Alexandra Friberg

In my degree project, I have explored ways to deal with stress and exhaustion in today’s society and I have tried to gain a greater understanding of how interior architecture and design can promote rest and recovery.

Our society tends to value productivity and long working hours, where taking breaks and needing rest can be perceived as signs of weakness or sickness rather than a necessity for wellbeing. My idea is to integrate rest as a natural part of the workplace by making resting rooms more attractive, inviting and easily accessible.

Research shows that spending time in nature has health benefits and reduces stress. I have explored how to capture expressions of nature in different materials, colours, textures and patterns. The idea is that they can capture one’s attention and by association evoke imagination and emotion and give a sense of being somewhere else. This experience can be enhanced by the triggering of different senses, making one want to interact with objects in the space. Through the furniture and spatial elements, I have explored atmospheric qualities rather than functional ones, with different levels of discovery and surprise in them.