Finnish shapes in psychedelic pine

For Fredrik Paulsen, furniture design is an art form like film or music. His furniture art has been exhibited in galleries in Sweden, Paris and New York. It has also been turned into large public installations. He describes his meeting with Vaarnii as a stroke of luck. The Finnish furniture brand combines Finnish materials and local manufacturing with modern design. For their first collection, they invited a group of recognised designers to take on the challenge of creating honest, brutal and sophisticated objects using only pine. For Paulsen, it was a natural fit.

When we meet via video link, he enthusiastically welcomes us to his studio in Örnsberg, Stockholm, wearing a pair of rose-coloured glasses. It also feels like this is how he sees creation - in colour - both figuratively and metaphorically. Fredrik Paulsen grew up in the 80s and 90s. He designs for his own generation and believes that this is how all timeless design classics have come about.

You have created a series of furniture for Vaarnii's first collection. Which piece of furniture did you start with?
– According to Vaarnii's brief, I had to make a chair that was comfortable to sit in for long periods of time, such as at dinner parties. I really went for it - especially making something entirely in pine that focussed on comfort. It started with a chair, but continued to grow. Once we made the chair, they realised that we had a piece of furniture that could be a success and it would be a waste not to have an accompanying table.... I am so happy and proud of our collaboration. The furniture is direct, sturdy, it has a presence and lands safely.

001 Bar Stool, 002 Dining Table Round.

The name Vaarnii comes from the two Finnish words Vaarna and Saarni, meaning plug and ash tree.
002 Dining Table Rectangular.

Var kommer din främsta inspiration ifrån?
– In my practice, I am interested in things that are created to fulfil a function in everyday life - like a bench nailed together from pallets just to have something to sit on. I am also inspired by the foundations of bridges. They are designed to last for hundreds of years. This is particularly evident in Vaarnii's furniture. There is something unadorned about it. It's furniture that is meant to be lived with, and it will only get more beautiful over time. I don't want you to have to be unnecessarily fussy and careful. I want a passionate, loving life. The furniture becomes a symbol of that.

What is your first memory of designing?
– It puts the finger on how I work today. I was maybe five years old. I really wanted a skateboard, but my mum thought I was too small. That didn't stop me, but I found a plank - probably pine - I nailed two wooden blocks about where the wheels are on a skateboard and I had that to practise with. That's my first creative memory.

What happened next?
– Then I got a skateboard and skating was the only thing I did. Until one day a friend suggested that I apply to a carpentry school. I started making furniture and was hooked.

Pavilion for the Nobel Foundation at Sergels Torg.

In the Vaarnii furniture collection, Finnish pine is the only material used throughout. What is your relationship with pine?
– I love pine, I always have. You often hide it inside the construction of furniture or in interior walls. I appreciate that it is a construction material. At the same time, I also love the life of the material. There are twigs and around them, veining. Almost like moaré effects with all the growth rings swaying by.

You often work with psychedelic colours on your furniture. Why is that?
– I realised that the veins create a psychedelic pattern, so I wanted to add colours that flow into each other in a surface layer. This combined with my interest in popular culture, but also in light and cosmic phenomena.

How has it been received in the Scandinavian market?
– With open arms. Above all, it appeals to a new generation interested in fashion, music, clubs, popular culture. The design reflects that and captures the contemporary spirit in a piece of furniture.

How would you say your design is relevant today?
– Today we talk a lot about timeless design. It is something worth striving for. If you look back at our design classics, they are not timeless but very time-specific and linked to a certain era. The PH lamp was designed not to dazzle when the light bulb was new. The Seven Chair is an icon that represents the 50s.

– If we're talking about sustainability, one might ask whether we need a new chair when there are already so many good ones. But if you see design as an art form, you can ask the same question when it comes to film and music. There are thousands of films and pieces of music that you have never seen or heard. At the same time, we need culture that is relevant to the times we live in now. I try to create things that reflect the current zeitgeist and feel personal to me and my generation. In this way, I think my design is very relevant.

Vaarnii is available exclusively at Nordiska Galleriet.

Produkter i inlägget

001 Dining Table Round

Vaarnii

001 Dining Chair

Vaarnii