Alumni decorate studio at the Swedish Institute in Paris together with students from Paris College of Art
September 07, 2018

Four recent graduates from Beckman's form program, together with four master's students from the Paris College of Art, have been commissioned to design one of the guest residences at the Swedish Institute in Paris. The apartment is being sneaked in the middle of the process during Paris Design Week in September. At the same time, an exhibition about the ongoing project will be on display in the institute's new exhibition room from 7 September to 14 October. The exhibition is open to the public.

Home feeling rather than hotel feeling

The task from the Swedish Institute was to create a guest apartment that has a home feeling more than a hotel. It should work, cook, eat, sleep, pick away, have guests and relax. Sometimes there is a resident of the apartment, sometimes a couple, sometimes two colleagues.

"The most fun thing about the project has been to start from an apartment that will be used for a long time and to decide already at the idea stage where the product will be located. This is a unique opportunity to really be able to create a good product for your purpose," says Ella Westlund, former Beckmans student and one of the participants. 

The eight designers have jointly developed a theme for the interior design and are now working on implementing it. They have sketched, drawn up drawings, designed individual objects and furniture and specified fixtures to be kept, purchased or designed and produced. The palace is originally from the 16th century, with high windows and painted ceilings.

The project started in February and continues until May next year. For the students in Paris it is a master's course and at Beckmans it is part of the school's newly developed alumni project. 

Surprises and reflections

The solution that the group wants to create is a functional, flexible and harmonious home with a tactile craftsmanship feel, but also with a design that can contain surprises. The goal was to bring together history, future and different cults into a harmonious whole to live in.  The design is contemporary with inspiration from the history of the building. A main theme is reflection, which is, among other things, portrayed through reflections in different materials.   

"The biggest challenge has been working with an apartment that is in another country. You can't go there again and check, you have to be sure of your gut feeling from the start. But I think everyone's products will fit well into the apartment and next to each other, it's exciting because we'll see when we get there and install," says Ella. 

Conceptualization and design

"In the project, the participants have practiced conceptualization, idea creation and design, as well as discussed issues of national identities and form expressions. The participants are from India, Poland, Canada, Sweden and with a background in Belarus, we are responsible from Sweden and France," says Annika Berner, Head of External Relations and Project Manager at Beckmans. The project started with a joint workshop in Paris in February. Since then, the meetings took place via digital platforms.

The project team consists of Gunilla Norén, Swedish Institute, Paris, Alix de Mercey, Paris College of Art and Annika Berner, Beckman College of Design . The designers are Sarah Colford, Gurbaaz Duggal, Marta Gawronska, Ayushi Chaudhary, Ella Westlund, Sara Sjöbäck, Elin Lindström and Vera Panichewskaja. Craftsmen and Swedish producers and partners have been involved in the implementation of the project.

About The Swedish Institute in Hotel de Marle, Paris

Since 1965, Sweden owns a 17th-century palace in the Marais, Hotel de Marle.1971 the property was converted into a cultural institute. Every year, over 100,000 visitors get to take part in Swedish culture and education in various forms through the Swedish Institute in the Marais district. This makes the house one of the most visited foreign cultural institutes in Paris.

Beckman College of Design has a long-standing collaboration with the Swedish Institute in Paris and Stockholm. The latest project was during Fashion Week in September 2017 when Beckmans conducted a fashion show at the Institute during the inauguration of the Swedish government's design initiative Swedish Fashion Now.

In one part of the institute there are six one-bedroom apartments. The apartments are guest residences for researchers or cultural creators looking for short-term accommodation in Paris to work on a project related to France. The property on Rue Payenne is managed by the National Property Board and has undergone a major renovation that was completed in autumn 2017.