Karl Salomonson is a Swedish spatial designer, architect, and maker with a Master's degree in Spatial Design from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design. His work has been exhibited at prominent design platforms, including 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, Stockholm Creative Edition, and the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. During his studies, he was awarded the Konstfack Scholarship for his Master's degree project, recognizing the strength of his conceptual and material-driven approach.
Salomonson's practice occupies the space between architecture, furniture design, and scenography. Interested in blurring disciplinary boundaries, he explores how narrative, materiality, and spatial experiences can be merged into a unique design language. His current work focuses on combining architectural thinking with furniture making, using scenography as a framework for developing new forms, atmospheres, and expressions.
Materials play a central role in his design process and are often the starting point for new projects. Working primarily with wood, alongside steel and reclaimed materials sourced from local suppliers and production waste streams, he uses materials not only as construction elements but also as generators of ideas. Rather than approaching design from a predetermined formal vision, he allows the inherent qualities and associations of a material to guide the conceptual development of a project.
A recent project illustrates this method clearly. Beginning with cowhide as the primary material, Salomonson explored the cultural imagery and narratives associated with it, leading him to the visual world of the American West and Spaghetti Western cinema. From this fictional landscape, he developed a series of furniture pieces that combined storytelling and material experimentation. The project expanded beyond the objects themselves to include an entire narrative environment, where cowhide became both a conceptual reference and a physical cladding material that shaped the final designs.
With a background in both carpentry and architecture, craftsmanship is deeply embedded in Salomonson's practice. The act of making continuously informs his design decisions, influencing everything from construction methods to aesthetic expression. At the same time, he resists allowing functionality alone to dictate outcomes. While practical considerations are always present, he views design as an opportunity to explore ideas, create unexpected connections, and push beyond conventional solutions.
What distinguishes Salomonson's work is his willingness to embrace fiction, humor, and risk-taking as legitimate design tools. Through the combination of strong concepts, unconventional material pairings, and narrative-driven thinking, he creates furniture and spatial experiences that challenge expectations and tell compelling stories. His work is characterized by a desire to avoid the safe and predictable, instead pursuing projects that invite curiosity, interpretation, and imagination.
