Meet Peter Andersson, the Designer behind our acclaimed Corso series

Do you have a special place that’s important to you for your creative work?

I bring my creative space with me wherever I go, really. I don’t rely on any one location to get ideas. On the other hand, I’m inspired by certain places or ‘stations’. I have a studio and model workshop in my home in Stockholm. And there’s a studio and a workshop in the house in Österlen. It’s great fun working with full-scale experiments there.  I think these physical spaces are important for me to define myself and what I do.  But, as for designing, a pencil and paper are enough, really. The idea behind Corso came to me while I was sitting on a terrace with a coffee, a cardamom bun and a sketchpad. By the way, a magpie stole the cardamom bun just as I was doing my doodle!

What do you think makes good design?

Things that tell a story; that, to me, feel relevant to, and interesting in the context of, our time. Good design is something you can put up with on a rainy Monday morning.

What do you think your long-term role is as a designer?

My goal is to work with the industry to make what we do more sustainable. That includes carefully considering every choice of material. Just as important as looking forward in search of new materials is looking backwards to find tried and true natural materials that have been used for hundreds or even thousands of years. In the case of Corso, for example, we used linen textile in its support structure, a durable renewable material that’s been part of people’s daily lives for thousands of years.

What characterises your design?

My design is always contextual and usually pragmatic. When I’m designing a piece of furniture, I always have an imaginary or real space in mind. I see spaces as scenes where different events unfold. The furniture becomes a kind of prop that helps frame what’s happening. In the design phase itself, I usually tell myself to make the ordinary less ordinary. Taking an ordinary standard steel pipe and shaping it in a new way is one example.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by my family, springtime and humble people with great expertise and knowledge.

What’s your best advice for aspiring furniture designers?

To always have a plan A, B and C. At the very least.

Photo: Fredrik Andersson Andersson
Journalist: Jens Soneryd

Shop the Corso collection at www.inspecfurniture.com