“We wanted to create a comforting space, so we hit on the idea of trying to embody the restfulness of a pink womb. With the help of paint and pine, we were able to create a kitchen where you’re surrounded by warmth and the intensity of the flesh tone,” explain design duo Lisa Lindh and Klara Hedengren, who came up with the concept for the kitchen.
The Swedish Institute in Paris is refurbishing its six guest apartments in order to give them a stronger design profile, with a focus on Swedish design and craftsmanship, sustainability, innovation and quality. The project goes by the name Swedish Design Moves and Hem x 6. One of the kitchens, with its modern pink pine units, was designed by Lisa Lindh and Klara Hedengren, Swedish alumni of Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm.
The design duo from Beckmans were commissioned by the Swedish Institute to bring a natural feel to a galley kitchen that doesn’t really go together with the rest of the building, which is full of history, art and life. Taking inspiration from female artists who have previously made their mark in the apartments of the Swedish Institute in Paris, they created a kitchen that is at once beautiful and practical. The rounded worktop now invites conversation with the person doing the cooking and can even serve as a desk early in the morning.
“Lisa and Klara have done a fantastic job; they’ve really managed to transform the corridor into a harmonious place where you want to hang out. It’s also interesting to see how they’ve played with the contrasts between the white wood interior and the pink exterior,” says Björn Nordin, Director of Interior and Design at Swedish Wood.
“Pine is a wonderfully attractive and accessible material, and one that we’ve both worked with before. The two of us are passionate about bringing sustainability into our designs, and working with Swedish wood makes total sense from that perspective, while also being a great aesthetic choice,” say Lisa Lindh and Klara Hedengren.
About Swedish Design Moves Paris and Hem x 6
Hem x 6 is the collective name for the six guest apartments that have been refurbished at the Swedish Institute in Paris. The project forms part of Swedish Design Moves, an initiative by the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation aimed at promoting Sweden as a design destination, as well as raising awareness of and boosting Brand Sweden and Swedish design internationally.
