Anne Boysen Creates Playful Furniture
It’s difficult to predict whether users will enjoy their furniture. However, Anne Boysen is determined to change that. Since 2012, when she founded her namesake firm, the Danish architect and designer have created beds, seating, lighting, children’s furniture, and accessories that encourage people to rearrange, manipulate, and explore their clever components. In a nutshell, they are designed to encourage play.
Also Read: Designing Sustainable Concrete: ETH Zurich’s HiLo Unit
- A lounge table with an oversized storage drawer and a removable tray.
- A large disc distinguishes a floor lamp that users can manually spin to diffuse and reflect its LED.
- Child-size modular floor cushions can be organised to create seats, surfaces, and fantasy playscapes.
Her studio in the Danish port of Kage, less than an hour by train from Copenhagen, is a haven for craft and joyful experimentation. This spirit appears to stem as much from her upbringing in a carpenter family as from her formal architectural training.
Boysen earned her M.Arch from Denmark’s Aarhus School of Architecture, where the curriculum emphasises “artistic experiments” and the transformation of “complex problems into statements.”
Also Read: Architects Paritzki and Liani built a triangular white stone house.
Boysen’s practice takes that philosophy further by requiring users to interact physically with her creations. A pattern of functional whimsy has earned her the Erik Jorgensen Design Award for her Senecio daybed; the Danish Design Award for Talent of the Year in 2012; the German Design Award for the SHUFFLE modular sofa; and a season of Denmark’s Next Classic in 2020.
Contract furniture commissions have increased in direct proportion to the industry’s recognition. This year, she collaborated with Really, a company partially owned by Kvadrat that developed a solid textile board made of recycled fabrics, which Boysen used to create the Really Module storage line.
In addition, Louis Poulsen, the lighting design giant, distributes Boysen’s Moonsetter floor lamp, an elven-inspired, chrome-plated design that won a Danish television show competition.
Also Read: Homes With Lush Indoor Trees That Add To The Peace
Boysen, who is also a painter, considers such furnishings to be another type of artwork—one that can be touched. She draws inspiration from her preschooler’s reaction to various designs. “When my four-year-old son comprehends something, I know it is correct,” she explains.
For example, the Levitate Sofa appears to float on top of a mirrored base. It seems to be a modern work of art from the back, but the mirrored base conceals the convertible frame and daybed with a table and storage. “It’s very similar to when you visit a museum and view artwork,” Boysen explains. “You become focused and gain a new perspective on the world.” Her designs are intended to elicit a similar state of consciousness.
According to Boysen, her work possesses dybde, the Danish word for depth. Her goal is for users to become enamoured with her finely crafted furniture rather than the ubiquitous technology surrounding them. By delving into my furniture, you can experiment and experience the same feelings of joy that I felt when I designed it.
Written By Tannu Sharma | Subscribe To Our Telegram Channel To Get Latest Updates And Don’t Forget To Follow Our Social Media Handles Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter. To Get the Latest Updates From Arco Unico