An intuitive process that has continued for a long time and that is based more on mutual trust and successful results than on a clearly documented method. This is one way to briefly describe the collaboration between designer Lovisa Hansson and her manufacturer, cabinetmaker Martin Israelsson. They also share a willingness to challenge, to explode boundaries. To not lean back on well-known models but to find their own solutions to every problem. All in all – a shared journey towards unusual goals.

“I learn a huge amount from every project with Lovisa,” Martin explains. “My other commissions can be larger interior design ones – sometimes monotonous and rough hewn. But here I’m forced to go to the bottom with every detail, which creates variety.”

One unique aspect of Lovisa Hansson’s works is their combination of imagination and practical thinking. All her objects – like the table “Hello Little Fellow”, the mirrors “Sometimes We Talk” and the mini-cupboard “Nothing To Hide” – are clearly sculptural. In terms of their design they stand out as strong and alive characters. When you have once seen them you can scarcely confuse them with anything else. At the same time, they are equally clearly functional. They are not primarily decorative objects to be put on a shelf – they can and should be used.

But even their function is rebellious. A table does not have to consist of a flat surface and four legs. Nor must a cupboard necessarily be placed against a wall. And why should “a mirror” only be one? It could just as well be a group of three. The objects are all like multi-faceted stories, which Lovisa highlights with their poetic names.

“Mostly the names come from a feeling that develops during the sketching phase,” she explains. “The idea is to find a title that reflects the product’s personality. For example, the inspiration for ‘Hello Little Fellow’ came from a friend’s dog that was wearing a vet collar. And ‘Sometimes We Talk’ is like three small friends. Perhaps they will start to talk with you if you stare into them long enough...”

Text: Ingrid Sommar

DESIGNER: LOVISA HANSSON
Lovisa is a designer based in Malmö. She works mainly with interior design commissions and designs utility objects for her own production but also for clients such as Nomess in Denmark. Together with Martin Israelsson she participated in the exhibitions “Den Nya Kartan” and “Welcome to Weden”, Sweden’s contribution to London’s first design biennial in the autumn of 2016.

MANUFACTURER: MARTIN ISRAELSSON
Martin is a cabinetmaker based in Malmö. Together with a colleague he runs the carpentry firm Israelsson & Scharff, which produces prototypes, furniture and special joinery projects for interior decorating. In his previous above-mentioned collaboration with Lovisa Hansson he worked in the company Njudung snickerier.

Read more: www.dennyakartan.se

1+1=3
A portrait series that showcases four collaborations between designers and producers with a focus on process. The four collaborations originated in a project called Den Nya Kartan (the new map), in which curator Jenny Nordberg paired up designers and producers, all based in Skåne, in order to demonstrate the strength of collaboration as well as the creativity and sometimes magic that emerge from this encounter.