Year: 2024

Client: Fotografiska Museet

Focus: Bespoke Tabletops, Bar Counter, Circular Design

Collaborator: Tengbom Architects

Awards: German Design Award 2025, Dezeen Awards 2025 (shortlisted)

Where the ocean meets the sky.

Fotografiska museet, Stockholm's internationally renowned museum of photography, art and culture, is a pioneer in embedding sustainability throughout the visitor experience. When they set out to renew Salongen, their event space overlooking Stockholm's waterfront, it was clear that the interior had to reflect the same values as the institution itself.

Interesting Times Gang transformed discarded Scandinavian fishing nets into a collection of bespoke circular tabletops and a bar counter that now define the space.

The Challenge

Salongen needed to feel both intimate and iconic; a space where conferences, celebrations and private events could unfold against one of Stockholm's most dramatic backdrops. The design had to hold its own alongside that view while making a genuine sustainability statement.

The material needed to be the story.

Materials & Making

The tabletops and bar counter are made from recycled fishing nets collected from Scandinavian waters; ocean plastic waste that has been processed, heat-pressed and finished into surfaces with a texture unlike anything produced from virgin materials. No two pieces are identical. The origin of the material is visible in the result.

We designed the table tops to take the shape of water - forms of swirling white geese on the sea shore - designed to complement the soft pastels and carefully curated furnishings by Tengbom Architects, for Salongen.

The Space

Salongen sits high above Stockholm's inlet, with a generous flow of natural light throughout the day. The atmosphere is inclusive and intimate. Our tabletops and bar counter anchor the room, giving it a material character that reinforces Fotografiska's identity as an institution that takes both beauty and responsibility seriously.

Recognition

Archipelago received the German Design Award 2025 in the category Excellent Architecture - Interior, and was shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2025 in Bespoke Design. Recognition for the way intentional design, material innovation and awareness can reinforce each other in a public environment.