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‘THERE’S A PLAYFULNESS and a disregard
for the normal,’ says Bronwynn Welsh.
The CEO of Doos Architects is describing
the appeal of working with Moooi, whose
products have appeared in the Stockholm-
based studio’s designs since 2005. That was
the year that Doos selected Maarten Baas’s
Smoke Armchair for the atrium of Hotel
Artemis in Amsterdam. ‘I thought the chair
was brutal in its expression – imperfect and
unapologetic,’ says Welsh. ‘I liked that.’ And
as the ongoing relationship proves, there
was much more to like as well.
Doos specializes in restaurant and hotel
interiors. Why do you think Moooi pieces
work well in such spaces? BRONWYNN
WELSH: Hotel projects are generally quite
cost conscious. We make smart choices
across the board to leave room in the budget
for bold statement pieces that set the tone
of a space. Moooi products tend to chal-
lenge their surroundings and to add a new
unexpected depth to interiors. Some are like
a playful breath of air, whereas others offer
an inspiring take on scale, function or colour.
They make people stop and take notice.
Moooi products are also beautifully
and carefully constructed. We know how
much work goes on behind the scenes to
prepare them for manufacture.
Many of your projects are in Nordic loca-
tions. Scandinavian design is known for its
simple pared-back aesthetic, whereas Moooi
is a more eclectic brand. How do you bridge
these worlds? The eclecticism of Moooi
OPPOSITE For the atrium of the
Scandic Hotel at Helsinki Airport, Doos
Architects hung Raimond pendants
from a site-specific metal structure that
crisscrosses the space overhead.
RIGHT ‘Moooi objects harmonize
with and validate one another,’ says
Bronwynn Welsh, whose statement
refers in this case to Doos Architects’
combination of the Charleston Sofa
and the Faroo floor lamp.
products makes them well suited to flexi-
use areas: spaces in which different types of
people gather informally. Simple clean design
can be a little pretentious and cold. On the
other hand, Moooi’s designs can make areas
appear more accessible. They also add an
international flavour, which I feel is a mark
of quality. Take the use of the Horse Lamp at
Scandic City Bergen, for example. To me, the
product calls into question our perceptions
of what is normal.
How does the Moooi brand fit with Doos’s
ethos? We try to work with designer brands
whose integrity supports our vision of a
space. This means we often use a wide range
of companies across our various projects.
What’s your process of product selection?
Moooi is a continual source of inspiration, so
our product knowledge is always up to date,
which is easy when a brand communicates its
vision so well. We have two approaches for
selecting pieces. Either the initial concept is
already set and we turn to Moooi products
- usually furniture – to find something that
reinforces our design, or we already have a
piece in mind and work it in from the outset.
The latter is always true when it comes to
using Moooi lighting, and the Scandic Hotel
at Helsinki Airport is a good example of this.
The hotel’s public areas were to be housed in
the seven-storey lobby of an existing office
building. The atrium is wrapped in glass
and metal panels, and the ceiling is com-
pletely transparent. Since both sides of the
space – one accommodating offices and the
other hotel rooms – feature large windows,
whatever we did would be extremely visible
from below and above. Our task was to create
a cosy, welcoming hotel reception, lobby and
restaurant in this ‘wasteland’, and we turned
to the Raimond series. How could we use the
pendants to create a roof of light? Because we
couldn’t suspend the fittings from the glass
ceiling, we designed a metal structure – a sort
of space within a space – to support them. The
lighting glitters and reflects in the surrounding
glass and metal panels – a wondrous image for
arriving guests. The solution is also virtually
maintenance free, since any dust that settles on
the porous structures is invisible from above.Has the way you work with Moooi products
changed over the years? Moooi’s range has
obviously increased over time, and certain
items have become somewhat iconic. In the
beginning many of its offerings were spec-
tacular and unusual. Now there are a lot of
refined and elegant pieces, too. As Moooi
diversifies its portfolio, it’s easier to use sev-
eral of its objects in one design without any
collision or competition. They harmonize with
and validate one another. At Scandic Helsinki
Airport, for example, we used the Charleston
Sofa together with Raimond luminaires. Much
like the Smoke Armchair, the Charleston chal-
lenges our notions of what a chair and couch
are supposed to be. It makes people stop,
ponder and reflect. I guess this means that in
many ways we’re still drawn to Moooi for the
same reasons we were in the beginning. ●
doos.se
moooi.comMOOOI X FRAME 79