Dezeen Magazine

Silje Nesdal launches furniture collection for compact living

Stockholm 2015: Norwegian designer Silje Nesdal presented a sofa bed, a shelving system and a set of bookends – all for small spaces – in the Greenhouse area of Stockholm Furniture Fair (+ slideshow).

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

Nesdal developed the Dorme sofa bed during a masters degree project investigating compact living and small apartment spaces. It has an ash frame and is upholstered in a reversible Kvadrat fabric.

"I wanted to make a quality product that doesn't look like a sofa bed," she told Dezeen. "It's so easy to change – you just pull out the frame, put down the pillows and it's a double bed."

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

Nesdal cites Nordic furniture from the 1950s and 1960s as her inspiration and says she has taken elements from the old furniture to respond to new needs and challenging new markets.

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

"That was the idea, to create something temporary and interchangeable," she added.

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

Linkki is a storage system made from a birch frame that supports interchangeable powder-coated aluminium shelves and box "buckets".

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

It was developed during time Nesdal spent in Helsinki and was inspired by traditional Finnish log-houses and Japanese bamboo scaffolding.

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

"The shelving system is also made for compact living and you can make it bigger or smaller depending on how much space you’ve got," she told Dezeen. "It's a simple, interchangeable shelf system that slots together using a peg system."

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

The lightweight and stackable boxes come in various sizes, colours and shapes, and the wooden frame can be built to any size or shape and disassembled for shipping.

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

The Granit bookends are cube-shaped and triangular blocks, made from granite left over from making tombstones and paving slabs. They can be used to prop up books or as paperweights, either singly or stacked together.

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

"The sharp edges stand in contrast to the visual softness and the playful colours in the granite," said the designer. "The stones are utilising their natural weight, so the granite bookends stand firm. These bookends give a new purpose to material that would otherwise be discarded and wasted."

Dorme Sofa and Granit Bookends Greenhouse by Silje Nesdal

All three products were launched in the Greenhouse area for young and emerging designers at the Stockholm Furniture Fair last week.

Silje Nesdal has studied at Bergen Academy of Arts and Design, Alvar Aalto University in Helsinki and Oslo University Collage, and has worked in the fashion industry in Oslo and Japan.