Interview with Magniberg

Meet Bengt Thornefors and Nina Norgren, founders behind the innovative design brand Magniberg

Tell us about Magniberg and your philosophy about bed linen looks.
Magniberg aim to bring a modern neo-classicist sentiment to furniture and bedwear.
We asked ourselves what ‘luxury’ stands for today and we felt that the standards had to be revised. The market is and has been very stereo-typical in our opinion.

We wanted to create a brand with an essence that infused all levels of it, everything from photography, fabrics to packaging—a platform that acts as an extension of our aesthetics. We want people to discover and feel it for themselves rather than shoving it down their throats. We want people to fall as much in love with our pink lace and washed black jersey as with our pure, white Egyptian cotton sateen.

It’s like matching a pair of tailored suit trousers with your favourite worn in t-shirt. It’s about finding a balance. That contrast in itself is luxury to us, we offer a wardrobe. It’s like when you buy a shirt—you don’t just buy the shirt but rather the energy and emotions that are tied into it. That’s what we wanted to do; bring emotions into the home.

How did the idea arise for the exhibition and collaboration with Bukowskis?
It started when we saw a yellow giant Bram Bogart piece at Bukowskis some time ago and a dialogue arose. Bogart is one of many artists who early inspired us and one of the first inspirational images we sat up in the studio when we started Magniberg three years ago was, among other things, a yellow piece by Bogart, beside Bettina Rheims, Wolfgang Tillmans et al. The dialogue developed into a desire to do something together, a desire to physically manifest Magniberg's creative expression in a historical and artistic context, where new furniture and products don’t exclude the elderly. The collaboration therefore feels very natural to both of us but hopefully surprising to others.

What can we expect to see?
The exhibition includes a selection of Fine Art and design from Bukowskis, side by side with our textiles and cubist furniture. Carl Larsson, Bram Bogart, Axel Einar Hjorth, Sven Markelius, oriental porcelain alongside white Egyptian cotton, classic oxford stripes, washed jersey and poplin with mother of pearl buttons – As well as series of images shot by the photographers Josefine Seifert and Casper Sejersen. This collaboration and curated installations will manifest Magniberg's universe, where old meets the new in a fun and creative way.

What happens in such meetings where your contemporary furniture and textiles meet design classics of eg Markelius and Hjort?
Our ambition is to inspire. Mixing art, design and ancient pieces from earlier periods together with Magniberg's products creates an interesting contrast and a new context that hopefully awakens curiosity. It is also a response to what we consider to be right from a sustainability perspective. Just as older objects and art carry a province and a historical value, we see that this meeting also creates new emotional values. The objects together create a new aesthetic and invite to a fantasy about how you can live your life.

Exhibition: 5th–9th of February 2019 at Bukowskis, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm
Opening hours: tue–fri 11–5pm, sat 11–3pm. Read more here >

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