Get To Know Chris Halstrom, A Designer Who Fuses Danish Sensuality With Japanese Minimalism
GET TO KNOW
Chris Halstrom, A Designer Who Fuses Danish Sensuality With Japanese Minimalism To Create Heirlooms Of Tomorrow
Story by Diana Keeler
Chris L. Halstrøm is a Denmark native who inherited her passion for Nordic design from her Swedish mother and Danish father. A self-described ‘slow worker, late sleeper, and chocolate lover’, Chris designed Skagerak’s Dining collection, Work from Home Collection (including the impeccably crafted golden oiled oak Vester Chair), and the Georg collection of versatile stools and tables. Here Chris discusses how furniture should grow and adapt with us at life’s different stages, why she chose Oak for the Vester Chair, and the importance of having a distinct WFH space.
Chris L. Halstrøm’s Vester chair has its elegant roots in exceptional misfortune: The Copenhagen-based designer originally created it in 2019 for the owners of Svinkløv Badehotel, a hotel on Denmark’s North Sea coastline, after the original 1925 structure burned to the ground. Now a part of Bloomist’s minimalist-minded WFH collection, its first use was in the hotel’s restaurant, which was then under the leadership of Bocuse d’Or-winning chef Kenneth Toft Hansen. “The hotel is situated in the north of Denmark in the sand dunes, so a focus was to bring in as much as possible of the colors found in the area,” Halstrøm says of the chair, which is made from sustainably harvested oak.
“The craftsmanship and ingredients in the extremely well made food in the hotel was something I also wanted to shine through in the dining chairs. That is why I ended up choosing the oak, which is a classic furniture material in Denmark, combined with the small brass details — for example, the handle on the back, so you can be polite and draw out the chair for the person sitting next to you.” Halstrøm says that while the Vester was originally designed to be viewed as a group within a busy restaurant — “with the rhythm of many of them being combined” — she expects them to hold up in a one-person office setting: “It should be an outstanding piece on its own.”
Top: Designer Chris Halstrøm at her Copenhagen studio. Above: The Svinkløv Badehotel hotel on Denmark’s North Sea coastline. Right: The Vester chair designed for the hotel includes human touches like a brass rod on the back for pulling the chair in or out.
Main: Designer Chris Halstrøm at her Copenhagen studio. Top: The Vester chair designed for the hotel includes human touches like a brass rod on the back for pulling the chair in or out. Above: The Svinkløv Badehotel hotel on Denmark’s North Sea coastline.
“NOT EVERYONE HAS ROOM FOR SETTING UP A HOME OFFICE BUT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A DESIGNATED SPACE WHERE WORK IS ALL YOU DO THERE, SO YOU CAN ‘LEAVE’ WORK AND FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS WHEN THE DAY ENDS”
This adjustment in scale is a key element in creating a highly functional work from home space, Halstrøm says. “I think most importantly, a work-from-home space needs to feel like your own space even though it might be small in size, so you don't have to put away your things all the time,” she says. “Not everyone has room for setting up a home office, but I think it is important to have a designated space where work is all you do there, so you can ‘leave’ work and focus on other things when the day ends — and equally feel like you are going to work when you go sit at your workspace.”
A simple home office done Danish style features a versatile Georg Desk with other complementary Skagerak products including the Nomad Desk Tray designed for Skagerak by VE2. To the left, a versatile Noboru Step Ladder also works as a small side table
Her Georg desk is tailor made for these economical environments. “I wanted to make a small — but still roomy enough — table that can be used in different situations,” she says. “It could be a dining table in a small apartment, for a café, for doing homework or drawing in a kids room — or, for example, a work-from-home work station.
“I WANTED TO MAKE A SMALL - BUT STILL ROOMY ENOUGH - TABLE THAT CAN BE USED IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. IT COULD BE A DINING TABLE IN A SMALL APARTMENT, FOR DOING HOMEWORK, OR A WORK-FROM-HOME STATION”
For most of my furniture, I like it when they can be put in different environments if your living situation changes.” “Living situation changes” is one way of describing the upheaval of the past 18 months, an ongoing contraction and expansion that’s seen us dramatically resize our lives in favor — so far — of bringing our work lives into our homes, while our “office” lives remain, for many people, a now-distant memory. Including Halstrøm’s partner: “Luckily I have my own office, so I did not have to work from home myself during lockdown,” she says. “It was important for my partner in particular to have a designated workspace, since he was working from home for almost 17 months. And here the Georg desk certainly came in handy!”
Danish design is all about a light, considered design hand and light, considered materials like natural FSC-certified oak. Above left: the New Hven Chair joins the versatile Georg Table with a Georg Stool (foreground) and Georg Bench (right). Above Right: Meticulously crafted Georg Desk with 2 Legs works as a small table, console, or bedroom vanity table. The Georg Stool features a comfortable wool cushion. Left: Jubilee Georg Stool comes with a soft, comfortable leather cushion secured to the stool with a braided leather strap.
Danish design is all about a light, considered design hand and light, considered materials like natural FSC-certified oak. Above: Meticulously crafted Georg Desk with 2 Legs works as a small table, console, or bedroom vanity table. The Georg Stool features a comfortable wool cushion. Below: the New Hven Chair joins the versatile Georg Table with a Georg Stool (foreground) and Georg Bench (right). Bottom: Jubilee Georg Stool comes with a soft, comfortable leather cushion secured to the stool with a braided leather strap.
“IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR MY PARTNER IN PARTICULAR TO HAVE A DESIGNATED WORKSPACE, SINCE HE WAS WORKING FROM HOME FOR ALMOST 17 MONTHS. AND HERE THE GEORG DESK CERTAINLY CAME IN HANDY.”
Danish design principles including exceptional craftsmanship and exceptional materials are melded together in Chris Halstrom’s simple, innovative designs for Skagerak, including the Georg Desk with Drawer and Georg Stool in the image above.
GET TO KNOW
Chris Halstrom, A Designer Who Fuses Danish Sensuality With Japanese Minimalism To Create Heirlooms Of Tomorrow
Story by Diana Keeler
Chris L. Halstrøm is a Denmark native who inherited her passion for Nordic design from her
Swedish mother and Danish father. A self-described ‘slow worker, late sleeper, and chocolate
lover’, Chris designed Skagerak’s Dining collection, Work from Home Collection (including
the impeccably crafted golden oiled oak Vester Chair), and the Georg collection of versatile
stools and tables. Here Chris discusses how furniture should grow and adapt with us at
life’s different stages, why she chose Oak for the Vester Chair, and the importance of
having a distinct WFH space.
Chris L. Halstrøm’s Vester chair has its elegant roots in exceptional misfortune: The
Copenhagen-based designer originally created it in 2019 for the owners of Svinkløv Badehotel,
a hotel on Denmark’s North Sea coastline, after the original 1925 structure burned to the ground.
Now a part of Bloomist’s minimalist-minded WFH collection, its first use was in the hotel’s
restaurant, which was then under the leadership of Bocuse d’Or-winning chef Kenneth Toft Hansen.
“The hotel is situated in the north of Denmark in the sand dunes, so a focus was to bring in
as much as possible of the colors found in the area,” Halstrøm says of the chair, which is
made from sustainably harvested oak.
“The craftsmanship and ingredients in the extremely well made food in the hotel was something
I also wanted to shine through in the dining chairs. That is why I ended up choosing
the oak, which is a classic furniture material in Denmark, combined with the small
brass details — for example, the handle on the back, so you can be polite and draw
out the chair for the person sitting next to you.” Halstrøm says that while the Vester
was originally designed to be viewed as a group within a busy restaurant — “with the
rhythm of many of them being combined” — she expects them to hold up in a one-person
office setting: “It should be an outstanding piece on its own.”
Top: Designer Chris Halstrøm at her Copenhagen studio. Above: The Svinkløv Badehotel hotel
on Denmark’s North Sea coastline. Right: The Vester chair designed for the hotel
includes human touches like a brass rod on the back for pulling the chair in or out.
Main: Designer Chris Halstrøm at her Copenhagen studio.
Top: The Vester chair designed for the hotel
includes human touches like a brass rod on the back for pulling the chair in or out.
Above: The Svinkløv Badehotel hotel
on Denmark’s North Sea coastline.
“NOT EVERYONE HAS ROOM FOR SETTING UP A HOME OFFICE BUT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT
TO HAVE A DESIGNATED SPACE WHERE WORK IS ALL YOU DO THERE, SO YOU CAN ‘LEAVE’
WORK AND FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS WHEN THE DAY ENDS”
This adjustment in scale is a key element in creating a highly functional work from home space, Halstrøm says.
“I think most importantly, a work-from-home space needs to feel like your own space even though
it might be small in size, so you don't have to put away your things all the time,” she says.
“Not everyone has room for setting up a home office, but I think it is important to have a
designated space where work is all you do there, so you can ‘leave’ work and focus on other
things when the day ends — and equally feel like you are going to work when you go sit at
your workspace.”
A simple home office done Danish style features a versatile Georg Desk with other complementary
Skagerak products including the Nomad Desk Tray designed for Skagerak by VE2.
To the left, a versatile Noboru Step Ladder also works as a small side table
Her Georg desk is tailor made for these economical environments. “I wanted to make a small — but
still roomy enough — table that can be used in different situations,” she says. “It could be
a dining table in a small apartment, for a café, for doing homework or drawing in a kids
room — or, for example, a work-from-home work station.
“I WANTED TO MAKE A SMALL - BUT STILL ROOMY ENOUGH - TABLE THAT CAN BE USED IN DIFFERENT
SITUATIONS. IT COULD BE A DINING TABLE IN A SMALL APARTMENT, FOR DOING HOMEWORK, OR
A WORK-FROM-HOME STATION”
For most of my furniture, I like it when they can be put in different environments if your living
situation changes.” “Living situation changes” is one way of describing the upheaval of the
past 18 months, an ongoing contraction and expansion that’s seen us dramatically resize our
lives in favor — so far — of bringing our work lives into our homes, while our “office” lives
remain, for many people, a now-distant memory. Including Halstrøm’s partner: “Luckily I
have my own office, so I did not have to work from home myself during lockdown,” she says.
“It was important for my partner in particular to have a designated workspace, since he
was working from home for almost 17 months. And here the Georg desk certainly came in handy!”
Danish design is all about a light, considered design hand and light, considered
materials like natural FSC-certified oak. Above left: the New Hven Chair
joins the versatile Georg Table with a Georg Stool (foreground)
and Georg Bench (right). Above Right: Meticulously crafted
Georg Desk with 2 Legs works as a small table, console,
or bedroom vanity table. The Georg Stool features
a comfortable wool cushion. Left: Jubilee Georg Stool
comes with a soft, comfortable leather cushion secured to
the stool with a braided leather strap.
Danish design is all about a light, considered design hand and light, considered
materials like natural FSC-certified oak.
Above: Meticulously crafted
Georg Desk with 2 Legs works as a small table, console,
or bedroom vanity table. The Georg Stool features
a comfortable wool cushion.
Below: the New Hven Chair
joins the versatile Georg Table with a Georg Stool (foreground)
and Georg Bench (right). Bottom: Jubilee Georg Stool
comes with a soft, comfortable leather cushion secured to
the stool with a braided leather strap.
“IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR MY PARTNER IN PARTICULAR TO HAVE A DESIGNATED WORKSPACE, SINCE
HE WAS WORKING FROM HOME FOR ALMOST 17 MONTHS. AND HERE THE GEORG DESK CERTAINLY CAME IN HANDY.”
Danish design principles including exceptional craftsmanship and exceptional materials
are melded together in Chris Halstrom’s simple, innovative designs for Skagerak,
including the Georg Desk with Drawer and Georg Stool in the image above.
