Q+A With Niels Strøyer Christophersen of FRAMA
Since the launch of its first collection in 2011, Frama has embraced an organic and collaborative approach to design; an approach that is equally inspired by the old and the new, by new technologies and analogue traditions. Frama's naturalistic, hands-on approach to design and production has allowed the brand to create a unified aesthetic across a growing range of product collections. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with founder Niels Strøyer Christophersen to explore the different life dimensions and principles that helped him shape the path to Frama’s creative and entrepreneurial success.
NSC: Niels Strøyer Christophersen
LV: Laurent Veilleux
LV: What did your life look like growing up from childhood to early adulthood?
NSC: I grew up in Næstved (an hour south of Copenhagen), in the same house that my parents live in today. A yellow brick building from the '50s/60's with an extension made a little later consisting of a squared flat construction with four big panorama windows facing a bigger garden and with a yellow brick wall as a continuation of the squared structure.
I am the middle child of three brothers, with whom I spent much of my childhood playing soccer, lego, and cars, together with other kids from our neighborhood. Our home was very much open to everyone, and extra food was always available for other people to join. My parents' values are very democratic and humble, far from any materialistic values. My mother had a significant interest in vintage furniture and flea markets in general. Therefore, many curiosities, objects, vases, and chairs filled our house.
Because my parents' house is not the largest, they decided to transform one of the living rooms into their bedroom at some point so that my brothers and I could each have our private room. My parents' bedroom area (in the living room) was closed off by an open-book-wall, constructed in wood, and the bed was a beautiful french mesh antique bed that was very decorative though one of the more simple ones. But it was quite exciting and also alternative somehow.
I studied commerce school but with a direction in languages instead of math. Later on, I traveled to southeast France until I settled in Paris for a few years, where I studied marketing and communication. I also lived for a while in Grenoble. For several years, I focused my studies on the French language and culture, which somehow affected my thinking and helped me become a bit more "international" and less typical danish.
LV: When and how did you find out about your interest in design?
NSC: I developed an interest in design during my teenage years, first emphasizing mostly on concepts rather than sketching or drawing. I was paying attention to various details within interior spaces, and I was learning from many different design directions. Later on, I started following multiple designers, companies, and blogs, to stay updated on the design scene, mostly within the furniture and lighting industry.
LV: After meeting with you in person and seeing the way you live and organize your life, you seem to have achieved something very hard, which is finding a balance between slow-living and business growth. How do you achieve this balance, and what kind of sacrifices are made to sustain it?
NSC: One of the most significant sacrifices or choices I made in my life was to avoid the news of the world and instead focus on creating my personal story. Since 2011, I have not followed general news in any field, and it helped me strengthen my focus on my direction, figuring out more precisely what I wanted to achieve and build in terms of surroundings. What kind of environment, people, culture, values, subjects I wanted to bring together. My childhood was quite different, and I do not have a creative school degree, so I guess I designed my school of aesthetics and values to compensate for this. People spend many hours on entertainment and following news of the world in various fields. Still, instead, I decided to either relax, look inward, be on the road or meet people, and it gives my life a different impact that potentially creates this balance.
I try as much as possible to protect my freedom, and I want to offer the same conditions to all my colleagues. I think that by caring for people's freedom and flexibility, you gain a lot back in terms of respect and help increase people's happiness, generally speaking.
My private life very much integrates with work and vice versa. It is the only way I can function, so separating work and private life would never work for me, and hopefully, my family will appreciate this potpourri life as well.
LV: What would you say is the biggest challenge you had to face with Frama so far, and how did you overcome it?
NSC: Creating a cohesive team and making it 100% aligned with the ethos and values of the company has been one of the biggest challenges to overcome. The initial transformation began in 2016, and today it is one of the most critical aspects of the company and the reason why we can realize all our projects. Each person works independently, with a very entrepreneurial mindset within the ethos of what's best for the company.
LV: Could you name a few influential people that you like to refer to for life principles or inspiration?
NSC:
Yohji Yamamoto,
Donald Judd, and
Peter Zumthor
I hardly studied those people, but I found what I read about them along with their work to be very inspiring. Also, I believe that they all follow personal directions, which is an inward journey expressed through various mediums and projects. The projects become a projection of who they are and their inner sensibilities, which somehow materializes:
LV: What would be the best advice you could give to your 25-year-old self?
NSC: To try out different things and directions. No projects are wrong projects. Follow your intuition, even if your intuition is not sharp yet. Moments of failure are when we learn the most, although this concept is sometimes difficult to understand at first. However, somehow, you will realize how big an impact it did on future decision making and how it shaped your instincts. Also, failure is, in most cases, not a failure in other people's eyes, but only in your mind. It is the path to anyone willing to achieve the best possible result.
Also, in the beginning, remember to say yes more than no. And once you said yes too many times, learn to do the opposite.
LV: If you could gift up to 3 books to someone you like for him/her to understand better your values, which books would they be?
NSC:
Abstract: Human Space
Biography: Brancusi
Cooperate: Tribal Leadership
