Selected by: Ark Journal
For the latest edition of Selected by, Ark Journal selected their favorite FRAMA pieces and shot them in the FRAMA Studio. Ark Journal is a beautifully crafted biannual print magazine that celebrates the interplay of architecture, design, and art. With a sense of enduring Scandinavian values and aesthetics, Ark Journal explores the spaces around us, the objects we choose to live with and the people who make them.
What are the commonalities between Ark Journal and FRAMA?
At Ark Journal, we encourage critical debate through celebrating good ideas, honest materials and inventive design. These are some of the same values present in FRAMA’s multidisciplinary studio.
We focus on spaces, objects and people. Like FRAMA, we are interested in the synergy between the past and the present, having a dialogue with the past but not an overindulgent one that honours our legacy while looking to the future. We both believe in enduring design that should last a lifetime.
We are Copenhagen-based with an international perspective – we both owe a great deal to the Nordic design and architect pioneers who adapted Modernism to the Scandinavian culture, merging simplicity and function, local traditions and craftsmanship, and the Nordic climate. For Ark Journal, it is more a mindset than a certain Scandinavian style. It is exciting that the new generation of design studios like FRAMA encapsulate these enduring values, aesthetics and attitudes that are the essence of our Scandinavian design heritage.
What did you have in mind when curating the selection?
In our curation, we sought to reflect Ark Journal’s overall visual direction and align our choices with the two Case Studies in Volume II. The Form showcases soft sculptural shapes while Monochrome Geometry features metal, minimalist expressions.
In our choices of FRAMA designs, the soft round shapes stand out against the sharply cut lines and there’s a strong contrast with the materials, the coldness of the metal finely balanced against wood, terrazzo and glass. We are also fascinated by the honest craftsmanship evident in the products and their refined forms where construction processes are largely concealed.
Is there anything specific you enjoy about FRAMA’s approach to design?
We believe in the power of collaboration. Working with like-minded people results in an outcome that surpasses what you can achieve alone. The results can be seen in FRAMA’s product designs, based on independent designer’s collaborations and studio practice from interiors to scenography and events.
"For Ark Journal, it is more a mindset than a certain Scandinavian style."
