Shaping Space: Erik Bratsberg’s Vision for Thoughtful Design
people • DESIGNERS
Erik Bratsberg is a Stockholm-based autodidact artist and designer specialising in objects, furniture, and interior design. He has explored various materials, forms, and spatial aesthetics with a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. His work merges sculpture with functional design, focusing on traditional materials such as stone, wood, leather, ceramics, glass, and metal. Bratsberg’s creations, including handcrafted furniture, lighting, and visual arts, emphasise depth, texture, and emotional resonance. His designs combine organic and geometric elements, blending vintage influences with contemporary craftsmanship.
WEBSITE: erikbratsberg.se INSTAGRAM: @erikbratsberg
Words: designeers
MARCH 2025
DESIGNEERS
Your work blurs the line between sculpture, furniture, and spatial design. How did your journey into this field begin?
Erik Bratsberg
I spent a decade in finance, where my only creative outlet was making PowerPoint slides—rigid and uninspiring. When I left, I craved freedom, where creativity could unfold without constraints and gravitated toward organic, asymmetrical forms. A home renovation led me to design furniture, which sparked my passion for craftsmanship.
With no formal training, I relied on hands-on exploration, experimenting with materials and techniques. I see my work as a continuous creative journey, where the medium—whether wood, terrazzo, or watercolor—is secondary to the process itself.
DESIGNEERS
Your recent work at Persona Stockholm creates an immersive atmosphere. How do you design spaces to evoke emotion and experience?
Erik Bratsberg
Interior design is a layered language that influences emotions, much like nature. At Persona, I used soft, sculptural forms and warm textures in the lounge for a welcoming feel, while the dining area was designed to keep the focus on food and conversation.
Colour, materiality, and light play crucial roles—green, a mix of warm and cool tones, creates balance and complements materials like honey-hued oak and raw steel. Elements like acoustics, scents, and spatial flow complete the atmosphere. The goal is to blend these layers seamlessly, ensuring that the space feels intuitive and alive.
DESIGNEERS
Materiality plays a huge role in your aesthetic. Do you have a favourite material to work with, and what draws you to it?
Erik Bratsberg
I’m drawn to traditional materials like stone, wood, leather, ceramics, glass, and metal—materials with history and soul. I appreciate handcrafted elements, as they carry the touch of the maker, something lost in mass production.
I love working with textures that invite interaction—burl wood, veined marble, and aged metals all create depth and intrigue. A well-designed surface should make you want to touch it, like a plaster wall that shifts with light rather than a flat-painted surface. Mixing textures and finishes—matte versus gloss, rough versus smooth—adds richness to a space.
DESIGNEERS
Your furniture and objects feel like they hold movement within them. Where do you find inspiration for these sculptural forms—nature, architecture, or something else?
Erik Bratsberg
Nature and the human body inspire me—organic forms feel more natural than rigid, geometric ones. There’s little in nature that is perfectly straight; but there’s always an underlying logic to it somehow, like the Fibonacci sequence explaining growth patterns in leaves.
When designing, I sketch countless variations, relying on instinct to determine which forms feel right. I also enjoy reinterpreting geometric shapes—melting, stacking, or distorting them to add dynamism. Inspiration can come from anywhere: a shape glimpsed on TV, a piece of rough timber, or an accidental discovery while working with materials. Everything we create is, in some way, an evolution of past designs.
“I love working with textures that invite interaction—burl wood, veined marble, and aged metals all create depth and intrigue. A well-designed surface should make you want to touch it, like a plaster wall that shifts with light rather than a flat-painted surface. ”
Erik Bratsberg
DESIGNEERS
If you could collaborate with any designer, architect, or creative from history or today, who would it be and why?
Erik Bratsberg
The best collaborations merge different disciplines. At Persona, working with chef Louis shaped both the interior and the restaurant’s concept, showing how design and cuisine can enhance each other. I enjoy working with people outside my field, as fresh perspectives lead to unexpected ideas.
DESIGNEERS
What’s your all-time favourite hotel in the world, and what makes its design so special to you?
Erik Bratsberg
Two stand out: a small, family-run hotel in Chianti, where I proposed to my wife, and a boutique hotel in Mallorca’s Tramuntana mountains, where we married. Neither is conventionally "designed," yet both have an undeniable soul shaped by history, landscape, and the people who care for them.
A place gains character not just from its architecture but from the stories within its walls. Design isn’t always about adding elements; sometimes, it’s about letting a space breathe and allowing its authenticity to shine. Who needs design when you have a blind, elderly Golden Retriever barking softly each time the door opens, an Italian grandmother bustling around with her grandson at the reception, or a nearly 1,000-year-old olive grove where donkeys “hee-haw” into the sunset over the mountains?
DESIGNEERS
Who is your ultimate design hero, and how have they influenced your work?
Erik Bratsberg
Brancusi, Arp and Noguchi mastered sculptural abstraction, making their work feel as if it had always existed. Their ability to create timeless, emotionally resonant forms is something I deeply admire.
Among contemporary designers, Vincenzo De Cotiis is at the top. His ability to blend materials—aged metal, rare marble, Murano glass, salvaged fiberglass—into seamless compositions is remarkable. His interiors balance the old and new effortlessly, creating spaces that feel refined yet raw.
DESIGNEERS
Your work has a strong tactile and sensory quality. Do you see design as a way to communicate emotion or memory?
Erik Bratsberg
Absolutely. Design can trigger emotions and memories, much like scent or music. Certain textures, colors, or forms can evoke nostalgia or a sense of familiarity. I aim to create designs that invite interaction, whether through a tactile surface, an engaging shape, or the way light moves through a space. While my personal art helps me process emotions, my design work is about shaping experiences for others, creating spaces that feel intuitive and alive.
DESIGNEERS
Beyond design, what are some personal rituals or experiences that inspire your creativity?
Erik Bratsberg
Movement is essential—walking, running, and rehab exercises help clear my head and manage chronic pain. I was an athlete in my youth, but injuries led to persistent back and neck pain, which can be draining if not managed.
Pain affects both mood and creativity. Some emotions, especially darker ones, can fuel art, but hands-on craftsmanship requires physical endurance. To carve, sculpt, or build, you need a healthy body. Being outside, working in natural light, and observing how materials interact with their surroundings also inspire me. Creativity isn’t just about producing—it’s about absorbing and allowing ideas to form naturally.
DESIGNEERS
What’s next for you—any exciting projects, collections, or dream collaborations on the horizon?
Erik Bratsberg
I’m working on multiple projects in design, art, and interiors, but what excites me a bit extra is establishing a new showroom and studio. This space will showcase a full collection of interior pieces I’ve been developing, creating a complete lounge environment.
Beyond that, I’m always looking for collaborations that challenge me creatively. Whether in interiors, furniture, or sculpture, I want to continue experimenting, testing new materials, and evolving my practice. The journey isn’t about reaching a final point—it’s about continuous exploration.
