected meeting and a surface that feels playful, handmade, and almost textile-like.

I am, of course, influenced by many designers, but above all, it is specific works that I like. There is no designer whose entire body of work I like, so I prefer to point to certain pieces rather than specific designers.

There are many projects, pieces, artworks, and examples of architecture that I really like and get inspired by. Two that I am thinking about right now are Jens Quistgaard’s series of pepper mills and Ulrik Samuelson’s Kungsträdgården subway station in Stockholm. I am also inspired by certain periods, for example, Nordic Classicism, often referred to as Swedish Grace.

There are many, but I would rather not point to one specific person.

I am often inspired by artists who work with material and tactility, and who do something unexpected with it that makes me feel something. Here too, it is more specific works that inspire me, rather than one specific artist. There are some works where I do not even know the name of the artist, but I remember the work. One work that comes to mind now is Roni Horn’s large glass sculptures.

I am interested in creating objects that feel direct and accessible at first, but become more complex the longer you look at them. I like it when design can be joyful without being superficial, and crafted without becoming nostalgic.