Pizza, pine, and the power of making: A day with Fredrik Paulsen
Fredrik Paulsen is a Swedish designer known for his distinctive style. His work aims to be carefree and playful while fostering a sense of community.
IN JUST a few years, Fredrik Paulsen has become one of Sweden’s most celebrated contemporary designers. His works are both archetypal and refreshingly original, his creative references wide-ranging.
As all eyes are on Fredrik’s newly launched 001 Black range by Finnish manufacturer Vaarnii, design journalist Laura Houseley joins him for a day to explore how the spaces, people, and culture around him shape his creative world. Join us!
Paulsen’s workshop is located in Årsta, just outside central Stockholm.
We were delighted to spend a day with Fredrik!
One of his latest creations is an all-black version of the 001 Dining Chair for Vaarnii.
LAURA HOUSELEY: You are based in Stockholm, and you’ve been working from your current studio for a while now. How does the architecture of your working environment influence what you produce there?
FREDRIK PAULSEN: “I moved to a new workspace on the outskirts of Stockholm. It’s very spacious. It used to be a factory in the 1950s and has wonderful north-facing light. Later, it served as a laundry, which explains the tiles and the 1990s-style flooring. I moved in almost two years ago. Time flies when you’re having fun. It took me quite a while to settle in and get used to the scale of the space. I’ve started creating larger pieces now because everything looked so small at first. The high ceilings allow me to make big objects, like a huge chandelier. For once, I have room to create in every direction.”
LH: And the materiality of the space looks very different.
FP: “My previous workspace was a typical artist’s studio with a gray concrete floor and white walls. Here, all the building’s fundamental elements are visible, and the walls and floor have both color and texture. I think that’s why I approach color differently here too. The new black pieces for Vaarnii look great in this space.”
“In the studio I never want to stop,” he says.
LH: How so? Color is part of your design DNA. Do you perceive it differently now?
FP: “I realized that although you can create beautiful objects in a blank studio, the world itself isn’t grayscale. Before, I was always chasing rainbows and bold colors. Now I’m more comfortable with natural tones too. People see me as the vibrant, colorful one, and that’s partly true. But it has never been the only element for me. I see and use color as though it were a material. Interestingly, with Vaarnii, color was never an option. It was always about the pine, and that was incredibly inspiring for me. The reference for the 001 series form was architectural beams.
Now the black makes so much sense. It reminds me of the tar-black coating we give traditional pine houses here in the Nordics. It’s a nod to traditional architecture. The stained wood shimmers in a beautiful way, and you can still glimpse the vibrant wood grain beneath.”
Fredrik has designed several pieces of furniture for the Finnish brand Vaarnii. All of them are made of pine.
The sturdy 001 dining chair offers a comfortable seat thanks to its rounded seat and backrest.
Fredrik Paulsen also runs his own brand, Joy Objects.
Paulsen loves color. The Joy Objects chairs come in shades called Cotton Candy & Wine.
LH: We’ve spoken, you and I, at different periods throughout your career. How would you describe your practice right now, at this moment?
FP: “My practice is elastic. It has always been that way, and I think that’s the beauty of it. I’m such a design nerd when it comes to the history of design and everything related to the craft itself. But my practice is not now, nor has it ever been, only about objects. I’m deeply interested in everything that surrounds them, how they came to be, how they were made, why they look the way they do. Objects are the vehicle, but never the destination.
Making has always been a kind of action sport for me, a reaction to a problem rather than the end goal. And when I miss that reason to make, I’ve built my own ecosystems, like with Joy. When I work, everything is part of the design process: creating the context in which to design, the environment, the communication, the imagery. That’s what I mean by elastic.”
“I’m so interested in everything around the object too; how it came to be, how it was made, why it looks as it does. Objects are the vehicle, but never the destination.”
LH: I recognise a love for wider popular culture in your work too. It’s a special quality.
FP: “It’s so important to understand that the things we make are intended to be used by people, not only by other designers. So, a wider cultural relevance is really important. I try to incorporate everything that I am interested in into my work.”
“Before, I was always chasing rainbows. Now I am more comfortable with natural colours too.”
He enjoys listening to CDs while working – meaning the background music isn’t an endless stream.
LH: I know you are specifically interested in music and food. I can see you’ve got a stack of CDs there. Do you play music while you work?
FP: “Yes, it helps me disconnect. But it depends on the type of work. When I’m doing manual work, I listen to CDs. But when I’m doing admin, I try to stay focused. I also need limitations, and that’s why CDs are great. I can put one on, turn up the volume, maybe skip a track, but it’s not an endless stream of music.”
LH: What is a typical day in the life for you?
FP: “It is quite predictable really. I wake up, prepare breakfast for my daughter and myself. My wife leaves early, so I never see her in the morning. And then I cycle to the studio.”
Pizzeria Karavan is one of Fredrik’s regular spots – and it’s conveniently close to his workshop.
These pizzas are no small affair!
LH: Cooking for your family is important to you.
FP: “Cooking at home is really important to me. I would call it my meditation. It’s never something I feel I have to do or just need to get done. I look forward to it. I love everything around it: shopping for groceries, doing the prepping, all the tools that come with it: the knife, the pots and pans, even the food packaging. And I actually enjoy doing the dishes afterwards too.”
LH: Is it a similar process to furniture making for you? You have the raw materials, the process, the end result...
FP: “Nearly. What I love about it, and why I enjoy doing the dishes too, is the satisfaction of completing something. With design, all my projects are somehow connected to each other and I see my work as a rolling snowball, always evolving and getting bigger. But at home, with cooking, it’s good to finish something. In the studio I never want to stop.”
Fredrik browses for new music at the record store Arketyp in Södermalm.
Fredrik holding House Music Volume 01: a mix CD by Mika Snickars released under his Joy Objects brand, originally recorded in Stockholm in 2000.
Cheers! The interior of Hosoi club features art and Joy Objects’ brightly colored chairs.
The popular restaurant Solen – featured in the Michelin Guide – is furnished with pine pieces designed by Fredrik for Vaarnii.
LH: You’ve already mentioned how a sense of community is important to your work. Does Stockholm provide that?
FP: “I think it’s cool that Stockholm is not a big city. It makes life easier in many ways. I feels like I know everyone here… I like the idea of being an old man who knows all my neighbours, waving at all the people passing by. I have my familiar places that I go to in the city, where I know all the people. They feel like family, and I really like that.”
“I have my familiar places that I go to in the city, where I know all the people. They feel like family and I really like that.”
LH: You’ve lived in London previously of course, how does it compare?
FP: “When I moved back from London I began to appreciate that it’s very easy to get from one end of Stockholm to the other. It doesn’t take two hours like it does in London. It’s good if you want to get around. You can just get things done here, and I really like that.”
The Globen (officially Avicii Arena) in southern Stockholm is a distinctive landmark.
Fredrik’s Stockholm
My workshop in Årsta is just outside the city, just a short bike ride from my home. It’s very spacious, and I’m lucky to have found it. It used to be a laundry before I moved in and still has ceramic tiles everywhere.
Karavan Pizzeria is local to the studio, and I’m there quite often.
Solen in Johanneshov is a beautiful restaurant with delicious food. It’s the kind of place to go with a big group for special celebrations. The area is developing quickly, and there are a lot of exciting things happening there.
Hosoi is a great club right next to Solen. It’s run by friends of mine who have always worked with really high-quality sound systems. They also make great Japanese-style fried chicken. The atmosphere is wonderful, they always have great DJs and bookings, and it’s about music first, before anything else.
Arketyp is a record store run by a small label in Södermalm. I’ve been going there for years, it’s full of excellent music.
See also:
• More designs by Fredrik Paulsen >
• All products by Vaarnii >
Published on 23 Oct, 2025
