Hospitality Design - November 2013 - 85

products

proﬁle
1

front
By Ashleigh VanHouten
Photography by Alexander
Schneider, Magnus
Torsne, and Carl Bengtsson

2

3

1. Front's Charlotte
von der Lancken, Anna
Lindgren, and Sofia
Lagerkvist.
2. Through the use
of counterweights,
the Mobile Lamp
subtly moves and
changes shape.

FRONT AND CENTER
Teamwork is key to this Swedish design ﬁrm

Sofia Lagerkvist, Anna Lindgren, and
Charlotte von der Lancken, the three cofounders of Swedish design studio Front,
studied industrial design together at
Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts
and Design in Stockholm, and formed their
company while in school. Ten years later
they have a successful firm, and the team
has made their mark on everything from
product design to furniture to experimental
projects to, yes, even ice cream (stay tuned
for a dreamy Häagen-Dazs creation set to
debut next month in Paris). "One of our
first projects was the animal collection
for Moooi, which became a huge success
internationally," says Lagerkvist. "We
were asked to create a lamp that 'even a
grandmother' would like. This brief made us
think about what makes people love or hate
an object. Many have a special relationship
with figurative objects, and this was the
inspiration for our Horse Lamp, Rabbit
Lamp, and Pig Table."
Front's creativity can be found in

exhibitions in Milan, at Art Basel, and
in the Tensta Art Gallery in Stockholm,
including a conceptual project where they
used motion capture technology to sketch
pieces of furniture directly in space. If this
sounds a bit highbrow, perhaps it is-but
the threesome also create more practical
products, like a sleek shower set for Axor/
Hansgrohe that was released this year. "The
series is inspired by water pipes, usually
concealed inside the bathroom walls,"
Lindgren explains. "As the pipe system looks
more or less the same all over the world, it is
easy to understand where the water comes
out, where to turn on and off, simply how to
use the shower. There are also new technical
features, such as height adjustability, and
you can use both the showerhead and the
handheld at the same time."
Then there's the just-released whiskey
serving set called Ballance for Ballantines,
consisting of a copper ice bowl, water jar,
and spoon that balance, as if by magic, on
top of one another; their Mobile Lamp that

3. The Rabbit Lamp,
part of the animal
collection for Moooi.

uses counterweights so the light can subtly
move and change shape; and an entrance
installation for a public park in Stockholm's
City Centre: "We used standard park lights,
but transformed them into a portal of
bent lamps with bubble-like tops,"
Lagerkvist says.
The three designers are pros at
successful collaboration, both within and
outside of their company. "We always
work with the ideas together, refining and
searching for the best one before we start
to sketch, build models, and test our ideas,"
von der Lancken explains. "We often work
for a producer that builds and markets our
designs, so it is also a collaboration with
them to come to the final piece." Even their
name, Front, communicates their team
ethic: "It's a name that can be understood in
many different countries, and it calls to mind
a unit, the way we always collaborate with
each other." hd
f ront d esign.se

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