Design Hero | Ilse Crawford
You may have noticed my recent ranting about Ilse Crawford… she is one of my deisgn heros!
Ilse was born in London in 1962 to a Danish mother and Canadian father. She was the launch editor of Elle Decoration in 1989 and in 2000 founded a design department (Man and wellbeing) at the Eindhoven Design Academy in Holland. In 2003, she opened her own studio, StudioIlse.
From all I have read, I noticed how down-to-earth she is and this quality fits perfectly with her approach to design. Ilse designs for the people who inhabit the spaces. She designs for the soul. Her goal is not to create a ‘cool’ space for the magazine photos afterwards but instead to to enhance the lives of the people who inhabit them.
Through her work with StudioIlse she “developed an agenda of working to create design that is a frame for life; a design that starts with human experience, that enhances our humanity”.
When starting work on an interior space, lots of questions are asked. Questions that not only make sure the interior will fit its inhabitants like a glove but also somewhere they can flourish in.
"Home is a frame for life. It’s a structure that allows you to be free. It has meaning. Style is often just two-dimensional, but design shouldn’t be just about a look, furniture has to be lived with". Ilse Crawford
Her interiors exude a sense of warmth, a feeling of home. Its clear that a lot of thought has gone into everything, down to the last detail. Beautiful spaces that you dont want to leave.
Ett Hem (a home) is a hotel StudioIlse designed in Stockholm in a 1913 Arts and Crafts house.
The concept of the hotel is for people staying there to feel completely at home. There is no restaurant and no bar. Guests can take food from the fridge and cook in the kitchen. The entrance is warm and welcoming. The sitting room has lots of comfortable seating for guests to come together. The design changes the concept of the stereotypical hotel and provides a 'home away from home'.
This month, Ikea is launching a new collection - SINNERLIG - a collaboration between Marcus Engman, head of design at IKEA and StudioIlse. The collection includes pieces of furniture such as tables and stools as well as smaller pieces like ceramic pitchers and glass containers.
I am very excited to see this collection where great design is bought to the high-street. The use of natural materials and neutral colours, means all of this range can fit into any home! I can see the cork covered bench working both in our bathroom and in our dining room. I love the simple shapes which all work as great ‘basic’ pieces.
It is also wonderful to see how much consideration has gone into the choice of materials, their production process and packaging system.
Watch this space for a follow-up on the new collection!
