Silje Nesdal (b.1982) holds an MA in Furniture Design and Interior architecture from Bergen Academy of Arts and Design and Alvar Aalto University in Helsinki. Silje also holds a BA in Textile Design from Oslo University Collage, and has been working in the fashion industry in Oslo and Japan. She combines her experiences from textile and fashion with furniture design and enjoys working interdisciplinary. Silje grew up in Stryn, the scenic area of the Western fjords in Norway. This community is characterized by long tradition of wool, woodwork and furniture industry.

Silje Nesdals design consists of simple and subtle forms and unobtrusive aesthetics. She is inspired by traditional use of materials and techniques both local, as well as Finnish and Japanese.

For enquiries:
post@siljenesdal.com
+47 907 35 471

Education

2014 MA in Furniture Design, Bergen Academy of the Art. Norway
2013 Exchange in Furniture Design, Aalto University. Finland
2012 - 2010 BA in Furniture Spacial Design and Interior Architecture, Bergen Academy of the Art. Norway
2007 - 2005 BA in Textile and Fashion, Oslo University College
2004 - 2003 Art and Design, Volda University College. Norway

Exhibitions

2016: Sight Unseen, Offsight, New York. USA
2016: Salone Satellite, Separat exhibition Milano. Italia
2016: Stockholm Furniture Fair. Launch at Woud. Sverige
2016: 100 % Norway, Oslo Designfair. Lillestrøm
2015: Norway Designs NÅ Vol. 2 SKALA salsutstilling, Oslo
2015: 100 % Norway at Tent London, London Design Festival, UK
2015: Norwegian Persence, Oslo Designfair med KLUBBEN, i samarbeid med Norwegian Craft og Norwegian Icons, Lillestrøm
2015: Salone Satellite, Seperat exhibition, Milano, Italia
2015: Norwegian Persence, Ventura-Lambrate med KLUBBEN, i samarbeid med Norwegian Craft og Norwegian Icons, Milano, Italia
2015: Stockholm Furniture Fair, Seperat exhibition Greenhouse, Sverige
2014: RAFF Designuke. Bergen
2014: ICFF, Inside Norway, New York, USA
2013: Nordic Passion–Architecture & Design from the Nordic Countries, Seoul, South-Korea
2013: TENT London, UK
2013: Housing Fair in Hyvinkää, Finland
2012: Habitare. Helsinki, Finland
2012: ICFF, Inside Norway, New York, USA
2011: Interiør & Boligmessen. Bergen, Norway
2011: Stockholm Furniture Fair, Sweeden

Working Experience

2014 Intern StokkeAustad, Norway
2011 Intern Furumori Koichi Architetural Designstudio. Japan
2009-2008 Sophie Faroh. Fashion designer. Oslo, Norway
2008-2007 Sophie Faroh. Assistant. Oslo, Norway

Site credits

Design and development by Magnus Nyquist (2013)

How can we develop spatial solutions and furniture inspired by 1950s and 1960s furniture design that will meet the functional requirements of a small modern flat? To cater to the everyday needs of people who do not have much space, I have found inspiration in 1950s and 1960s furniture for small homes and developed the multi-purpose sofa DORME.

Living in small units and utilizing the spaces between existing buildings can be a good way to protect the environment, lower energy consumption and, not least, create vibrant cities. There is great demand for and pressure on homes in city centers today. In an article published by NRK, Erling Dokk Holm said the following about housing policy:

'(…) More and more people are willing to pay a lot to live in a central location. This is due to a general increase in the interest in living in urban areas because of the qualities such areas possess, an interest that has both an ideological and a practical background. The increasing number of people with higher education is also part of the explanation. If you take higher education, your labor market will be a more urban one.'

(Dokk Holm, 2012)

People in Norway face many of the same challenges in the housing market that people faced in the 1950s and 1960s. After the Second World War, people moved to towns and cities looking for work, which caused a shortage of housing. The flats that were built were smaller and housed more people than is the case today. Just after the Second World War, quantity was more important that quality when it came to furniture. In the 1950s and 1960s, however, people wanted space-saving furniture made from high-quality materials with smart solutions, often using system-based designs. This was when a down-to earth social philosophy was replaced by elegance of form.

I have taken inspiration and elements from the old and used them to respond to new needs and new markets. My focus has been on making high-quality furniture for small homes that can be used in different ways and changed according to functional requirements through user involvement and play. My main piece of furniture is a sofa bed that is intended to be a good sofa while also functioning as a satisfactory piece of sleeping furniture. In this way, I wish to demonstrate how small changes can create a new situation and solve the need for somewhere to sleep. I would like us to see the value of living in smaller units, and that this does not necessarily mean poorer quality. It is possible to have a small home, but still live large.

Year: 2013-2014 Tutoring by Dave Vikøren