Designer stories: Björn Van Den Berg

"I usually try to develop objects that create a feeling of presence when you interact with them. Sensible materiality and hand interaction is important" - Bjørn Van Den Berg

There is a sense of maturity and refinement in the work of Norwegian designer Bjørn Van Den Berg that belies his 28 years. His sensorial approach to design has considerable aesthetic and emotional appeal that first caught our eye at the Milan Furniture Fair back in 2014. 

His creative output has continued to impress not just us, but others too over the intervening years. The New York Times named him one of their designers to watch in 2016, and earlier this year, his Aerial Lamp designed with Falke Svatun won a Wallpaper* Magazine design award.

It made sense that our thoughts would turn to Van Den Berg when brainstorming possible collaborators for 'Punctuating Space', our show launching as part of London Design Festival 2017. His fascination with human interaction and materiality made him a perfect fit for an exhibition concerned with how to convey concepts and evoke emotion in spaces via tactility, form, colour and light.

When asked what drives him, Bjørn responds “I have an urge to create, and it gives me satisfaction. If I had not been a designer, I would probably have been something practical such as a chef, carpenter or gardener.” For him, inspiration is often experiential; “Situations, where you start reflecting and use your senses are inspiring. I try [then] to recreate these feeling in objects.” This desire to create affinity with an object is crucial, “If possible [I try to] think about what emotions I want to create with the idea and concept first, then the materials come after that.”

The Aerial Floor Lamp designed in collaboration with Falke Svatun, can be seen as a contemporary alternative to the classic Arco Floor Lamp designed by Achille Castiglioni for Flos back in 1962. It’s circular Lundh’s granite base replaces the Arco’s Carrara Marble with a homegrown alternative. The conical weight provides counterfoil to its delicately arched stem, while the granite base can be moved to adjust curvature and height. Each component plays a key part in the lights balancing act.

His first production piece was the Aura Mirror for New Works, a young Danish furniture design company based in Copenhagen. Bjorn says the form is designed "to fit into two open hands... the way the heavy, seamless material feels against your skin gives a sense of holding something scarce." 

With that emotional goal in mind, Van Den Berg selects his materials based on what they convey, not just how they look. He explains "I'm open to working with most materials, and do not have a material that I consider my speciality." He continues "When making my prototypes, I have usually ended up using different metals, such as aluminium and steel with various finishes. They have particular qualities such as weight, tactility, and often look good when they develop a patina."

As part of 'Punctuating Space', our LDF 2017 event, we will be showing Van Den Berg's most recent work, the 'Sheet Cabinet', a unique take on the concept of hanging shelves, that marries the best of Scandinavian design principles with the simplicity and precision of minimalism.

This small wall shelf explores our multi-sensory relationship with objects. Bjorn places emphasis on "The tactile feeling of touching doors, the contrast between the raw aluminium surface and sharp, polished edges... the sound of the doors when interacting with the object”. 

The metal cabinet creates a sense of play by offering the user the ability to transform ‘the object’s geometry and sculptural expression when opening and closing the doors.” The reflective, untreated aluminium surface reflects and refracts light in different ways depending on position and time of day, a visual complement to the aural and tactile elements, which combine to make the user in the words of Bjorn “aware of the moment and attached to the object.”

Van Den Berg is also part of Klubben, a Norwegian design collective. The group brings together emerging Norwegian furniture designers as well as those in the neighbouring fields of textiles and accessories, to promote their work internationally at events such as 100 Norway during the London Design Festival. 

For Van Den Berg, Klubben is both essential and a source of continuous inspiration, perhaps surprisingly in a region that so well known for Design, Van Den Berg tells us  “The design business is tough, there are few design jobs and virtually no institutional funding for designers in Norway. Therefore working together in groups, with designers in the same situation, is inspiring and important.”

For fans of Norwegian Design who fancy a weekend in Oslo, Van Den Berg and his Klubben compatriots are organising a Norwegian design auction called 'Unika' as part of the city’s Designers Saturday (dates: 8-10 September 2017). The Auction will be held in Blomqvist, Norway’s oldest auction house, and will feature a mix of prototypes, sketches, material samples and production pieces by Hunting & Narud, Kim Thome, Vera & Kyte and many others. 

For Bjørn, the project is an exciting opportunity “This is the first time there is an auction of unique contemporary Norwegian design, and we are proud to create this new arena.” A collaborative selection of homewares called ‘Lined Vessels’ by Van Den Berg and Brooklyn based Bower Studios will also be under the hammer.

And beyond this year? Bjorn reveals “I guess my aim is to work with ambitious clients and exciting projects. To keep on having the ability to work in-depth with my projects and be fully dedicated. Working with manufacturers exploring new materials and innovative manufacturing techniques would be cool.”