Interior Escapism: Fredrik Karlsson
From pro golfing to collaborating with Virgil Abloh, catching up with the Stockholm-based designer.
There’s a calmness to interior designer Fredrik Karlsson’s spaces. Perhaps it’s his Swedish origins—Karlsson hails from just south of Stockholm and carries a minimal, considered eye through his work that feels distinctly Scandinavian. Any number of his projects—including the seven apartments he lived in and designed for himself in seven years that served as his entrance to the field—would feel gallery-esque if it wasn’t for a warmth and curatorial eye that made those spaces feel like they could only be home.
Perhaps that’s owed in part to his background as a pro golfer. Karlsson approaches interiors with a dedication and precision that makes sense when you find out he was a competitive athlete for most of his life.
At 31, Karlsson first came to interiors through a love of Danish Mid-Century Modern industrial pieces. Years of personal passion—under the radar until relatively recently—gave birth to an impressive collection of French, Danish and Swedish Mid-Century Modern pieces. He started getting attention after posting his own spaces and pieces on Instagram. Look for creams and whites, sculptural and lived-in chairs from solid wood, vintage MCM lighting, maybe some marble, and a soothing, carefully reflected mood when perusing Karlsson’s feed.
It’s not the typical path to interiors. But take one look at the designer’s popular Instagram account, awash in balanced, warm interiors and prized Mid-Century objects, or Galerie North, the space he created to source, sell and showcase the pieces he’s so devoted to, and you’ll see why he is quickly becoming a bold name in the space of minimal Scandinavian interiors of now. We spoke to the laid-back Swede on what makes an interior quintessentially ‘Scandi,’ why now is the time that home matters more than ever and what it’s really like working with Virgil Abloh.
Where are you from and what were you like growing up?
I was born and raised an hour south of Stockholm. My interior design is something I’ve only been doing full-time for the past year but it has been my passion and interest for the last ten. Other than that, all I’ve been doing is sports. I used to play golf on an elite level. That was my dream when I was a kid to become a professional golf player, which I kind of managed to do. I put my competitive level on hold when I was around 23 while studying in Phoenix, Arizona. When I moved home, I turned professional. Then I realized that I needed an income! I got a job and put my golf practice on hold for a couple months just so see how I felt about it and how everything was going to turn out, and I didn’t ever pick it [back] up. I cannot really say that I quit, as I still play, but not on a competitive level. That’s like a 31-year-life in one and a half minutes.
Life can be really unpredictable.
What everything has in common is this dedication, ambition, and also, I really am prioritizing what I think is fun. That’s like the most important thing for me: to do things that I think are fun.
When did you first realize this passion for design? What did that look like?
I’ve been thinking a lot about that and I think it’s been around for a longer time than I can really think of. I’ve always been drawn to aesthetics in some way. This developed with golf, as it has a bit more fashion than other sports. There’s more variety and also some kind of a dress code. I’ve always found it interesting how through clothing you can express yourself. It’s also kind of controversial, because I’m more of an introvert, but I’m kind of an extrovert [on the] outside. If you look at me I’m not introverted-looking…tattoos all over and camo pants. I think one has a need to express themself and either that’s through the more creative part, or it’s like many singers, et cetera—they’re introverted when they step off the gig. So, for me, it definitely comes from clothing. When I was living in the US for two years, I had my own apartment and I was like, why not make it nice so I actually enjoy being there? I [didn’t have] much money. I was buying things on Craigslist; I was getting free [stuff] from my teammates; I went to Ikea. It was a start. It was like a puzzle, mixing and matching everything so I enjoyed being home.
That’s really inspiring though. Because you might not have a lot of resources, but you can find a way to create a space.
The bed was like the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen [laughing] but I got it for free. I [was] not going to spend $800 on a bed because I [was] a student. That’s a ticket for me to go home.
Exactly.
After returning home from Arizona, something happened in me. Golf became less important and I wanted to explore other things in life. I started moving homes quite often, became more successful in my day job and started buying more designs [pieces]. After I broke up with my girlfriend, my goal was to get my own apartment. I stayed in the first one for one and a half years and now, seven years later, I’ve lived in a total of six different apartments.
How would you characterize your own style? And separate from that, the Scandinavian style?
My style: I think it’s simple, but it’s a little bit of ‘less is more,’ but I don’t want it to look empty. I wouldn’t say that I have the typical Scandinavian style, but the foundation definitely is. I like when it is clean, minimalistic, but not in a [cold] way and like to have everything in order. I’m not the biggest fan of open storages, wardrobes. I need harmony and balance. I’ve been collecting vintage design for ten years. Vintage things—they have something new things don’t have. They have more character, more of a soul and especially wooden pieces. They’ve been banged around; they’ve been used.
Vintage things have something new things don’t have. They have more character, more of a soul.
Fredrik Karlsson
They have history. There’s a life.
They all have a story to tell.
Do you have all-time favorite pieces from your collection?
I have quite a lot and it’s also a big part of what I’m doing right now. Collecting vintage objects and design pieces is actually what got me where I am today. I have my own gallery [Galerie North] where I’m selling, buying and trading vintage designs.
Can you tell me a little bit about your sourcing and your inspirations?
I’m really into French design and have been for the past three years. A lot of Pierre Jeanneret, [Charlotte] Perriande, [Jean] Prouvé, but then also some Swedish heritage like Axel Einar Hjorth. It all started out with Danish things, although it’s a bit less of an inspiration for me at the moment.
Do you have a favorite material? Favorite color? Is there a dream apartment to design?
It doesn’t matter if it’s a smaller apartment or a bigger house. It could be a floor lamp that [someone] got from grandma, and it doesn’t matter what it is, but it’s important to the client. Then we have something to start from. Now we have to build everything around this lamp, because this is something that really means something to the client. If the person doesn’t have that it’s more like, ‘Oh I like this and this, but we can buy new things also.’ It’s much nicer when the person has something that means something. It gets more personal. But either way, you need to build a stable foundation. You need to build it either from outside in, or inside out.
If it’s inside out, meaning the furniture will be more important, then the walls and the color theme needs to be a certain way to not take over and let the furniture really pop. Or it can be the opposite: the person wants more minimalistic pieces and not to have the furniture stand out so much. So then, it’s what’s on the outside and is it an apartment on Fifth Avenue or is it a summer house on an island? That’s kind of how I think: either inside out or outside in. And to furnish a place is a little bit like putting on your clothes every morning: There is a reason why you always need one pair of blue jeans in your wardrobe because they go with basically everything. You just need to find that piece in the furniture. What is the pair of jeans? Is it the sofa? Or the coffee table? It’s very individual. There’s not a recipe. But I still have to put my trademark in some way. If someone picks me for their home, I need to trust my own instincts and just do what I’m good at. I don’t need to do something new every time. That’s not what I’m hired to.
I think especially right now people really, really appreciate what it is to be at home and be in a space that feels [good]. If anything, people more than ever value interiors.
I’m just a little more passionate about my home than probably most people in general, although this year, I think everyone has experienced the same thing and wondered about what home means. I think this past year has really changed a lot of people’s minds about how they see their homes and the most important thing is that you’re happy with it. It doesn’t really matter if you have this lamp, that table or if you have an Andy Warhol on the wall. If you’re happy and your home [makes you feel] like you the way that you want to, then it’s great.
You’re into fashion. Who are your favorite designers?
As with furniture, I’m really into the vintage. In fact, for the last five or six years , it’s been 98% of all the things I bought besides underwear and some running shoes.
What was it like working with Virgil on the decor for Off-White’s Milan showroom?
It was a little challenging because of the tight deadline and how many things needed to be done in that timeframe, but it’s been great. We keep in touch and he sends me quite a lot of shoes. I’m a sneaker guy and really into Jordans. I actually got a pair for my gallery that he signed.
What’s next for you? What are you excited about?
I’m really excited about the future. I’m still very new into this as a business, but I’m really looking forward to working more internationally and also expanding my Galerie North. I hope that I don’t have to talk about COVID for much longer and once it’s over, my goal and my hope is to do more international projects that involve traveling because it’s something that I really enjoy. I also want to expand Galerie North, although I haven’t set any goals for it and what it will become. Hopefully it’s something really great.
Interview: Ashley Simpson
Photography: Erik Wåhlström