Forget the popular perception of Nordic design as limited to neutral hues. These designers are daring to embrace technicolor tones in the domestic sphere, proving just how rewarding a life in colour can be.
Humlegården Apartment in Stockholm is one of a kind — white walls and furniture, but a boisterous floor pattern that takes you on a journey through the seasons. “All the colours in our apartment are brought from nature: yellow from the sun, orange and red from the autumn forest, brown and black from the soil, green from the spring grass and leaves, and pink from long, calm summer sunsets,” says homeowner Inna Sundstrom. She shares the home with her husband and children. “Now that we have had the experience of living with this kind of abundance of colours on a daily basis, it has become difficult to imagine a life without them!”
Since Sundstrom and her husband aren’t creatives by profession, they sought help from leading Swedish architectural team Tham & Videgård Architects. Together with Tham & Videgård, and Jörgen Retsloff, of Retsloff Carpentry, and his team of builders, the apartment came together with extraordinary craftsmanship and vision. “Our architects, Tham & Videgård, responded extremely creatively and uniquely to this idea of somehow creating a modern interpretation of the colour philosophy of Josef Frank,” Sundstrom says. Frank was known for his architectur-al and interior design philosophy during the 20th century he called “accidentism,” which suggested an unconventional, and more random approach to personal style; a combination of colours, styles, textures and patterns from different eras and cultures. Videgård was also able to incorporate Wassily Kandinsky’s famous theory of colours and creativity, which suggests a strong connection between colours and emotions, and colours and sounds.