"It’s fun to merge function with decoration"
Lotta Agaton is an interior design stylist and one of the founders of Residence magazine. She now runs her own design studio, Lotta Agaton Interiors. Over time, she has not only amassed some amazing experiences, but also a lot of personal possessions. “My own books would fill sixty boxes in their own right! And at work, we have an insane number of props. Enough to fill a large garage.”
Yet her interiors often radiate the exact opposite. Not minimalism per se, but a kind of well-thought-out accuracy, even in settings where there may be soil spillages and sawdust. Or as in the picture where she suddenly tilts the String shelf. This is something that no one has come up with in the more-than-70-year long history of the shelf. “I think it’s fun to merge function with decoration. Here, I let the shelf become part of the architecture, almost like a work of art.”
Exactly like a work of art, we would probably say. The shelf is not designed to tilt, and anyone who happens to repeat Lotta’s idea does so at their own peril. Still, Lotta’s interpretation says something about both her and the String shelf’s ability to reinvent themselves, time and again. “The basis of the interiors that my colleagues and I create is structure and order. This provides scope for different kinds of freedom. And String is perfect, because you can customise it exactly as needed".
For anyone thinking about how to create attractive interiors from functional storage, Lotta has a handy tip: “Many people forget to adapt the storage to the interior design. You can make a nice pattern or work with colours and complementary colours. Then it becomes something that not only helps to keep things in order, but is also truly decorative”.
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LOTTAS COMBINATION
1 & 2. Magazine holders and magazine shelves because I love magazines
3. Metal shelf with a high edge for larger items
4. Several organizers and hooks for all the little things
5. Rods for fabric samples
6. Knife block for knives and scissors