OLIVIA Åhman
Interior Architecture and Furniture Design BA
Konstfack University Of Arts Crafts and Design
Graduates: 2023
Specialisms: Interior Architecture / Furniture / Product Design
My location: Stockholm, Sweden
OLIVIA Åhman
First Name: OLIVIA
Last Name: Åhman
University / College: Konstfack University Of Arts Crafts and Design
Course / Program: Interior Architecture and Furniture Design BA
Graduates: 2023
Specialisms: Interior Architecture / Furniture / Product Design
My Location: Stockholm, Sweden
About
I recently took my degree in interior architecture and furniture design from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Sweden. I like to work in a very dynamic and creative way in my projects, where nothing is left to chance. For me as an interior architect and designer, the interaction between function, form and materiality is important. Where the form is never allowed to take over the function completely, if there is an intended purpose for it. Which it should be in the vast majority of cases.
I am very excited to finally be able to use and build on my knowledge at my internship at Claesson Koivisto Rune architects this year in Stockholm. I look forward to being in a constantly learning all my life and to being involved and both building on, changing and improving our society going forward!
My degree project in interior architecture and furniture design is a collaboration with the organization Better Shelter, which offers temporary housing to people in emergency and crisis situations worldwide. The spatial context for the project is the accommodation's 17.5 square meters. By identifying interior needs in the room, the project attacks the lack of storage. The intention is to make it easier for the residents, with structure and order in their temporary housing, to create security and an increased well-being for the individual who uses these 17.5 square meters. Taking into account the existing materials, surface and components of the home, designs are investigated that enable participation and encourage individuals to independently create personal and functional homes. The spatial context is not geographically site-specific, but in the project the design is applied to northwestern Syria to demonstrate the potential connections with local and available resources. In order to make my representation and my design proposal realistic in relation to place and culture, I have worked with several methods where I have chosen to call one of them "subject positioning". The method has helped me to understand my position and relationship to the subject and insight into individuals with the lived experience. It has been necessary to take part of their experience and knowledge. With the lived experience I mean individuals who are on the run or have fled. A main aim of the talks has been to gain a broader understanding of how a home in Syria can look, be organized and furnished before ending up in a temporary home in an emergency and crisis situation. This work has been absolutely decisive for the result. I believe Interior designers can influence, facilitate, change and improve the living conditions of people living in emergency and crisis situations. The project has the title “ 17.5 sq m: Components and furniture for the temporary housing Better Shelter and manual that provide opportunities for a personal and functional home in emergency and crisis situations.” And this is my idea of how I, as an interior architect and designer, can improve living conditions in the current situation.
Competitions
