In 2016, Christian Halleröd was appointed Interior Designer of the Year by the magazine Residence. His track record includes many successful collaborative endeavours with exciting brands, both in Sweden and abroad.
Design has always interested Christian. After graduating both as a cabinet maker and furniture designer at the Carl Malmsten School, he designed office furniture at Kinnarps for a few years. In 1998 he started his own company, Christian Halleröd Design AB.
"The thinking back then was that if people are to have an impact, they must start there own companies,” says Christian. So it was a natural step for me. These days, I run the company together with my wife Ruxandra who is an architect, so we complement each other in a good way."
Promoting the brand
The assignments have been many and interesting. Christian sees his task as using retail store interior design to promote a brand, and he conducts thorough research before each assignment.
"I like to create beautiful, durable settings that bring out the uniqueness of each brand. It’s a challenge that I find inspiring."
He has designed a range of shops at NK in Stockholm, including Acne, Byredo and House of Dagmar. But he has also worked at many other places around the world. One example is Swedish sneaker brand Axel Arigatos retail store in London.
"It was their first store and great fun as a project. It includes quite a lot of terrazzo, in fact no less than four tons. For example, the podiums that display the shoes are hand hewn from terrazzo blocks. We chose to make the store ambience minimalist and allow the products to enjoy pride of place."
Loves terrazzo
Christian has a special fondness for terrazzo, partly because of its stone feel and also because it can be used in so many different ways. These days he also has the material in his own office, where Christian himself designed the mixture that contains tumbled rather than crushed stones.
"I’ve always liked terrazzo. I’m always inspired by looking at the old palaces in Italy. In Sweden, the material is pretty much linked to Metro stations and other public spaces, so it’s great to see it used in so many other surroundings these days. It’s a beautiful, classic material that is suited to so many things."
Christian has worked with Herrljunga Terrazzo for many years in a collaboration that he finds simple and uncomplicated.
"They are always helpful and professional. They send samples, solve problems, are flexible and really listen. When I come up with an idea they do everything to help me accomplish it."
