Pettersen & Hein at Etage Projects

The Tinted, Tiled Concrete Floor We’re Coveting (And an A+ Collection of Art Objects to Boot)

“We shape our furniture, and afterwards the furniture shapes us.” This is the guiding principle behind Pettersen & Hein’s exhibition Home at Etage Projects, a reimagining of utilitarian design objects as art. Lea Hein and Magnus Pettersen (whose Flat Hat Man is one of our favorite finds from this year’s Stockholm Design Week) are the duo behind the work, which examines the hierarchy of functioning and nonfunctioning objects in the context of the home. It begs the question: Is an accumulation of stuff imbued with meaning naturally? When does a seat become a sofa? It is a question for Marie Kondo, if not for the ages.

Pettersen & Hein’s sculptural collection of mirror-polished objects seems to be manifested out of thin air, reflecting the tinted, tiled concrete floor back to viewers, enhancing the sensations of movement and interaction. Home becomes a mental state as much as a physical one, “paying homage to material, color and form,” rather than functional use, notes the exhibition’s release. The way a viewer engages with each piece determines what role it plays as much as any design dictum. And while the designers’ intentions may not have an intended political tone, the show does raise pertinent questions about visibility, stability, the ways in which we are allowed to take up space — and the spaces we’re allowed to call home. On view through April 1st.

PHOTOS BY DAVID STJERNHOLM

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