Vivian Boje’s path to becoming an interior architect was as straight as an arrow. Growing up in a cultural home among classic books, contemporary furniture and modernist paintings, Vivian naturally developed an early fascination for design, art and architecture — further underlined and encouraged by her mothers exotic black & white lifestyle magazines and frequent family trips to museums — en route to an illustrious career as a purveyor of all things beautiful: A career that was written in the stars since the budding age of 16 and still showing no signs of fatigue more than half a century down the road. For the last 20 years, Vivian has been plying her trade and talents under the Paustian banner, working on behalf of a large number of private, public and corporate clients in search of the fickle aesthetic home run. But what’s the secret behind our first lady of interior architecture? FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL OF US UNENLIGHTENED, PLEASE TALK US THROUGH THE PROCESS OF CREATING INTERIORS FROM A PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE. There are many layers to the process. Like an artist, I begin with a blank canvas, and in interior design, the perfect canvas equals to ambitious architecture. Before the first pen-stroke, I try to get a feel for the room or house in question and analyze it from a functional point of view. In order to streamline the process, I prefer to meet and establish a solid report with the client, proposing initial ideas and setting the tone for the rest of the project. Next, I begin sketching out the different layers of the interior, room by room in a 1:50 scale. I always draw my sketches in hand, and I’ve never really felt the need to learn how to use 3D computer software like most — if not all — of my colleagues prefer to use. Also, a handdrawn sketch feels more vibrant and personal. The first layer is all of the furniture, both new additions and existing objects fitting the overall aesthetic. The second layer is light and colour. Light and colour are quite abstract qualities, but an essential, often underestimated tool that can shift the entire balance of a room in one direction or the other. Finally, there’s an ongoing awareness and attention to materials, tactility and textures and every other little detail.
TALKING ABOUT STYLE. HOW ARE YOU ROUNDED AS AN INTERIOR ARCHITECT? Scandinavian functionalism with a touch of international style and a firm belief that less is more. Bourgeois as it may sound, I’m a big fan of Finn Juhl and his school of design, but then again, who isn’t? He was a teacher and director at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1945 - 1955, teaching interior design. When I graduated in 1970 the spirit of Finn Juhl was still notably present. I’m especially fond of his use of colours with teak as opposed to the tight, monochrome look that rules everything these days. While studying in Rome, I developed a love for modern Italian design and especially the works of Maddalena de Padova, who’s one of my design heroes. There’s definitely an interesting dialogue between the North and the South of Europe. Especially between Scandinavia and Italy.
“It sounds like actual science. I think it’s rather a personal formula that works for me — both in terms of process, style, and how I deal with clients.”
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It sounds like actual science. I think it’s rather a personal formula that works for me — both in terms of process, style, and how I deal with clients.
REALLY? Indeed. Maddalena de Padova, who I had the pleasure of getting to know personally before she passed away, once told me that they flipped a coin to decide whether to go on a field trip to Scandinavia or stay in Southern Europe. And after visiting Scandinavia and Denmark, she fell in love with the functional style and began to import Scandinavian furniture to her store in Milano during the ’60s. The Scandinavian inspiration is actually quite obvious in DePadova’s style. Piero Lissoni’s (art director for DePadova, Boffi, etc.) architecture & design office in Milano is decorated with furniture from the likes of Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner, and Børge Mogensen. REFLECTING ON YOUR CAREER, HOW HAVE YOU PERSONALLY EVOLVED AS A CURATOR OF INTERIOR DESIGN? It has always been vital for me to remain idealistic and opinionated in both my approach and execution. That’s a given when you’re young and passionate about most things, but I still insist on doing projects that feel right and matches my ambitions. Not just for the sake of it. The easiest thing in the world is just to bend over backwards and give clients what they want. Or rather what they think they want. My job is at its most rewarding when I’m able to challenge and push my clients’ boundaries, convincing them do be more bold and adventurous than they initially thought possible. SO YOU’RE NOT REALLY INTO PLAYING IT SAFE? Preferably there’s some desire to go a bit further than, sorry to say, boring and overused evergreens like Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7 chairs, Piet Hein’s SuperEllipse table or Poul Henningsen’s lamps, to name a few. In my humble opinion, that’s just buying material comfort.
Vesthimmerlands Gymnasium in Års