To give our audience eyes and ears into Frame Awards 2020, we're sharing coverage on the decision-making that resulted in the winning projects. Below, we celebrate the recipient of our honorary award Designer of the Year: Note Design Studio. Find the full collection of winner reports in our upcoming May/June 2020 issue, Frame 134.
It’s hard to fault good Scandinavian design. It’s captured the hearts – and overtaken the mood boards – of countless stylists, and been adopted in homes on every corner of the globe. Part of its appeal is its simplicity – minimalism without the coldness. The Swedes apparently have a word for it: lagom means ‘moderate’ or ‘just enough’. While it wouldn’t be flattering to label Note as proponents of Scandinavian design – the team actively avoids being tied to a particular style – the Stockholm-based studio has undoubtedly mastered the art of moderation.
Note was founded in 2008 and works in the fields of architecture, interiors, products, graphic design and design strategy. Despite rejecting categorization, the team is aware of several characteristics that run through its projects: ‘dreams, function, creativity and respect for the environment.’ We’ll add another to the list: restraint. Note’s projects feel harmonious, with a material sensitivity that’s almost impossible to learn. The non-hierarchical studio has grown to a team of 14 designers that have flexed those skills across successful interior projects: from hotels to installations within various scales and budgets.
London co-working space Summit House, completed for The Office Group. Read more here.
An exhibition at Stockholm's Ark Des, ‘Flying Panels – How Concrete Panels Changed the World'. Read more here.
Formations, a collaboration with Tarkett for Fuorisalone 2019. Read more here.
Design has the power to change for the better the way we consume
The names behind Note say that as designers, they’re ‘very aware of the problem attached to making new things in a world already full of stuff. But we believe that design has the power to change for the better the way we consume.’ Today, when we’re seeing the alarming results of our throwaway culture, we need designers to wear sustainability on their sleeves. Note’s message? ‘We’re always saying that there’s sustainability in aesthetics. If you create a product that’s beautiful and durable enough, it will stand the test of time.’
Frame Awards 2020's Honorary accolades were proudly sponsored by IBA. The People's Choice award went to WGNB.
