Natural materials and a carefully calibrated colour scheme have brought a new brightness to a once overlooked family home, under the expert eye of Familien Kvistad
Photography by Magnus Berger Nordstrand
Words by Harriet Thorpe
In a leafy neighbourhood of Oslo, there was once a sad old house in a charming garden of apple trees. After suffering a series of unfortunate updates since being built in 1950, it had lost its identity – that is, until a new family moved in to revive it with upbeat local designers Familien Kvistad. Even though the foundation and exterior had to stay due to local planning rules, the house now glows with a whole new lease of life after being reimagined with a new plan, custom furniture and a sunny colour palette.
A warren of five dark rooms on the ground floor became an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, with a newly clad fireplace of mustard-yellow Kaufmann tiles, bringing warmth rain or shine. Windows were expanded and their frames slimmed right down to create a modern feel; skylights, mezzanines and custom timber storage were added in the newly opened up eaves of the house in the upstairs rooms.
Materials were stripped back and replaced, focusing on natural timber and smooth, durable surfaces practical for family life. Downstairs, ash wood has been used extensively in the hand-picked wide-planks of the Dinesen floorboards, the custom Hamran kitchen and dining benches, and the new rounded steps to the cosy snug (formerly a conservatory). In hard-wearing spots, such as the hallway, laundry room and around the fireplace, there’s a light grey terrazzo and in the bathrooms, there are tiles from Topcer and sinks and bathtub in Durat’s recycled plastic terrazzo.
Photography by Magnus Berger Nordstrand
This rhythmic symphony of updates encapsulates Familien Kvistad’s ethos of positivity, humanism and expression through craft. Partners in work and life Astrid Bakke Kvistad and Ziemowit Kvistad established their Oslo-based multi-disciplinary design studio in 2016 and have built up a portfolio of bright interiors and bold hand-crafted wall rugs made in Norwegian wool. Astrid has a background in knitting design and teaching, and Ziemowit (‘the rug master’) studied hospitality and leisure and has a passion for sneaker design.
The joy of family life is a huge inspiration for them. ‘We want our projects to reflect the people who live there,’ says Astrid. ‘We want to create places that are comfortable, make you feel good, and look aesthetically nice and cosy,’ says Ziemowit. It’s a feeling that starts at home where they often involve their two daughters Sigrid (nine years old) and Janka (seven years old) in design decisions who bring ‘love, smiles and energy’ to their work.
Working as project managers and interior designers on the house, Familien Kvistad’s process was loose and free, in close collaboration with the father of the family, a businessman with a good eye for design. They had already worked together on the interior design of his office in Amsterdam and the family’s countryside cabin, establishing trust and familiarity over their seven-year relationship.
Photography by Magnus Berger Nordstrand
It was from this close relationship that the striking colour palette emerged, combining the greens of their much- loved cabin with the colours they love to wear every day and choices made by the children. ‘We are pretty confident when it comes to colour selection. We avoid trends and choose colours that are really personal,’ says Astrid. ‘It’s important to us to build a colour palette that is liveable, and can feel part of family life,’ adds Ziemowit. They seek visual harmony and comfort through colours and never use white or black: ‘White is too easy. We want to think differently – there are so many other colours to choose from other than white,’ says Astrid.
They started by choosing textiles from the Kvadrat/Raf Simons collection for the custom furniture: a grounding raspberry for the sofa, a rich teal green for the upholstered bench and deep petrol blue seats for the Magnus Olesen dining chairs. Other furniture choices included design classics such as the organic Isamu Noguchi table and a sculptural Finn Juhl Chieftain Chair – ‘Even if it’s called the Chief, it is comfortable and the kids love to play on it,’ says Ziemowit.
You’ll also see three of Familien Kvistad’s colourful wall reliefs – ‘3D sculptures made of wool’ all designed and tufted in-house, inspired by the colours and shapes of the house and the designers’ lively sense of style. ‘We like to express ourselves with craft and good feelings,’ says Ziemowit – this house is certainly full of both.