in News, Workplace Design
Colourful, creative, unique – A home office as a think tank for the latest trends
What would you expect when visiting the home of a trend expert in Stockholm? Light wood, simple, functional furniture and reduced shades? Not at Stefan Nilsson’s home. His home office is bursting with strong colour accents, unusual shapes and creative individual pieces. He explains in this interview how the work in his home office inspires his job as a trend expert and journalist every day.
You work not only as a journalist, but also as a trend expert. When do you consider a new development to be a trend?
Trends are things you want, dream of. They could come from technological innovation or being inspired by something someone else is doing. From the latter point of view, that is when we talk about being influenced by other people. To me, the most interesting trends are the ones associated with values. What do we think is important? What is status and how does it change?
Trend scouting is part of your job. Where do you find the greatest inspiration? How do you decide whether something is a trend or just a new product?
I do my trend research from four angles: I read statistics (how do we move, how many pets do we have…), I carry out interviews with both influential people but also ordinary people to talk about where we are heading, then I look at history (have we done this before?) and finally my hands on observations, meaning fairs and design weeks. I visit about 15-20 fairs per year and around five to ten trips to influential cities like New York, London, Paris and Milan.
A lot of my trend research is about finding a hunch, a sensation. It feels like there is a change or a shift. I then look at statistics, interviews and my fairs to find examples for verification. I then need to package this so that people understand and agree.
You create mood boards for your expert talks. How have you set up an environment in your home that inspires you?
I think it is essential to move around. I have a “working area” in the kitchen, then a spare room for creative work, and then I do lots of reading in the bedroom. I would say it is crucial to get up from your chair, make a coffee and water the plants. Do not sit still for too long.
The boundaries between home and home office are sometimes blurred. How do you manage to separate your private and professional lives?
I realised this question was important at the beginning of the pandemic. We talked a lot about having room dividers and a specific area for work so that we could basically have a start and stop button. “If I sit here, work has started”. Today I see the conversation being totally different. They are more about how the wi-fi is working. I expect that we will talk more about chairs and desks for our home office at a later date, but at the moment we are talking more about the rules themselves. The question of whether we should work from home two days a week or not at all is currently more the centre of attention.
In your home office you have a standing workstation, but also a cosy corner for creative work. What was necessary for you when choosing the furniture?
I have three major work areas. Kitchen, standing workstation and a sofa setting. Everything is there for a specific reason. The majority of writing (emails and articles) is done in the kitchen, the standing workstation is for video conferences and the sofa is for reading. Choosing furniture is about having things you like and which match your personality. I like different kinds of back support. Sometimes I want to lean forward and sometimes I want to rest. And of course, when you have a video meeting, it looks better to have a good posture.
And one final question: Your home is very colourful, individual and unique. Do you go for the latest trends, or do you tend to choose timeless pieces of furniture that will stay with you for several years?
I definitely pick things that match my taste. I do not choose items that are trendy. I think a common thread is that I have a lot of upholstery. I like softer furniture. It is comforting. But I also want to have items with a strong personality.
Who works here?
Stefan Nilsson is Sweden’s best-known trend researcher. He regularly contributes to television, radio and magazines. He is constantly on foot, tracking down new phenomena in furnishings, design, fashion, food and other things we dream about. His blog “Trendstefan” was launched in 2006. In addition to his work as a trend expert and journalist, Stefan is also the owner and curator of “Designgalleriet” in Stockholm.
Text & Photos | Bernadette Trepte
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