DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
Issue link: https://www.southbaydiggs.com/i/1357609
4.2.2021 | DIGS.NET 43 A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N architect (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT LEFT PAGE) NATIONALMUSEUM IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN; A TABLE MADE OF PINE AND LIBRARY LAMPS BY FRONT INSIDE THE OLD LIBRARY; THE SCULPTURE COURTYARD; WOODEN DISPLAY SHELVES; THE SCULPTURAL STAIRCASE IS A FOCAL POINT OF THE LIBRARY'S REFRESHED INTERIOR, HELMED BY EMMA OLBERS. PHOTOGRAPHS: NATIONALMUSEUM EXTERIOR, NATIONALMUSEUM/ANNA; SCULPTURE COURTYARD, NATIONALMUSEUM/BRUNO EHRS; ALL OTHERS ANDY LIFFNER. Throughout the space, hits of library-inspired green suggest environmental association, but this is not entirely the point. The use of green also references the museum's book collection and the commonly felt mood one experiences in a library generally. "I felt that Old Library is often a peaceful place, so I wanted to create even more of that library feeling," explains Olbers. "When I closed my eyes and looked for libraries in my head, green was the first color that came up. I also thought green would help the whole interior to 'land,' to make it stable," she adds. The table, made of pine, lends the space a sense of grounding that complements the palette. Within the historical strictures of the space—the inability to in any way revise the large bookshelf or the wall colors, for example—Olbers appointed a series of interesting contemporary pieces to help streamline the space's more voluminous antique components. Among the most interesting juxtapositions include leggy Library Lamps by Swedish design studio Front snaking up wood shelving in clever fashion. Featuring heavy bases and mushroom-like tops, the lighting reimagines the classic green Clerk lamps of the libraries, banks and offices of old. Olbers also enlisted small Sweden studios to help finish the space. Made with home design brand Asplund, for instance, Olbers' hand- knotted Biblioteket rug reflects the spirit of Old Library, showcasing a motif that reinterprets the designer's initial sketches for the space, with three arches and large windows. It's a piece that complements newly laid oak parquet flooring, as well as contemporary oak armchairs, also designed by Olbers. The mix of period architecture and modern designs liberates Old Library from convention while still respecting the original source material. The seamlessness of the result speaks to Olbers' rich understanding of the space and how to bring it into the present. "I think you want to respect to heritage of the interior while at the same time leaving something from this time to the future," she says. The main takeaway from her design calculations—and broader environmental intentions—is how to create a visually unified, eco-friendly environment inside a centuries- old interior. In this, the space is more case study than library. "Today it feels even more important to show consumers how good quality and good environmental furniture looks like," says Olbers. She might have added, better than ever. emmaolbers.com