How did you find Barcelona? Were you able to see the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion or Park Güell?
IS I like Barcelona very much! I can’t say I know the streets and neighborhoods as well as I do Paris or Rome, but I would love to eventually get there. I didn’t visit the Mies Pavilion or Park Güell on this particular trip, but I’ve been there before. Once on a romantic trip with my husband, and another time on a study trip with architecture school.
I am an architect who now works in fashion and often notice how much architecture is present in the folds and volumes of clothes, as well as in photography. Do you also find many correlations between your two jobs?
IS Definitely! I guess it goes for all of the visual expressions of culture: fashion, architecture, film, art. I often look for compositions, how the different disciplines frame or curate their vision, arrange the different pieces together, that make up the piece/product/image.
Architecture is an aesthetic medium often used as a social expression. Do you think growing up in Norway has influenced your approach to it?
IS Absolutely. And probably in ways that I’m not even aware of. But my love for wood and craft and vernacular architecture is something I think is rooted in my upbringing, close to nature and to people who know how to live with and in nature.
Until a few years ago, you lived in Grünerløkka, one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Oslo. Do you still live there? Why Oslo?
IS No, now we live in the area of Berg, north of the city center, right next to the more famous Ullevål Haveby. I’ve lived in Oslo since I met my husband in 2007, who was studying medicine here at the time. Norway is very good for family life and also for nature-loving people. So Oslo becomes the best base for international work, which both my husband and I do. Plus, we have a close network of friends that live here too! I would love to spend more time in the north where I’m from in the future, but I’m not in a rush to make it happen. Maybe that’s a life for when the kids are older.
You mentioned that during your studies you developed a specific interest in heritage. Can you tell me more about that?
IS I love history, and I love stories. I like great design too, but placing a piece of great design within a tradition or a cultural period adds so much more beyond the pure aesthetics of it. To me that’s exciting. Looking at architecture developing through history is just one way to look at development and changes in human history.
Besides fashion and architecture, what else do you like? What are your sources of inspiration?
IS Nature, music, movies. I love cooking as well, and physical activity, like yoga and running in the forest. I’m a daydreamer really, and love to just walk around without a plan or purpose. Unfortunately, life seems to contain less and less un-programmed time, and I’m not sure if I should blame life with small children, smartphones, or office work for it. But it’s something I think about and would love to get back into my life more.
What projects are you currently working on?
IS At the office where I work (ELEMENT), I’m currently involved in the refurbishment of a listed auditorium from 1970, and the competition for a memorial site of the terror attack of 22nd of July in the government quarter here in Oslo. I’m also involved in some exhibition design projects. I also have a private practice on my own, where I do smaller refurbishments of houses and apartments, and I’m also working on a workshop/retreat center in the north. This last project I’m really excited about!
What do you do when you’re not working? Do you ever not work?
IS Hm… I’m a terrible relaxer. When I don’t work, I usually tidy up or mend things. Running or walking in the forest or mountain is how I relax my brain, reading novels is how I relax my body.
You look amazing in Loro Piana, I think it fully represents your charisma. How do you feel connected to the brand?
IS I’ll be 40 next year, and something I think about now when buying clothes is: “Will I love this piece when I’m 50 or even 60 as well?”. This mindset shift is steering me towards brands that have a classical approach and focus on the quality of fabrics, seam, craft, and great cuts and silhouettes. Loro Piana is one of those brands that I’m currently gravitating towards.
Read the full interview on Muse September Issue 64.
Text by Fabio Crovi
