Thomas Bernstrand | 2O14
KAFFE
Thomas Bernstrand
Thomas Bernstrand can boast of being both a renowned
Swedish designer and a singular rebel on the Swedish design
scene. When Thomas presented the two lamps Do Swing and
Sugar Ray at his exam exhibition at Konstfack, the School of
Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, they were immediately
picked up by Droog Design which featured them in their
much-praised show during the Milano fair in 2001. A lamp
which allowed you to fly over the bar counter, and another in
silicon to punch until it lit up. ‘I need to justify what I create’,
says Thomas earnestly. ‘Why make a new product? Can I do
it differently? In a more environmentally sound way? Allow for
more efficient logistics? Make it easier to move? It can almost
be anything as long as the product offers something new,
otherwise it doesn’t count.’
The same desire to challenge prevailing norms with witty
and meticulously conceived design is mirrored in Thomas’ art
project. The Beach, which won the 2008 Siena Landscape
Award, consists of sun deck furniture and parasols in a all
the year around open installation in the centre of Stockholm.
Thomas has during the last year, together with Albin Karlsson,
created a bunch of giant fantasy flowers cast in aluminium for
the outdoor mileu at Sollentuna hospital in Stockholm. Thomas’
education spans industrial design and art, he studied in
Stockholm at both Konstfack – the University of Arts, Crafts and
Design – and Konsthögskolan – the University of Fine Arts – as
well as at Denmark’s Designskole. His work can be found in
museums as well as among manufacturer’s collections. Thomas
has been awarded many design prizes, among them the Ger-
man Design Award, and the prestigious Bruno Mathsson prize
in Sweden. He is busy developing the Bob sofa system and
other products for Blå Station together with Stefan Borselius.
Do you have any smart advice for boosting your creativity?
”I’m taking really long walks, just like Steve Jobs and Albert
Einstein did.”
What are you reading right now?
”I’ve read Klubben by culture reporter Matilda Gustavsson, the
investigation about sexual abuse at the Swedish Academy. It’s
a good book, but it’s an outrage that no one raised the alarm
way back in time.”
Kaffe Bench | 2014
Kaffe | 2014
