In Conversation With John
This year at 3daysofdesign, our focus was on delving into 'the feeling of home'. We debuted the New Works Residence, inviting those around us to explore this theme through design talks. One of the highlights was our conversation with designer John Astbury, whom we had the pleasure of visiting in his serene Stockholm neighbourhood before the event. Discover our interview and learn more about how we can create spaces that blend beauty, nostalgia, and soulful living.
You’ve moved to Stockholm from England - how do you build a home in a new country? Slowly! It's a very reflective question. What is home? I think home is a response to where we are. To context and time, and that response becomes really specific and very individual very quickly.
The home is constantly shifting. I don't feel the desire to curate to reflect an aesthetic but to reflect ourselves. I am not in a rush for these things. Whenever you move, either within a country or outside, you're adding new chapters. You constantly collect memories, moments, and objects, and I think that is what you want to pour into your home. It's the idiosyncrasies and the contrasts, even clashes, that I believe make a space come alive. It's also inevitable as my home is not just mine but also my wife's and my children's. They have their own needs, responses and objects. Just lean into it.
More physically, I always focus on the architectural elements and materials. These are the bone structure of a room. Then you can throw what you want on top. I'm often drawn to more tactile objects; tactility is usually wrongly cast as cosy when its range is much greater; the cold and harsh are just as important. I want textured and raw next to refined and precise materials. Incongruous forms, colours, textures. Let as much life in as possible.
It's a place for calm that acts as a refuge, but also to socialize and enjoy; it's never one thing. That adaptability and willingness to embrace whatever you want to do there is what I want from a home.
What are the cornerstones of what makes a home a home for you? I think that the basic elements of the building itself begin to set the tone. The architectural elements guide a lot of the aesthetic and functional decisions. After the basics, it's a collection of many disparate elements that reflect the people who live there. It has to be personal: to be about who we are and how we live—those moments when we're in the same spaces and can gather.
Which qualities do you appreciate most about your own space? The light. We have a panoramic window that is the full width of our living room. The impact of the light and the view across the treetops will never get old. I think that's an important aspect of an interior and a home: finding something you love in the apartment or house and building towards that.
Is there any sound, music or smell that you connect with the feeling of home? Please tell us about it. There isn't a home without music, but maybe it's because of the season right now, but flowers or stems are also something I connect so closely with home. It's a simple thing, but it adds. My mother was a florist, so there are memories of my childhood home being filled with flowers, so the connection is obvious. I like that It's also something anyone can do. It doesn't have to be a big arrangement; a single flower or stem will do. If not from a florist, then from a field or park, and the kids can do it. I think there's something great about the ease and democratic simplicity. Also, when the dining table is overrun with the kids painting up a craft-crazed mess, if you at least have flowers on the table, then everything feels all right.
Do you have any favourite objects or pieces of furniture you own? Whistle vase by Ettore Sottsass. I packed a car up with my stuff when I moved to Sweden and this was one of the few pieces that came over with me so it's something I've had for a long time. I got this a long time before I studied design, just enjoyed the object and bought it. Didn't know his story or anything about Memphis group I just felt it. It is only in retrospect I can look back and think about what I was drawn to and it felt inevitable I would be moved to study design.
What is a very typical Swedish everyday habit you've taken on over the years?
I drink a lot more coffee now. A lot more. That idea of fika is ingrained in all parts of life, from work and home to the physical spaces of cafes and bakeries. There is an appreciation of those moments that I you don't see so much in England. Maybe because we have pubs instead. Absolutely different but equally the focus of shared social experiences aren't so far apart.
'My mother was a florist, so there are memories of my childhood home being filled with flowers. I like that It's also something anyone can do. There's something great about the ease and democratic simplicity.'
Do you think there are distinct differences in how people from England and Sweden perceive and create a sense of home through their design choices? An emphasis on lighting is a very distinct difference. It's hard to speak for a nation, let alone two, but I'd say my perception is that light is important in Sweden or maybe the whole of Scandinavia. The more lighting in a room, the more Scandinavian. An array of lighting! It is obvious, as with everything, that it is our response to the environment. The lack of light in winter is the obvious reference for this, but the flip side is also the joy of light. I am still amazed by the summer light in the North of Sweden and how it feels—there's a very physical sense of it. You are in its presence, which I certainly reflect on when working with lighting.
I believe a lot of contradictions stem more from my British side. I can attribute those more idiosyncratic elements or collections of disparate aesthetics to that side of me. There's a mix that I can see in my home and the surroundings or the area I live in. I think that is something I am drawn to. Maybe it helps balance things. It's hard to say exactly, but I think the baroque becomes more interesting next to the brutal and vice versa; the industrial next to the refined. It's always interesting to have some tension. I believe that's something that has always been very present in the UK, certainly very early on: mixing industrial and craft aesthetics and processes as a design intent.
How do you ensure that your designs remain relevant and lasting, considering the ever-evolving trends and preferences? 'Just make it good' is always the best approach. Take your time. If you want things to last, you need to put the time in now. Finding balance is also an essential aspect of my work. Maybe that balanced or resolved presence is something that doesn't shift so greatly with time. There are many elements in any piece, so trying to proportion these and play with them is where I spend a large portion of the design process. I think that is where you can add longevity by paying attention. But I wouldn't say I focus on longevity. I hope longevity is the result, but my focus is on the object and context.
Do you draw inspiration from personal experiences or memories of home when designing your products? It's always personal. There's an instinct that I rely on, and I think you have to hold onto that instinct as you go through the process. Of course, there are other factors to consider: the company you're working for, the market, production, and so many other elements. But I believe that if you let those take away that instinct, something's wrong, and you should do something else.
I don't design for 'my' home; that's not how I approach an object. But memories, experiences or a feeling. When that hits, you have to take it in. Those moments are part of the palette you draw from.