Bene Office Furniture

KASPER SALTO, Sankt Peders Straede 22

Kasper Salto was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1967. His mother is Naja Salto, (artist) and his father is Sven Poulsson (architect). His grandmother Gerda Åkesson was married to Axel Salto, both were artists. On his father’s side there was several architects; among them great grandfather Magnus Poulsson who designed the Oslo city hall together with architect Arnstein Arneberg.

Kasper received a degree in cabinet making in 1988, subsequently he graduated in 1994 from the Danish Design School. Between 1994 and 1998, Kasper Salto worked for designer Rud Thygesen, who is a famous Danish designer in the field of furniture. It was at that time that he met Peter Staerk: these two friendships were to have a deep influence on his professional life. In 1997, he designed the Runner chair for Peter Staerk who made the chair famous in Denmark and abroad.

In 1998, Kasper Salto opened his own studio in Christianshavn where he also lives. In 2006 the office relocated to Sankt Peders Stræde 22, in the middle of Copenhagen.

Kasper Salto works mainly for the companies Fritz Hansen, DubaB8, Engelbrechts Furniture, Stærk design and Lightyears. He has received a number of design awards for his work, for example the Furniture Prize in 2003, and recently the 2010 Finn Juhl prize.


You must have been influenced by the artists in your family - How did the atmosphere at the studio shape your childhood and your choice of profession? Do you remember these places of work?

My mother is an artist and my father is an architect, so I think it was in the "cards" for me to choose something like design. I have always felt good about inventing things, and creating things in my mind and with my hands.

Drawing and creative work was often credited by my parents, so a good drawing was much more appreciated than a good grade in math at school... I remember when as a little boy, 5-6 years old, I made this drawing of a racetrack for my Matchbox cars, and some years later my mother was inspired by that drawing and designed a rug for production with grass, roads and houses on it, for kids to play on. It never went into production, so I had the prototype for many years in my room.


Another thing might be how you see the perhaps different mentality of Scandinavians - concerning different styles of work and design?

Today I think it’s hard to tell the difference, but still I think there is mentality to make relevant and pragmatic solutions in Scandinavia. Quality is a very important thing for the Danes.


Do you have a "primary workspace", and - if so - where is it?

My studio is in the middle of town, a nice street called Sankt Peders Straede, situated in the old part of the town, only two minutes from the town hall. This is my primary workspace.

Behind the studio there is a fantastic garden with a lot of plants, trees, and birds, all this is surrounded by all the old Copenhagen houses in different colours, so when the sun is shining we tend to sit there for lunch. It’s so good to take a break out there when the work load is heavy.


Do you like working steadily at the same location or do you prefer a change of scenery?

I´d like to be in the studio all the time, but at the moment I do a lot of travelling. I just returned from Oslo, Norway, to tell Fritz Hansen Partners about my new chair. Before that I did Milan, Düsseldorf, Antwerpen, New York and London. And in September I go to Melbourne, Brisbane, Noosa, Sydney and then Tokyo.


What importance do you attach to your office/studio as a place?

Very important to me when I’m working on a specific project.


What functions does it have to serve?

The most important functions are the workshop in the cellar, and the fact that it’s a meeting point for clients. We have four rooms, the kitchen, library, workshop and then the room where we sit at the computers. 120 m2 in total, very good for two people!


What do you dislike about your office?

Sometimes in the summer it can be noisy and hot, as the studio faces the street. But then I can go down in the basement where it’s quiet and also cool.


Do you find your office to be a place of inspiration, of creativity?

Yes, it’s so nice to have all the things here, references from previous projects, tools in the workshop, plotters and a cnc machine.


Do you feel that your office reflects something about you? If so, what?

I like interesting objects and good inventions, and also the fact that I am educated as a cabinetmaker. So you will also find good functional tools here.


Are there places where you would especially like to work?

In the workshop, making my prototypes!


Where did you have the main idea for the NAP chair - at the office or at another place?

The idea was developed here and there; when I got the briefing from Fritz Hansen I went to our apartment in Paris and spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach the task. But all the physical work as well as new ideas regarding the chair were invented in the studio.


What changes would you name as the most radical during your "office/career life"?

Moving from the little studio at Christians harbour to this bigger place in the city.


Are there any rituals (concerning office-life) that are important to you?

Making my coffee on the Pavoni machine.


What is your favourite activity in context of your work?

Making good prototypes.


Is that "the moment of truth" in the design process?

Yes, making the concepts as prototypes always tells the truth about the whole thing - we can test it before showing to anyone. It’s easier to convince someone if you have the "real" thing to present.


What is the most important object for you in your office?

The CNC machine in the workshop. This computer-aided technology enables 3D-milling of complex 3D-shapes. This computer-controlled technology enables 3D milling so that complicated 3D contours can be produced.


What is your most personal object in your office?

The 3D board. It contains things of value for me, you see how things are made, and how strong / light etc. is in this or that material. It’s so nice to have examples close at hand. And some of the things such as the propellers are just good examples of good design, - and of design that is made for a purpose and not only for aesthetical reasons! It´s also a historical reference about old projects that contains facts for new projects.


What is your most important tool for your work?

The whiteboard where I can discuss concepts with my partner Thomas Sigsgaard. Thomas and I have been working on lighting projects for around 8 years now, our best known project might be the Nosy lamp. We meet almost every day and discuss our projects.

Thomas is an architect, so we are lucky to have two different approaches to design. Designing a house is very much about planning everything, logistics is important in this field. So with Thomas´ broad view and because he is very good in theoretic matters we make a very good team. We often use the white board to communicate concepts to each other. And we always wipe the board clean for every new project, so we make sure to start from scratch.


Are there any people working steadily in your studio?

We had a very good man helping us in the studio for a couple of years, Antonio Scafiddi. But now he's gone on with his own company.


In 2002 you did a conceptual project called "The future office" for Fritz Hansen. You reduced the office to a bench where one can do three things – Think, Rest and Communicate. Did you generate this concept from your own experiences, needs? Do you still use a prototype in your office? Looking back, how do you see "future office" today, in 2010?

The fact is, all paperwork can be archived digitally now, so we do not need paper, pens, paper clips, hole machines, ring binders, tape, scissors and piles of stuff that we tend to place on the table! So then we don't need the table anymore!! So what will we do, in the future? - Brain work and travel, and so we need to relax, so why not give your employees a chance to recharge their batteries with a 5 minute nap during the day?

That’s why I took the most important needs, and made this piece of furniture. When I showed it in Japan, some years ago, they immediately understood the concept.

But since we still print out a lot of paper, and use a lot of paperclips etc....I think it will take a while for (really) new ways of working to come true.


Your greatest wish in the office?
To keep everything in order. There is an old saying: Everything in place, place for everything.

Thank you for your answers – and now enjoy your holidays !