Felicia Arvid

Photographed By Kasper Bøttern 

WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?

Actually, I have just moved to Aalborg in Denmark and I am looking forward to explore the city and my new neighborhood. I haven’t always lived here but most of my life I have lived in Denmark except for when I studied abroad in Glasgow. 

HERE WERE YOU BORN AND BROUGHT UP?

I was born in Aarhus, Denmark but raised in a small harbor town by the sea south from the city. 

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR PRESENT CITY OR HOMETOWN?

My present city is yet to be explored but I have already found the perfect coffee place which is a good start. I think the best thing about my hometown was its location by the sea. I love walking along the beach, it is the perfect place for me to clear my mind. Living by the coast creates a boundary which gives me a sense of space and scale. I like to be near this “edge” where you have the wide view over the ocean – it gives me a feeling of “eternity”.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES?

My childhood is filled with wonderful memories but if I had to choose one, I think it would be one summer holiday, where we went on a spontaneous trip to France. I remember my parents telling me one day to pack a bag because we were going to France. We loaded our stuff in the car and drove off that same day. I still remember it as a magical adventure, the ability just to take off like that one day. Looking back, I realize how much the measure of time change when you become older. When I was little, the two months summer holiday felt like a year and now a year sometimes feels like two months. 

WHY  DESIGNER?

I think I’ve always had a natural fascination and enquiry to why things are as they are. It’s an eternal quest to find a new unique solution to a specific purpose. To me, the language of form is my true passion. It is a never ending dictionary filled with fascinating words yet to be discovered. 

HOW AND WHERE DID YOU ACQUIRE THE SKILL?

My childhood dream was to become a fashion designer and I learned how to sew from my mother. First, I studied dressmaking and fashion design and sold my first collection of clothes to a store in Japan at the age of 17. Then, I reached a point where I thought why not take fashion beyond our clothes and in to the space that surrounds us, why limit it to fashion, when the same rules apply to furniture, lighting etc. So, I began exploring other areas of design and developed ideas for acoustic panels and furniture. However, I decided to take a degree in architecture at the Glasgow School of Art because architecture encompasses all the different scales including furniture, spaces and buildings. My background in dressmaking gives me a tactile approach to product design. This creates a naturally close relationship between the material and its constructional properties. The experience from sewing and pattern making gives me a knowledge of draping and how to create three-dimensional shapes from a flat piece of material.

WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION?

My designs are developed through a process which iteratively switch between sketching and material experimentation. Sometimes the concept is clear from the beginning and other times it becomes clear through the process. The concept is usually informed by my tactile approach where I explore a material's properties and find a new way to exploit these properties.  I am fascinated by the element of surprise, when your hands are “in the mud” so to speak and you are experimenting with the material and an unexpected shape or concept reveals itself which would not have been possible to envision by the stroke of a pencil. My process is an ongoing exploration until I find there is a meaningful dialog between an intriguing form and construction, material and function. 

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

Inspiration is an elusive thing. Sometimes it is the result of a visual impression you have been presented with other times there is just something which continues to intrigue you and you can’t get it out of your mind but you don’t know where this notion came from to begin with. To me, inspiration can be found in the most trivial places or situations, the trick is to observe with an imaginative mind.

WHAT OR WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOU?

First, I would say my parents, as they have played a key part of forming the person I am today through my upbringing. Then of course the great masters in architecture and design like Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Verner Panton to name a few and the Bauhaus movement with Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer has been enlightening to become acquainted with during my studies and have influenced my understanding of architecture and design.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL AESTHETIC?

Timeless, effortless, and elegant with a sustainable and innovative modern touch, and a strong visual identity, is probably the best way to describe my personal aesthetic. When I am in Copenhagen, one of my favorite places to visit is the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek where the grandeur of the past gives the place a both calm and clear atmosphere. I find sitting in the palm tree garden the perfect place for contemplating. I like the concept of combining a greenhouse with a museum of classical art.

WHAT BEAUTY ROUTINE DO YOU SWEAR BY?

I always wear sunscreen.

WHAT DO YOU GET UP TO WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?

I like to spend time with my friends and family and go out for a nice dinner. Also, exploring new places, visiting art museums, going to the opera or reading a good book.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND?

I still like to design and sew clothes for myself so, when I have the time I like to immerse myself in the process which I find to be quite meditative for me.