Wanted: one bright, forward-thinking office that incorporates purple and orange and can move as the company grows. Such was the brief that Frend Digital brought to Familien Kvistad. In response, the designers created a lively space with versatile furniture and tactile wall art that’s fast becoming their signature touch
Word of mouth was the catalyst for bringing Norwegian, family-run design studio Familien Kvistad and digital company Frend together. The founders of Frend were looking to inject some vigour into their office space, located in a 19th-century building in central Oslo, and were taken with Familien Kvistad’s first-ever office project – for digital studio Bakken & Bæck – which featured
a striking shade of light blue.
As an up-and-coming company, Frend wanted to show clients it meant business by inhabiting a beautiful space that also has a sense of fun and a youthful energy. Its brand colours are purple and orange, which Frend wished to incorporate into the scheme. Although self-taught designers Astrid Bakke Kvistad and Ziemowit Kvistad like to use solid blocks of colour in all their projects, they found this particular combination somewhat tricky to reconcile.
“Purple and orange can be hard to work with,” says Astrid. “I have seen interiors where people have this super-bright orange and it feels very sporty – it’s a colour that is full of energy. So, I wanted to tone it down. We used a lot of earthy tones that still had this orangey feel, and then softened the purple to make it more delicate.”
Frend, whose staff numbers 30 or so and is still growing, has leased the space in a newer, glass-fronted attic floor of the building for just another two years. For this reason, Astrid and Ziemowit recommended they simply repaint and invest in modular furniture that would be easy enough to move when the company decides to relocate.
The Kvistads put chairs of their own design, powder-coated in Frend’s orange shade and upholstered in purple Kvadrat fabric, throughout the office and meeting rooms. “They are comfortable and very simple, but in our style. We always suggest them because we feel that you really get value for money,” says Astrid.
Comfortable modular sofas by Note are office design back in 2016, we wanted to have some art on the wall, but didn’t find anything suitable. So, we thought, ‘Hey, let’s do it ourselves’,” says Astrid. They had their first designs made up in a carpet factory in Poland and had to hope that they would come out as they wanted them. But being hands-on people, the pair decided to go one step further and ordered a tufting gun from China.
Ziemowit taught himself how to make hand-tufted carpets and now makes rugs and wall hangings according to Astrid’s designs. It went so well that clients now order bespoke designs from the studio and the Kvistads sell the work through their online shop. “It’s all made from Norwegian wool, so of course it’s a little expensive, but we want the art to be touchable and have this warm and cosy feeling,” says Astrid.
It’s this personal, hands-on approach and a sensitive interpretation of their clients’ needs that make Familien Kvistad such an appealing firm to work with. The bespoke, playful wall art has become a unique calling card, too. “When we work on the whole design for a client, we like to sign it off with our art,” adds Astrid. Next time you pass a fluffy, colourful wall hanging in a home or office, pause to consider how it relates to the environment – it may well be Astrid and Ziemowit’s handiwork.
Images by Magnus Nordstrand
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